TikTok, nostalgia, sustainability shape consumer preferences for F&B products

When a new food or drink flavor explodes in popularity, the reasons why can look mysterious from the outside. But the experts from SupplySide West’s food and beverage panels know the reasons — and the lessons that brands should learn and put into action.

TikTok is where flavors explode, sales happen

By now, we’ve all heard about a food, beverage or international flavor that went viral on TikTok and experienced shocking growth. Maybe it was cottage cheese a few years ago or a specific recipe, like a “whole cucumber” salad. Or something more bizarre like spicy tajin and chamoy gushers. How did that explosion in popularity work and how can brands make it work for them? Industry experts broke it down at this year’s educational session, “Social media success: TikTok’s impact on food and beverage.”

Sherry Frey, VP of total wellness at NielsonIQ, told attendees that TikTok has rapidly become an indispensable resource for brands looking for trends and ingredients that are about to explode, or in many cases, transition from the supplement space to the beverage space. The reason? The app allows such easy visibility of consumer behavior.

“Food manufacturers are watching the hashtags, but they’re also watching likes and saves,” Frey said. “They can understand, ‘How many times is someone pulling down this Korean watermelon punch, right? And how many are saving it?’ Because that is an indication of a consumer level of interest.”

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This power cuts both ways, though. Frey explained that brands need to stay aware of TikTok conversations to see if an ingredient in their product suddenly falls on consumers’ “bad for you” radar. “It’s important to be really cognizant of your current ingredient stack and how it’s showing up with influencers that are gaining popularity,” she said.

Perhaps the most surprising takeaway, however, is that TikTok isn’t just a trend incubator anymore. It’s also a full-fledged marketplace. According to NielsonIQ data presented at the session, TikTok Shop is the No. 8 health and beauty ecommerce retailer. It’s also the No. 29 food retailer, powered by sales of candy, gum, sauces and beverages.

The reason is simple, according to Frey. It’s easier to buy on the platform than in a store. “It is so frictionless for consumers,” she said. “They’re searching [and] they’re buying.”

Nostalgia has many faces, flavors

Flavors from Gen X and Millennial childhoods are infiltrating every part of the food and beverage industry. Attendees of the session, “FoodSide chat: Formulating nostalgic flavors and food offerings for a healthier, sustainable future,” learned that there’s still plenty of room for innovation. You just need to know where to look.

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Entrepreneur Clara Paye explained how boredom with the normal protein bar store lineup led her to found her own company UNiTE Food and take it in some unexpected directions. Departing from the usual vanilla/chocolate/peanut butter playbook, UNiTE has quickly earned a direct-to-consumer following — and shelf space in thousands of stores across North America — with globally inspired flavors like Churro, Mexican Hot Chocolate and Baklava.

How did these ideas come to fruition? It was simple, Paye said. She wandered the aisles of Los Angeles’ countless cultural grocery stores for inspiration.

“Nostalgia is different for everybody: region by region, country by country,” she explained. “I went to Hispanic supermarkets and Asian supermarkets. I was also my own target market because I am an immigrant. And I looked at U.S. census data. Half the U.S. population is like me. Half the population is from somewhere else, and it’s growing. It’s a $4 trillion market.”d

Paye said she initially struggled to find a co-man who would work with her, until a single food scientist agreed to take a gamble on UNiTE. Once the bars hit the shelves, all the naysayers wanted to know her big secret.

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“Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, how did you know global flavors would trend? Do you have a crystal ball?’’ she said. “I was like, ‘It was my lived experience.’ Authenticity in flavor development is underutilized and underrepresented.”

Taste is a result of many cultural factors

Sometimes, the popularity of a new flavor trend has to do with more than just how it tastes. In the session, “Beyond flavor: Unlocking the functional power of global ingredients,” two industry veterans detailed the complex social influences helping young consumers decide what to eat — and why.

According to Nadia Kemal, partner at the brand development firm Topi Ventures, younger consumers are increasingly open to trying new, exotic flavors specifically because of sustainability — and the way that brands can position that sustainability story on their packaging.

“Gen Z and Millennials are really influenced by the packaging of products, and then the traceability and sustainability aspect,” she said. “So, when we’re talking about ingredients, for example, you see a lot of seaweed and algae trending because of the sustainability aspects, to lower carbon footprint than traditional land crop ingredients. I don’t see older generations using seaweed and algae or being open to that right now.” A growing number of consumers are even “focused on transparency even more than taste.”

The places that younger consumers are finding these new flavors is also changing. Kemal pointed to the smoothie bar at upscale Los Angeles grocer Erewhon as a site where global flavors are initially finding their way onto new consumers’ radars (and their TikTok feeds). But Jill Houk, a certified research chef from the consultancy firm Culinary Culture, said there’s another not-so-new retail channel that is making a major resurgence for snacks, drinks and other flavor-forward treats: convenience stores.

“Previously, a [convenience] store would surround a gas station. Somebody was in and out in like three minutes,” she said. “With electric cars, you have consumers who are spending 20 minutes or more in your store. And that could be a really robust channel for sales.”

As the food and beverage industry continues to evolve, brands that embrace innovation, authenticity and sustainability will be best positioned to capture the attention of discerning consumers.