Natural blueprint: Consumers want reassurance that ingredients are real and authentic

Proportion of consumers who say it is important that products are 100% natural (2019/2020)

74% 82% 84%

76% 78%

Egypt Kenya Nigeria South Africa Saudi Arabia

Source: Clean label and naturalness survey, Q1 2019/Q1 2020 5,000 respondents)

Source: Clean label and naturalness survey, Q1 2019/Q1 2020 (5,000 respondents)

Proportion of consumers who say that they are concerned about ingredients that sound chemical (2019/2020)

64% 71%

67% 74%

59%

Egypt Kenya Nigeria South Africa Saudi Arabia

Taste first, think second: Consumers want products that challenge their sensory perceptions

Dietary habits in Africa and the Middle East have been westernised in the last couple of decades. At the same time, the middle-class demographic has also grown, meaning they have greater levels of disposable income to spend on non-essential products. The implications of this is that consumers are exposed to more choice than ever before and are more demanding of the products that they purchase, even when it comes to everyday food and drink products. At the same time, consumers are more difficult to impress, which means that genuine innovation is important across product categories.

As a result, consumers deem themselves more adventurous than previous generations when it comes to food and drink choice and want products that they feel reflect their good taste and sophistication. This is especially important in an era of social media when consumers want to ensure that others are aware of their food and drink choices. Consumers are therefore actively seeking out new flavours that challenge their sensory perceptions and offer a genuine experience. Consumers like a variety of types of flavour innovation, such as hybrids of flavours, flavours not synonymous with a product category, novel flavours, and flavours from around the world as well as specific regions within countries.

It must be remembered that, as well as becoming more adventurous, consumers are becoming more premium orientated. This means that experimental flavours need to be seen as more than a novelty. Instead, they need to be seen as something that genuinely enhances the consumption experience and maximises sensory appeal. Story-based marketing highlighting why certain flavours have been selected is something that add an element of authenticity to products. However, if experimental flavours are only seen as a gimmick, it is something that can potentially de-value a brand and a product category.

On the reverse, if consumers find experimental flavours appealing, it is something that can encourage them to reassess the premium credentials of a product, brand, and category.