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Food ingredients - Emerging scenarios for 2021
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Tuesday, 02 March, 2021, 12 : 00 PM [IST]
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Joshna Joseph
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Food ingredients have evolved in the past few years especially additives and functional food ingredients which are emerging and have a great scope in the future and are continuously evolving in terms of adding health benefits and enhancing the taste and texture of the product. Food ingredients have a very broad classification and includes all the ingredients that help to make the food tasty, aromatic and also in increasing the shelf life of the food.
Experimentation and innovative alternatives have helped in developing new and innovative food products that are convenient for the consumers and are according to their taste and lifestyle. There is an increasing demand for convenience food (ready to eat, ready to cook, ready to heat and eat) due to the busy lifestyle of the people. People are mostly looking out for products which are convenient, time saving and cheap. It is only by innovation, funding and technology such types of products can be developed.
India is becoming a hub for food product development, innovation and manufacturing of many food ingredients on a large scale and many multinational companies are investing in new product development to create innovative and cost friendly food products. Plant based food is emerging and more and more fast food joints are tying up with companies which are developing such plant based food products which can replace meat by having the same taste and texture of meat and high in protein. It is estimated that the protein consumption is going to increase to 80 per cent by 2050. Although it should be noted that 20 per cent of the greenhouse gases are emitted by agriculture globally. The contribution of social media by representing all kinds of innovative foods available in the market has been vast in the recent years. Consumers are made aware of the type of ingredients used in the food, their health benefits and their effect on the body. While developing a new food product, the investors must strictly follow the food laws before the product is launched in the market.
Addition of food ingredients in different proportions may yield food products that are different in taste and texture. Even a single food ingredient can change the taste and texture of food, therefore care must be taken while manufacturing a food product. There is a possibility that stringent regulations may lead to the delay in the launch of the food product. Products which have clean labels have more scope in the future as more and more people are getting into a healthy lifestyle and people are becoming aware of the lifestyle diseases caused due to improper diet and lifestyle. More manufacturers are trying to develop products for niche markets which are finding shelf space in the markets and have targeted consumers. The niche markets are growing due to consumer awareness. There is a high demand for food products which are environment friendly and fresh foods which are made up of remaining food products, which are also not wasted and find their way in the market. Globally around 33 per cent of the food gets wasted. Many manufacturers are coming up with new ideas of upcycling the fresh food which is getting wasted.
The food ecosystem is getting more complex and it is giving more food options to the consumers to buy from. Technology has made buying food much easier, now the consumer does not have to go out to buy food, food will reach the consumer within a click. Consumers are offered a plethora of new food brands, cafes etc. Due to more consumer demands many startups are blooming and are developing new food products which caters to the consumer demands. Products such as gluten free ,lactose free etc. which mainly aims at removal certain types of hypersensitivity reactions causing nutrients in the body which are present in the food and keeping the traditional taste and texture of the food in tact has been on the rise in recent years and continue to grow. Many food products are now being fortified with certain vitamins and minerals for increasing the nutrition content of the food. Nutraceutical foods are emerging due to their therapeutic effect on the body. Natural flavouring agents are too costly therefore, innovations have led to preparation of synthetic flavors which taste exactly like the natural ones and are cheaper as compared to the natural flavors. Sugarfree food is also emerging as it is considered to be diabetic friendly and India has more number of people who are suffering from diabetes who can eat sweets without worrying about the sugar present in it.
In this battle for demand and supply, the consumer is the ultimate winner. Food industries in India are already rising to take up the challenge and provide consumers with what they need. As the consumer demands new and varied food products the market is ready to cater to it. There will always be a rise in demand for various innovative food products by the consumer as food is one of the basic needs of man and will never end till man lives.
(The author is research and development manager for Soch Foods LLP)
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