March 2023 Newsletter

Finding Sweet Success with Ice Cream

Who screams for ice cream? Nearly everyone! And especially people in North America, which holds a 14% share of the global desserts and ice cream market.

Over the past few years, the volume growth of ice cream slowed in North America, but ice cream revenues continue to climb. Despite rising costs, people still purchase roughly the same amount of ice cream. What does this tell us? People value frozen treats as affordable indulgences!

Join us as we take a deep dive into today’s ice cream market and consumer trends to understand what’s emerging that could inspire your next innovation!

BLOG

Innovation Investigation: Consumer, Market, and Flavor Trends in Ice Cream

In the well-established North American ice cream market, it can be challenging to discover new ways to create innovative products. Our recent blog post explores flavor trends and recently launched products from Mintel’s Global New Products Database to understand what’s driving new product development.

Discover emerging trends such as breakfast-inspired tastes, brand collaborations, and free-from label claims. You’ll also learn about the benefits of limited-time-offer and seasonal products and get insights about growing flavors.

WEBCAST

Finding Sweet Success with Ice Cream

Although innovation is slowing in some categories, ice cream manufacturers continue to launch creative products that resonate with consumers. In our recent webcast, we sought to understand the drivers within ice cream NPD by answering questions like,

What are the consumer dynamics shaping the ice cream category?
How do LTOs and seasonal launches appeal to consumers?
What are the emerging health claims within the ice cream category?

Are you looking for answers to these questions and details about other key topics in the ice cream category? Join FlavorSum Director of Marketing Lisa Jackson as she shares data, trends, and insights on today’s ice cream consumer and market.

BLOG

Predictions Spotlight: Flavors for Feel Good Food and Beverages

Throughout 2023, our team will closely examine the overarching themes identified in our 2023 flavor predictions report in detailed blog posts to inspire delicious innovations. For our first ‘Predictions Spotlight,’ we highlight feel-good flavors.

Whether you’re targeting the mind, body, soul, or all three, flavors are essential for creating a pleasurable and often purposeful taste experience. In this spotlight blog, you’ll learn about rising trends and recent launches, as well as consumer behaviors around their own health and wellness picture, such as:

61% of consumers globally say “healthier living” means following a healthy, nutritious diet (Innova).
42% of US survey respondents reported eating more comfort food from 2020-2021, and 33% planned to eat more in 2022 (The Food Group).

Supply Chain Corner

Tropical Cyclone Hits Madagascar in February

Madagascar is no stranger to destructive storms that impact the region’s agricultural offerings. The country battled back after 4 cyclones in February 2022. On February 21, 2023, Madagascar faced its second cyclone of the year, tropical cyclone Freddy.

To understand the impacts of the storm, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has been monitoring satellite imagery. The FAO reports flooding and high winds have caused an impact on approximately 61,000 ha of agricultural land.

About 80% of the global demand for vanilla beans comes from Madagascar. Like many other flavor extract providers, FlavorSum sources vanilla beans from the region. In the weeks and months after this storm, our Supply Chain team will closely track the availability of vanilla to ensure no disruptions for our customers.

If we face a supply disruption due to storms in Madagascar, our teams will explore additional sources in different geographical regions. Our goal remains to deliver the classic vanilla taste with the highest-quality extracts.

Regulatory Corner

FDA Releases Draft Labeling Recommendations for Plant-Based Milk Alternatives

On February 22, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced draft labeling guidance and voluntary nutrient statement recommendations on the naming of plant-based milk alternatives. FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, MD shares that the guidance will “help address the significant increase in plant-based milk alternative products over the past decade” and “provide consumers with clear labeling.”

The draft guidance includes the following recommendations:

Plant-based milk alternative products that feature the term “milk” should showcase the nutrient differences from traditional milk. The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) fluid milk substitutes nutrient criteria should be used for the comparison.
Plant-based milk alternatives that use terms other than “milk,” like “beverage” or “drink,” do not need to consider a voluntary nutrient statement.

The recommendations remain in draft status, with comments accepted until around April 22.

Stay Informed with FlavorSum Discover

Are you curious about the latest food and beverage trends, consumer behavior and attitude shifts, and flavor news? Sign up for FlavorSum Discover to receive insights from our experts, delivered through our weekly blog, monthly newsletter, on-demand webinars, and more. You can select your applications and categories to ensure you receive the most relevant content for you and your projects!

FlavorSum Team News

Celebrating our Growing Team

Helping you reach your food and beverage development goals is a priority at FlavorSum, where our team commits to doing what’s right for your brand every day. We’re expanding our bench strength and welcoming the following team members to FlavorSum: