Savvy and cost-conscious consumers
Even as the cost-of-living crisis shows signs of easing, consumers remain price-conscious in their spending. They prioritise value-for-money deals while insisting on quality and transparency from brands. In fact, a quarter of consumers are opting for larger packs of food items that deliver better value for money. Brand loyalty is being tested as shoppers explore alternatives and call out brands on issues like ‘shrinkflation’ and ‘skimpflation’.
Brands can make consumers feel like they made a smart choice by offering different packaging sizes to cater to different target groups, occasions and needs.
The rise of the mindful wellness movement
Consumers are taking charge of their food and beverage choices, focusing on healthy ingredients and wellness benefits. This movement is fuelled by a ‘back-to-basics’ approach to nutrition, with 76% of consumers expressing a desire for greater control over their health decisions.
Mindful wellness represents a growing demand for products that feature natural ingredients that are free from additives and low on sugar to provide health benefits. Functional nutrition is also in the spotlight, with an emphasis on foods that deliver specific health-enhancing benefits through their ingredients. Clear and transparent labelling is essential for empowering consumers to make quick, informed choices based on messaging around health benefits, portion awareness and nutritional education.
Farm automation
The automation of farm processes is an ongoing trend around the world. Greater automation is being driven by shortages in skilled labour and rising labour costs, such as wage increases. At the same time, many family-owned farms experience difficulties with generational shifts. In response to these challenges, dairy farmers are increasingly investing in automated milking, feeding and other farm processes, such as effluent management. The investment in automation or semi-automation is also often a prerequisite for new generations taking over family-owned farms.
Digitalisation
Innovative digital and artificial intelligence solutions for dairy farming are already enhancing nutritional security, animal health and productivity. The next generation of solutions will promote animal welfare and wellbeing while drawing on sensor systems and algorithms to enable farmers to make better informed decisions. Digitalisation will enable more sustainable dairy operations by promoting resource efficiency, profitability and traceability in the food chain. New digital solutions have the potential to create opportunities for new kinds of partnerships and business models that can drive further innovation in the dairy industry in the years ahead.
Designed for recycling
Circularity in the food and beverage industry is being driven by legislative demands. The European Union is setting the standard through its Circular Economy Action Plan, which spans the entire product life cycle to emphasise product design and promote circular economy processes.
For the packaging industry, these enhanced regulations mean an even greater focus on recycled content, optimised packaging design, increased recyclability and waste minimisation. Meeting circularity objectives will require substantial investments in research, development and innovation. Collaboration with customers will be key to ensuring readiness for the upcoming legislative challenges.
Driving performance through digitalisation
The adoption of increasingly advanced digital solutions is transforming industries by enabling faster and smarter decision-making in an increasingly dynamic world. These technologies empower businesses to maximise production performance while balancing operational costs, maintaining product quality and minimising environmental impact.
Various digital solutions are easing the workload on machine operators, allowing them to oversee and manage broader operations or enabling them to focus on higher-value tasks elsewhere. Intuitive machine interfaces and advanced digitalisation are revolutionising performance monitoring and quality control, often through ‘control-room’ capabilities that centralise and streamline oversight. The goal is clear: achieving exceptional quality with less effort.
