Slideshow: Green innovation is becoming more popular
Kansas City The awareness of the environment among consumers and their willingness to incorporate it into their purchasing decisions has grown in the lead-up to April 22, Earth Day.
93% of consumers surveyed said they maintained or increased their sustainable purchasing habits in the past year, according to data gathered by Circana, a September 2022 merger of IRI and The NPD Group, and the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. Additionally, 77% of consumers believe sustainability is important when selecting products to buy, up from 69% in 2021. Although making up only 17% of all sales in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, sustainable products were responsible for one-third of the growth in CPG over the previous year.
Randi Kronthal-Sacco, senior scholar at NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business, stated in September that “challenges such as supply chain disruptions and inflation have made it difficult for brands and manufacturers to identify which shopping behaviors are real trends, and which are a temporary response to market conditions.” “Our research with IRI demonstrates that consumers are becoming more and more interested in CPG products that are marketed as sustainable, indicating that sustainability has become a long-term priority.
Plant-based products that have been recycled have been selected by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) as a trend for the food and beverage industry in 2023. According to a formal definition given in 2020, upcycled ingredients are parts of food that would not have been consumed by humans if they hadn’t been generated and obtained through verified supply channels. After following consumer opinion on foods made using repurposed ingredients for a number of years, Innova Markets Insights, based in Arnhem, The Netherlands, discovered in 2022 that over one-third of customers viewed repurposed items to be more appealing than non-repurposed goods.
In an interview conducted in April, Lu Ann Williams, global insights director at Innova Market Insights, stated that “this overall trend provides manufacturers with opportunities for storytelling.” “North American food and beverage releases with a food waste and/or upcycling claim witnessed 52% average annual growth between 2017 and 2021,” according our database of worldwide food and beverage launches.
Applications for repurposed ingredients can be found across the grocery store, from the beverage section to the snack section.
In 2023, Minus Coffee will launch as a bean-free coffee; instead, roasted leftover roots, seeds, and legumes will serve as the foundation.
The bean-free coffee is made with lentils, grape seeds, carob, date seeds, chicory, sunflower seeds, and millet malt in a canned cold brew product. Compared to normal coffee, the production process uses a lot less water, emits less carbon dioxide, and has a shorter supply chain, according to Maricel Saenz, founder and CEO of parent business Compound Foods.
“We grind and brew upcycled roots, seeds, and legumes in a gorgeous fermentation batch with caffeine, instead of using beans,” Ms. Saenz explained. “We are happy to report that, despite coffee being the sixth most polluting crop in the world and being grown mostly in equatorial regions, we have managed to replicate its flavors, fragrances, and effects.”
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In April, Sprouts Farmers Market stores around the country will carry tortilla chips from Kazoo Snacks, which employ corn germ as an upcycled component. According to the company, Kazoo Snacks can utilize 40% less whole corn and save 16 gallons of water each bag when using corn germ as the primary ingredient in their manufacturing process. Additionally, it adds a complex nutritional profile to the chips by including vitamin E, enzymes, and other necessary components found in corn germ.
Juan Illingworth and Gaby Macias, food entrepreneurs and native Ecuadorians of Brutal Foods, likewise choose to highlight chocho, or the Andean lupin, as the star of their snack items, opting for a rich and advantageous nutrient profile.
Grown at high altitudes, the regenerative bean contains nine necessary amino acids, fiber, and protein per serving that surpasses that of salmon, tofu, or chickpeas.
In an interview from March, Mr. Illingworth, co-founder of Brutal Foods, stated, “Other beans and nuts already had their moment for years.” “Chocho has to be given the space it so richly deserves. We have therefore been developing our brand and these baked crunchy puffs for almost two years, all the while concentrating on the genuine issues that matter to us without compromising the enjoyment of indulging.