Kerry: Top seven global trends impacting taste

A new report by Kerry, the world’s leading taste and nutrition company, examines how taste trends manifest across the world and come to life through taste and product innovation.

Brown butter honey mascarpone dip (Photo courtesy: Kerry)

The Global Taste Trends report maps out the key taste linked to trends across the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region, Canada, the USA, Mexico, Latin America and Europe, highlighting how they vary and travel across these regions.

The following top trends were identified through the research: 

• Nostalgia
• Seasonality
• Enticing eats
• Taste exploration
• Novel flavours
• Acceptable sweetness
• Healthy halo

In Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, flavours like coconut, lychee, green mango and Sarawak black pepper provide comfort. For multi-sensory experiences, consumers in the region are turning to new flavours and textures, such as chilies of the world, bubble tea and charcoal. Elsewhere, under taste exploration, Europe has well-travelled consumers seeking wasabi and sriracha, while in the USA they are exploring flavours such as Irish cream and Korean BBQ.

Flavoured water (Photo courtesy: Kerry)

The report also showcases a number of bespoke concepts to inspire innovation for great products, such as plant-based ice cream, tempura nuggets and cold brew tea.

Commenting on the launch of the report, Leigh-Anne Vaughn, Global Strategic Marketing Director of Taste, said: “In the past year, we have seen trends shift and accelerate due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A taste for nostalgia has emerged, with consumers gravitating towards comforting and familiar food and beverages such as cotton candy and cookie dough. Seasonal tastes also offer comfort, with consumers expecting limited time offers during seasons or holidays.

Strawberry and mango ice cream shake  (Photo courtesy: Kerry)

“However, consumers are also looking for excitement and are drawn towards enticing and visually impactful food and beverages to disrupt the monotony of day-to-day life. They are exploring the world through their taste buds to seek adventure, with authentic yet accessible cuisine choices on the rise. Meanwhile, health-conscious consumers are also demanding products with less sugar and with healthy halo ingredients.

Rhubarb and ginger sparkler (Photo courtesy: Kerry)

“The Global Taste Trends can be leveraged to create innovate concepts that will meet changing consumer preferences. Through proprietary tools such as Trendspotter, leading market knowledge, and local insights, we can partner with customers to translate our leading Taste insights into great products. We are committed to guiding our customers on their journey to develop the next generation of tastes that will delight, surprise and excite consumers.”

Click here to download the 2021 Global Taste Trends report.

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