Now, more than ever, a palpable restlessness for change has been gaining momentum in society. As the world is entering the recovery phase of post-COVID-19 life, several industries including food and nutrition are beginning to resume a few normal activities. However, consumers are becoming more conscious of what goes inside their digital and physical shopping carts.

The pandemic and the consequent social and health problems have accelerated conversations towards the increasing demand for food that respects both people and the environment. According to the ‘Food Revolution Barometer’, a report produced by Danone in collaboration with Bloom and Futerra, online conversations around sustainability and food have increased from 30 million in 2018 to 107 million in 2021.

The accelerated interest in sustainability is set to change how food and nutrition companies communicate with consumers and collaborate with their suppliers and other vendors. However, do these companies need to work on just being sustainable? The answer is a lot of transformation trends are emerging in the modern food & beverage industry that manufacturers will need to keep a close eye on.

Green Ingredients Become Mainstream Yet Meat Remains in the Menu

Food and agribusiness sectors are still wrestling with what maintaining continuity and recovering from the pandemic effects really mean; however, there remain huge opportunities to invest in areas that align with consumer sustainability trends. While there is no agreed way to measure these trends, growing consumer preference for green ingredients is prompting food and beverage suppliers to bring more plant-based options. Moreover, food or grocery delivery companies such as Deliveroo in the U.K. and Instacart in the U.S. have reported a spike in the sales of vegan items or plant-based products.

Despite such an unprecedented increase, not everyone is prepared to immediately embrace a vegan lifestyle. Consequently, a flexitarian diet that is mostly plant-based but not strictly meat-free has been growing in popularity. Besides, a study published in the journal Science reported the environmental benefits of reducing meat consumption rather than buying sustainable meat and dairy.

Eco-labels Make Waves as a Sustainable Food Trend

The rise of health- and eco-conscious consumers has influenced the desire for healthier foods with low environmental impact. However, the struggle to determine whether to focus on green ingredients and macronutrients or perhaps sustainable sourcing has led to information overload. As a result, on-package claims have been making a huge splash in the current food and beverage industry.

Following the introduction of ‘Organic’, the first eco-label, in the 1990s, the demand for clear, easy-to-understand food labels that represent some ethical or sustainability attributes has been on the rise. Apart from ‘No added sugar’ and ‘No additives and preservatives’, consumers are likely to seek labels such as Fair Trade, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Rainforest Alliance in the coming years.    

Innovation in the Local-based Food Market to Reduce ‘Food Miles’

One of the latest buzzwords in the areas of food sustainability is ‘food miles’— the distance traveled by food from its origin to where it is consumed. In the context of sustainability, ingredients that travel a long way across regional or global markets may have a high carbon footprint. Additionally, consumers travel a certain distance to purchase their products that may further impact the environment.

As food miles become a part of an ingredient or product’s sustainability story, both food manufactures and consumers are putting a greater emphasis on local-based food products. Moreover, retailers and grocers are introducing in-store produce center and farmers’ market to cut down on transportation and carbon emissions from the food industry.

Such approaches became more significant with InFarm’s introduction of modern farming units inside restaurants and supermarket aisles to bring fresh produce closer to their customers. The Berlin-based vertical indoor farming company has also raised €144 million in investment in September 2020 to build the world’s largest urban farming network.

Mapping the Road Ahead

Clearly, the food and nutrition industry is witnessing a fundamental shift, as sustainability becomes the center of the plate of modern consumers. In addition to concerns about carbon footprint, waste management, and the use of resources, the coronavirus pandemic has forced food companies to include health and social issues in their sustainability plans. The pandemic is also making the companies view sustainable food trends and innovation from a different lens.

Regenerative farming, sustainable sourcing, green vegetarianism, and clean eating have recently come under the spotlight and will continue to do so. Therefore, food and nutrition companies must prioritize their strategies and find innovative ways to foster a sustainable business in the future.