The consumer is a mystery in continuous evolution that companies dedicated to food follow closely to adapt in the best possible way to the needs they show. Among them, in recent times there has been an increasing concern for the food-health binomial, in addition to a growing interest in knowing the origin and way of producing food, all of this combined with a stressful life that increasingly leaves Less time in the kitchen to prepare your meals.
These were the main conclusions of the fifth and final discussion table of the IV Retail and Mass Consumption Forum, which was made up of David Chica, General Director of Mercamadrid, Teresa Alsina, General Director of Retail of bonÀrea, and Florencio García, General Director of Better Balance in Europe.
The conversation between the experts began precisely by analyzing the consumer and their future trends. The three participants agreed with the conclusions previously stated, although each of them added a touch that delved into the mystery. “After Covid, we have also detected an increase in eating in hospitality,” said Chica.
For his part, Alsina highlighted that the proximity of what is eaten is one of the interests of consumers. “We are a company that has everything from agri-food and livestock origin to the distribution of products to our stores. The consumer wants all the information and with us they have it at hand,” he explained.
Finally, in this first round of questions, García explained that his company, Better Balance, a line of vegan and vegetarian food from the great company Sigma, owner of, among others, such renowned brands as Campofrío, seeks complicity with the buyer. “The first reason for consuming our products is for health, but the food also has to be delicious, especially in a country like Spain. Therefore, in addition to all this, we are also committed to transparency but we have a request to make: adequate legislation that allows us to compete at a global level. There is much to improve here,” he stated.
Prices and inflation
Beyond taking care of health through food, what was not lost on the speakers at the last discussion table of the Retail Forum was the concern among consumers about the evolution of shopping basket prices. .
“It is true that the behavior of the buyer has varied due to the successive milestones that have altered the market, which are the increase in energy and fuel prices. Now normality is being recovered and if you look back ten years, In volumes we have gone from selling 1.7 tons to 3.4,” explained the Mercamadrid representative.
“Inflation has caused families to have had to allocate more budget for less food. In fact, if we look at the volumes, we have not reached 2019 figures. But there are more factors. For example, takeaway food has grown a lot,” said the general director of Retail of bonÀrea.
For its part, Better Balance took advantage of the opportunity provided by the debate to put on the table the empathy of the company towards the consumer but also the empathy that public administrations should have with companies. “The inflation situation has not posed the challenge is to be more and more innovative. We have a vegan sausage that is a leader in its market but is four times more expensive than a meat one. If the oil goes up and on top of that we ask for more… “We will have to sacrifice the margin a little. Of course, we had a reduced VAT that is now ending. I can make an effort but we ask for support and that there are not so many changes in legislation,” said Florencio García.
BonÀrea also noted that they are committed to giving all the information about the product to the consumer, once the interest that the buyer shows in knowing what they eat has been detected. “We have launched a program called ‘Direct to the Origin’ and through a QR code we offer the buyer everything related to the product from our farms to our stores,” he noted.
white marks
But in a context of price growth, there is a common rival to beat for all those companies that are committed to innovation in food products. “Of course there is a future and a path. The only thing is to anticipate the changes that are detected in consumers to adapt as soon as possible. Artificial Intelligence is a tool that is helping us a lot,” added Alsina.
Her tablemate, García, agreed with her, but delved into the work that brand companies have to do to adapt to today’s world. “The branded product clearly has a future, but you cannot ask for a premium just for a brand, you have to offer the consumer innovation. When we release a disruptive product you get the citizen to accompany you and we see an example every day or every week,” he pointed out.
In addition, he gave an example of the sausages that his brand sells. “We have 30% of the market for this product. When we analyzed who bought it, we found that it was a consumer who had abandoned the consumption of sausages,” he added.
For her part, the person in charge of bonÀrea took the floor again to explain that they can also be competitive in prices. “We save the distribution part by not having intermediaries and that is why we can set lower prices,” he said.
Mercamadrid commissioned a study a year ago with the aim of analyzing the market in a context in which there have been significant changes due to the international context that have had an abrupt impact on food. “20% of consumers who come to eat at the hospitality industry have a special request in their diet. And not only for reasons of healthy living, but also for intolerances. There is an important niche to find business formulas,” Chica explained. .
“The hospitality industry asks us for a product that meets all their requests because they don’t have space for twenty different options,” García said. Chica responded that the hospitality industry also requests an increasingly more elaborate product and that there are products like avocado that have made a spectacular jump in sales. The same cannot be said, according to the speaker, for fish, with the exception of salmon, which is gaining market share.
But in addition to hospitality, people also eat at home. Here the problem is finding a way to square the circle between healthy eating and the limited time available. “We have a product made where we look for natural flavor and that at home you finish it with a sauce or with quick cooking,” said Alsina.
LinkedinBeloud