Specialty Food Magazine

APR 2013

Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.

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SPECIALTY FOOD MANUFACTURERS Fastest-Growing Slowest-Growing in 2012 in 2012 SPECIALTY FOOD INNOVATION PLANS FOR 2013 Conventional Supermarkets (e.g., Kroger, Safeway) 22 20 Specialty Food Stores 21 15 Online 12 14 Mass Merchandisers (e.g., Target, Walmart) 10 17 Foodservice (e.g., restaurants, cafes, school/office cafeterias) 4 20 Other 5 5 Source: Mintel Manufacturers report that natural supermarkets are their fastest-growing channel. This supports point-of-sales data in the natural channel, which shows the strongest sales increases among channels during 2010–2012, up 28.2 percent compared to 25.4 percent across all channels. Conventional supermarkets and specialty food stores are also cited as fast-growing channels by 22 percent and 21 percent of manufacturers, respectively. Yet nearly as many indicate that growth in conventional supermarkets is on the decline. The growing importance of online sales is evident with 12 percent of manufacturers saying it's their fastestgrowing channel. NATURAL/ETHICAL SOURCING OF PRODUCTS Manufacture Estimated This Type of Product All Natural Sustainable Eco-Friendly Organic Fair Trade Multiple answers accepted Gluten-Free 38 37 Indulgent 34 34 Functional 28 Portable 20 Allergen-Free 9 % Less Indulgent and More Healthful 26 I plan to develop specialty food that is also… Convenient/Easy to Prepare Natural Supermarkets (e.g.,Whole Foods Market) 19 Other 17 Multiple answers accepted Source: Mintel Gluten-free and convenient/easy-to-prepare offerings are the most likely to be included in development plans for 2013. Manufacturers are faced with the challenge of catering to both sides of the spectrum: health and indulgence. Thirty-four percent cite plans for indulgent innovations and an equal amount cite plans for less indulgent, more healthful innovations. THE MANUFACTURER VIEWPOINT: INFLUENTIAL PRODUCT CLAIMS Interests Consumers Most Today Will Grow the Most in the Next Three Years 64% All Natural 39% Average Sales 2012 % % 89 79 33 23 30 21 24 10 15 6 Source: Mintel All-natural products lead the pack by far, in both production and estimated sales. A growing percentage of manufacturers are offering sustainable products, yet these products represent a decreasing percentage of sales, possibly reflecting a degree of apathy or distrust toward the claim of sustainability. Similarly, the percentage of sales derived from organic and fair trade products has dwindled since 2010. GLUTEN FREE FASTEST GROWING RETAIL CHANNEL FOR SPECIALTY FOODS % Indicating % Indicating 62% Local* 60% 39% When manufacturers were Organic 20% 21% Sustainable 36% 20% Eco-Friendly Fair Trade 32% 7% 17% Source: Mintel *"Local" is defined as within 200 miles of operator Multiple answers accepted asked about natural/ethical positioning, all natural and local ranked highest, in terms of both current consumer interest and growth over the next three years. Sixty percent of manufacturers believe that local claims will drive consumer interest in the coming years. Despite manufacturers reporting its current decreasing sales, more than one-third view sustainable products as an emerging area of interest in the coming years.

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