ProgressiveGrocer.com recently announced supermarket categories that will grow in 2016. One of the categories is important to the nut and dried fruit industry because it states that snacking will go all-natural. What comes to mind when the term “all-natural” is bandied about? Nuts and dried fruits.
All-Natural?
According to the article, the term “all-natural” has come to mean products that are free from artificial ingredients. They also mean products that producers have kept as close to their most natural form as possible. Over the last few years, many food distributors and retailers have noticed a shift to this all-natural preference. We have seen decline in Sweet snacks in favor of nuts, yogurts and protein bars. Even though they are eco-friendly packaged, all-natural and nutritious, too. In fact, consumers are asking for exotic nuts as well. Such as Brazils, macadamias, pecans and pistachios more than ever.
Marketreseach.com indicates that almonds, in particular, are finding room in healthier snacks; this development is in part associated with research findings that the actual caloric content of whole almonds is 20 percent less than the Nutrition Facts Panel indicates. (see their nutritional benefits here) The packaged food producers place nutritional information in a boxed text on a label, which is Nutrition Facts Panel. In this Nutrition Facts panel, producers publish information about calories, fat, sodium, etc., of the food content within. Progressive Grocer Magazine uncover this story in their monthly magazine linked to here.
Another interesting trend is consumers are going for freeze dried vegetables and fruits. They dehydrate and freeze-dry these vegetables and fruits from their fresh forms to create shelf-stable munchable chips. Research shows that public’s greatest appeal on the vegetable chips will be those with healthy natural ingredients. These include Beans and other legumes, kale, sweet potato and seaweed.
Progressive Grocer Magazine interviewed major brands that have jumped on the all-natural bandwagon. These well known brands have announced plans to remove artificial flavors and colors and replace them with natural spices, fruit and vegetable concentrates.