Ceri Ritchie, Head of SAC Consulting’s Food & Enterprise team has curated a series of collaborative business-facing online events in partnership with NatureScot for Foraging Fortnight 2022. Including wild and/or sustainably foraged foods in your food offer, your retail offer or experience-based enterprise makes good sense given key food trends and consumer needs. Foraging Fortnight runs from September 3 to 18 and event details plus online booking details can be found here: Foraging Fortnight Business Events. Whether you’re a food producer, a farmer, a chef, a garden centre or plant nursery; thinking about product or experience development – there’s an event for you.
The post-pandemic consumer has reassessed what is important. Forty-eight percent of consumers think sustainability is more important (Kantar 2021) and 85% of UK consumers have adopted at least one lifestyle change (Deloitte, April 2021). Today’s consumer cares more about our planet and many are highly engaged in ‘sustainability’. This is one of five key groups of trends that have dominated the food sector in the last 18 months. The second – plant-based - is no longer just for vegetarians, it is here to stay and a staggering 54% of Gen Z are actively trying to reduce meat consumption (Euromonitor 2020).
There is also increased interest in ‘functional wellness’ – foods that do something positive for you and your body. The pandemic kick-started a growth in interest in ‘food for immunity’ and many products now feature immunity statements on their packaging. A fourth, less tangible trend is ‘life well-lived’ which combines a few sub-trends – life slower, self indulgence & self care. This may be about guilt-free consumption & having a positive impact on the planet but it is also about provenance and an appreciation of the environment around us.
Finally the pandemic has made consumers reassess what is important and this is here to stay. There is a greater interest in local culinary culture & sustainability, and people are looking for ‘experiences’. Current food inflation and the squeeze on household disposable income has also increased interest in cost-saving meal ideas, often nostalgic recipes from previous ‘hard times’.
These business-facing events will help you explore the opportunities for your business whether that is a tourism experience, a new dish on your menu, or a new way of merchandising edible plants in your garden centre.