MONTVALE, N.J., Feb. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is
an article written by Rick Klauser,
CEO at Sprout Foods.
Expo West is THE place for natural products companies to
showcase ideas that will inspire and drive the industry for the
next 12 months. But with over 3,000 exhibitors, how do you pinpoint
the most important trends in a vast hall of products? In addition
to being an exhibitor and meeting with retailers, the Sprout Foods
team will be focused on tracking key consumer and product trends,
particularly with today's parents. Here are my predictions for the
top four trends to watch in the organic baby food category at Expo
West on March 8-12, 2017.
Plant-powered picks up speed. Consumer demand for
organic, simple and clean ingredients has driven a major expansion
of plant-focused food across all categories, and this year the
movement will begin to gain momentum in the organic baby food
industry. Nearly 1/3 of babies and toddlers aged 9 to 24 months do
not eat vegetables on a given day, but plant-based food can help
change that. The health benefits are hard to ignore: Children
raised on a plant-based diet are less likely to be overweight, have
lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, less inflammation, and
a reduced risk of chronic illness later in life, including heart
disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. As more parents
consider plant-based diets, expect to see a lot of plant-focused
innovation on the trade show floor.
Non-meat protein sources are on the rise. Meat
alternatives are expected to reach $5 billion by 2020, driven by
concerns about health and wellness, animal welfare, and
sustainability. Many parents worry about getting enough protein in
their children's diets, but according to Russell Greenfield, M.D. and Clinical Professor
of Medicine, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine: "Most people only
require a small amount of protein-rich food each day to meet
nutritional requirements. It's relatively easy to get adequate
protein in the diet, even for families who primarily eat
plant-based foods." A number of new baby and toddler food products
are leveraging alternative protein sources such as organic soy
products (tempeh, tofu), whole grains (quinoa, bulgur, freekah),
legumes (beans, lentils, peas), Greek yogurt, nuts, and leafy
greens.
Sourcing moves to the forefront. The sourcing of organic
ingredients will be a big topic this year, as Millennials push for
transparency about what's in their food, where it came from, and
how it was grown or raised. When it comes to their growing babies
and toddlers, their standards are higher than ever. At Expo West,
industry leaders will provide further transparency by having an
honest conversation about sourcing with both their organic buyers
and consumers. For example, Sprout Foods has partnered with a
third-generation California family
farm, Pitman Farms, to make a co-branded line of Stage 3
Organic Blends (delicious vegetable and meat purees for babies aged
8 months and up) with organic, free-range meat. Sprout's packaging
will communicate other benefits such as meat raised without
antibiotics or growth promoting hormones.
Package innovation takes center stage. With
ever-multiplying products on shelves, brands are leveraging
innovative package design to stand out and build consumer trust.
One innovation that's taking the category by storm is clear pouch
packaging, which taps into growing consumer demand for transparency
about how food and beverages are produced. Sprout® will be the
first organic baby food brand to have a 100% clear pouch portfolio
in 2017. So what's next in package innovation? All signs point to
clean labeling as the next big movement. When trying to choose
which products to buy, consumers want the most important
information - such as ingredients and nutritional value - to be
communicated to them in ways that are visibly clear and easy to
understand. Sprout's commitment to transparency is visible on our
packaging – each product contains a pledge that the ingredients on
the front match the primary ingredients in the recipe. The
spotlight will be on food manufacturers' plans to improve the
labeling of products in these ways.
While these trends reflect broader themes that are shaping the
food and drink industry overall, they are also a window into what
consumers will care about for years to come. As Millennials become
parents, they are hitting the "re-set button" on nutrition and
focusing on making the right decisions for their children. The fact
that these trends are important now when they have infants and
toddlers means they will continue to be important as their kids
grow up. Be on the lookout for innovations in organic family
nutrition at Expo West – it can tell you a lot about your
consumer.
Rick Klauser is the CEO at
Sprout Foods, Inc. Klauser's career has spanned three decades
across multiple functions in corporate and private equity
companies, which evolved into his passion for healthy foods and
global expertise in infant nutrition. He was Nestlé U.S.'s first
chief marketing and medical sales officer and created an
age-/stage-based portfolio strategy, which redefined the infant
nutrition category hierarchy. As global head of Nestlé S.A.'s
"Start Healthy, Stay Healthy" campaign, Klauser led the largest
unbranded corporate education initiative of its kind, designed to
help parents and medical practitioners around the world understand
the lifelong impact of proper nutrition in the first one thousand
days of life.
About Sprout Foods, Inc.
Sprout Foods provides premium
organic foods for babies, toddlers and their families that
encourage happy and healthy eating. Founded in 2008, Sprout® was
the first company to introduce baby food in a pouch, triggering the
explosion of the organic baby food pouch segment in the U.S.
Sprout® uses only unadulterated non-GMO ingredients, with whole
foods from the source, and unique cooking methods to create tasty,
nutritious combinations that appeal to all ages. Sprout® believes
that a meal is more than nourishment: it's a chance to inspire and
grow together. That's why the company is committed to developing an
early love of healthy, whole ORGANIC foods. For more information,
visit http://www.sproutorganicfoods.com.
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SOURCE Sprout Foods