• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Tree Top Home
  • Consumer Products
  • Foodservice
  • Ingredients
  • Contract Manufacturing
Tree Top Food Ingredients
Fruit Ingredients
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blogs
  • Fruit Products
      • Fruit Purées
        • Single Strength
          • Apple Blend Purée
          • Apricot Purée
          • Blackberry Purée
          • Blueberry Purée
          • Organic Apple Purée
          • Organic Peach Purée (Cling and Freestone)
          • Organic Pear Purée
          • Peach Purée (Cling and Freestone)
          • Pear Purée
          • Plum Purée
          • Raspberry Purée
          • Strawberry Purée
          • Apple Sauce
      • Fruit Purées
        • Concentrated
          • Apple Purée Concentrate
          • Apricot Purée Concentrate
          • Blackberry Purée Concentrate
          • Blueberry Purée Concentrate
          • Organic Apple Purée Concentrate
          • Organic Apricot Purée Concentrate
          • Peach Blend Purée Concentrate (Cling and Freestone)
          • Pear Purée Concentrate
          • Plum Purée Concentrate
          • Red Raspberry Purée Concentrate
          • Red Tart Cherry Purée Concentrate
          • Strawberry Purée Concentrate
      • Fruit Juice Concentrates
        • Apple Juice Concentrate
        • Blackberry Juice Concentrate
        • Blueberry Juice Concentrate
        • Pear Juice Concentrate
        • Raspberry Juice Concentrate
        • Strawberry Juice Concentrate
      • Dried Fruit
        • Dried Apples – Low Moisture
        • Dried Apples – Intermediate Moisture
        • Dried Apples – Regular Moisture
        • Dried Fruit Powders
        • Dried Pumpkin Flake Powder
      • Fruit Preparations
      • Pet Food Ingredients
      • Specialty Markets
        • Hard Ciders and Alcohol
        • Reduced Sugars
      • Northwest Naturals
  • Resources
      • Specification Sheets
        • Dried Fruit
        • Fruit Purees
        • Apple Sauce
        • Fruit Juice Concentrates
        • Frozen Fruit
        • Fruit Preparations
      • Regulatory Documents
        • Quality Compliance Summary
        • Kosher Certificates
        • Organic Certificates
        • Storage & Shelf Life
        • Other Documents
        • New Customer Packet
      • Product Brochures
        • About Tree Top/Overview
        • Fruit Ingredient Full Product Catalogs
        • Dried Fruit
        • Strawberry Products-Frozen
        • Dairy
        • Hard Ciders
        • Pet Food
        • Northwest Naturals
        • Contract Manufacturing
        • Fruit Serving Calculations
        • Fruit Acid Cards
        • Seasonal Fruit Harvest Chart
      • Videos
      • Webinars
      • White Papers
      • Calculators
      • Market Trends News
      • Contract Manufacturing
  • Applications
      • Biscuits – Scones
      • Breads
      • Cakes
      • Cookies
      • Drinks
      • Entrees
      • Frozen Novelties
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Sugar – No Sugar
      • Muffins
      • Other Desserts
      • Pet Food
      • Pies
      • Plant Based
      • Salads
      • Sauces
      • Sides
      • Smoothies
      • Snack Bars
      • Snacks
      • Soups
      • Vegetable
  • Crop Info
        • Crop Report Blog

        • General Crop Info

        • Meet our Growers & Field Reps

        • Crop Information
        • Apples
        • Blackberries
        • Cherries
        • Grapes
        • Peaches
        • Pears
        • Raspberries
        • Strawberries
  • Samples
  • Fruit Products
    • Fruit Purées
    • Fruit Juice Concentrates
    • Dried Fruit
    • Fruit Preparations
    • Pet Food Ingredients
    • Specialty Markets
      • Hard Ciders & Alcohol
      • Reduced Sugars
    • Northwest Naturals
  • Resources
    • Specification Sheets
    • Regulatory Documents
    • Product Brochures
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Calculators
    • Market Trends News
    • Contract Manufacturing
  • Crop Info
    • Crop Report Blog
    • General Crop Info
    • Meet Our Growers & Field Reps
  • Blogs
    • Crop Report Blog
    • R&D Blog
    • Market Insights Blog
    • Pet Scoop Blog
    • Quality Food & Safety Insights
  • Sample Request
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Applications
  • Tree Top Sites
    • Tree Top Home
    • Consumer Products
    • Foodservice
    • Ingredients
    • Contract Manufacturing

Tree Top Fruit Ingredients

More Fruit, More Forms

Hide Search

What’s in, what’s not

Jeannie Swedberg · Jul 27, 2022

Reading Label

Food trends, packaging claims, economic outlook

With that headline, I’ve set a high bar, so I’m just going to dive in and give you a download on some of the latest marketing insights that crossed my desk.

