Global Food Trends

We as consumers, have shaped what we are eating today. Read on to find out some consumer food trends happening now. Credits: http://www.fonterra.com/wps/wcm/connect/fonterracom/fonterra.com/Our+Products/Dairy+and+Nutrition/Global+Food+Trends

Some of the key consumer trends are:

Indulgence
There has been a move in developed countries for consumers to indulge themselves with luxury products. These products are not necessarily high in calories, but are exciting and experiential. For many this is a treat or reward for sticking to a healthier lifestyle. For example, as a reward for being healthy all week, people choose to treat themselves with more decadent food such as icecream or frozen yoghurt over the weekend.


Healthier Snacking
There has been a move toward healthier snacks in between meals. Afternoon tea is no longer the preserve of unhealthy cakes and biscuits. Healthier snacks are in vending machines. In New Zealand, the government has announced it wants soft drinks out of schools by 2009 and in the US, the beverage industry has agreed to remove all non-diet sort drinks from schools over the next two years. Single serve snacks, nutrition bars, protein bars and mineral waters are increasingly popular.


Food on the go
Busy lifestyles, increasing single person households and apartment living mean people want food on the go, they want it instantly, pre packaged and convenient. The supermarket these days is increasingly used like a pantry or fridge with people making up their minds on the way home from work what they want for dinner. In developed countries nearly 50 per cent of adults shop everyday or several times a week, up from around 30 per cent in 1997 (The World Market for Health and Wellness Products, Euromonitor Report, November 2005).


Dining out
People are eating out more – foodservice is a very important and growing market. For example, some commentaries state that some Americans spend nearly half their food budget in restaurants. In Singapore, according to the National Nutrition Survey 2004, almost half (49.3%) of adult Singaporeans have their meals at hawker centers six or more times per week.

Pointers from Ms Tang: So F&N students, how do you think all these trends can affect one's health and diet? Are they all good or all bad?

Please look through this link which I've found: http://pacifichealthsummit.org/downloads/Obesity%20Prevention%20and%20Control%20Efforts%20in%20Singapore%20-%202008%20Case%20Study.pdf. This link talks about Health Promotion Board's efforts in 2008 for Obesity Prevention
and Control Efforts in Singapore. An interesting read and research for coursework.

Cheerios,
Ms. Tang