Plant-based today

If the news coming out of Chicago from the IFT FIRST annual meeting & expo is any indication, demand for plant-based foods remains strong. Almost every booth touted some plant-based ingredient, application, or service. Plant-based is a trend – not a fad – here to stay driven by myriad concerns about health (personal and planetary), climate change and animal welfare. 

Plant-based products are not simply meat replacements. Dairy, eggs, seafood, bakery, snacks – plant-based options are moving into every food and beverage segment. These products are meant to appeal to mainstream consumers rather than only vegetarians or vegans.

Plant-based meat

Plant-based tomorrow

We’ve all seen figures that plant-based meat sales are flat, if not declining a little. Trial was strong, but products were found wanting. According to food strategy consultant, Arlin Wasserman, during a recent panel discussion, people got tired of products that all taste the same every time – the shine wore off. To re-engage consumers, brands can offer recipes and more neutrally flavored products.

Clean labeling in plant-based foods is becoming more of a concern as well. Future product development in the space will need to prioritize ingredient selection. Plant-based foods are no longer going to get a pass. The same motivating factors for mainstream food and beverages extend into plant-based foods – ingredients that are recognizable, well understood and not highly processed. 

As the novelty of plant-based products wears off, consumers are becoming more demanding of the products. Nutritional parity is another area that needs to be addressed. Are plant-based products, providing the same nutritional profile as their animal-based counterparts? Post-pandemic consumers are more focused than previously on maintaining their overall health and wellbeing. This includes eating nutrient-rich foods.

Packaging says…

On the same industry panel, IRI vice president of content and thought leadership, Joan Driggs commented that manufacturers should use packaging as a platform to get their consumer messaging out rather than relying solely on websites to talk about sustainability and sourcing. These are issues important, particularly among Gen Z and Millennials.

Key packaging claims – increased most since 2019

  • Plant based
  • Sugar free
  • Economy
  • Premium
  • No added sugar
  • Ethical – Environmentally friendly
  • Ethical – Recycling
  • Ethical – Animal
  • Ethical – Charity

Source: Mintel GNPD

According to Mintel new product guru Lynn Dornblaser, consumers, especially younger ones, look for functional and environmental benefits from the food and beverages they eat. 

Shrinkflation

Economic pressures on innovation
When economic figures were released earlier this month, inflation was at 9.1%, the highest level reported in 40 years. Food price inflation is even higher. How might this effect food product development?

The obvious answer is value or economy. We’re already seeing shrinkflation of food and beverages at retail. Yet despite this, Mintel reports that grocery shopping habits are not likely to change much with only 29% of U.S. consumers saying they expect to shop at lower-cost retailers and a further 20% signaling a shift to less expensive products, e.g., private label. It’s important to note, these figures vary by income levels. Economic pressures are being felt more acutely among lower-earning households.

Preparing Meal at Home

Consumers are still preparing 80% of their meals at home. To me, this seems like an opportunity. Value may prove to be important, but health and convenience will remain in the forefront. People may have learned to cook during the pandemic, but they still appreciate a hand in making flavorful, nutritious meals quickly.

Innovate with fruit
Here’s my quick pitch for using fruit ingredients in your product development.

  • Nutritious – check
  • No sugar added – check
  • Flavorful – check
  • Plant based – check
  • Environmentally friendly – check
  • Label friendly – check

If you’d like the added benefits of using fruit in your formulation, we can help.  Tree Top’s fruit products offer a wide range of benefits beyond the check list above and include some of the following advantages.

  • Flavor Enhancement
  • Improved humectancy
  • Control water activity
  • Increased yield
  • Fat reduction
  • Extended shelf-life for baked goods
  • Microbial inhibitor
  • Antioxidant

Request a sample here

Blog Categories

Sign Up For Our Latest News

Receive the latest news and research right in your inbox!

Blog Home

Categories

  • Apples
  • Apricots
  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Cherries
  • Concord Grapes
  • Crop Report Blog
  • Market Insights Blog
  • Nectarines
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Pet Scoop Blog
  • Plums
  • Quality Food and Safety Insights
  • Raspberries
  • Research and Development Blog
  • Strawberries
  • Uncategorized
  • Weather Conditions
  • Ingredients Products
  • Fruit Purées
  • Apple Sauce
  • Fruit Juice Concentrates
  • Dried Fruit
  • Specialty Markets
  • Fruit Preparations
  • Resources
  • Request Samples
  • Spec Sheets
  • Regulatory Documents
  • Crop Information
  • Harvest Chart
  • Applications
  • Sales Materials
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • White Papers
  • Market Trends
  • About Us
  • Our Story
  • Facilities
  • Citizenship/Sustainability
  • Contract Manufacturing
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Blogs
  • Crop Update
  • Research and Development
  • Market Insights
  • Pet Scoop
  • Quality Food and Safety Insights
Northwest Naturals
Tree Top Ingredients Newsletter

Sign up to receive our monthly blog full of industry news and insights designed to keep you informed – delivered to your inbox.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.