Free range tipped for the top in 2010

Free range is poised to become increasingly important in 2010, according to market research firm Datamonitor.

Presenting 10 top trends in consumer packaged goods (CPG) for the new decade, Datamonitor predicts a growing number of food companies will be producing 'humanely-raised' protein products. 2010 is also expected to be a big year for a new generation of biodegradable plastics used for bottled water, while new super fruits like baobab and borojo will come to the fore. Researchers also forecast growth in the use of sustainable ingredients like bamboo and a renewed back to basics approach for product ingredients.

A more humane world

Animal rights have emerged as a growing worldwide concern as consumers want to know more about how the foods they eat were raised and prepared. For example, the free range product claim, commonly used to identify how poultry is raised, has nearly doubled in frequency for new food products launched worldwide since 2006, according to Datamonitor's product launch analytics.

Look for this trend to accelerate in 2010 as food service chains follow the trail blazed by leading-edge CPG companies into humanely-raised products.

Meat - the new boss

Meat is definitely making a play to be number one in 2010, claim researchers. Meat's burgeoning popularity on the flavour front helps to explain some of the more bizarre product launches over the past few months including meat-flavored lollipops (Das Lolli Man Bait), potato chips (Mackie's of Scotland Haggis and Cracked Black Pepper Potato Chips), chocolate candy (Mo's Dark Bacon Bar) and even vodka (Bakon Premium Bacon Flavored Vodka).

Diamonds are forever, plastic isn't

One of the great attributes of plastic is that it lasts but that is also one of its greatest drawbacks. However, new types of degradable packaging enable plastic to biodegrade in years, not centuries. The key is additives like EcoPure or Reverte that help plastic biodegrade more quickly and safely than it ordinarily would.

The bottled water market has driven this trend with entries like Aquamantra Natural Spring Water in Enso bottles and State of Mind Bottled Water in Reverte Back to Nature bottles. This trend is poised to accelerate in 2010 and move beyond the bottled water market to other categories, predict researchers.

Skin care you wear

What if the clothes you wear every day could enhance the health of your skin and improve your appearance? It sounds far fetched but perhaps not if innovations like skin-enhancing bedding from London Luxury demonstrate that wearable skin care could be a breakout hit in 2010 and beyond. According to Datamonitor, these products utilise breakthroughs in nanotechnology to incorporate ultra fine particles like copper or aloe vera into clothing or bedding. SkinGlow brand bedding uses Cupron Copper Technology that claims to smooth or reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and more in just a few weeks of use.

More muscular functional drinks

A decade ago, a brand called Red Bull took the soft drink market by storm, creating a new niche for energy drinks. Is history about to repeat itself with a drinks brand called Muscle Milk? Quietly, the protein-enhanced exercise recovery drink brand from Cytosport has crafted a following that suggests significant crossover potential for so-called muscle beverages that have long been aimed at weightlifters and power athletes. Muscle Milk and similar healthy and active lifestyle beverages could be the next hot niche within the functional drinks market, reports Datamonitor.

Super fruits get more exotic

Datamonitor has identified candidates for the next hot super fruit of 2010 and beyond. They include baobab (a tart African fruit high in antioxidants), borojo (a natural energiser from the jungles of South and Central America), maqui (a berry native to South America said to have eight times the antioxidants of blueberries) and yumberry (technically "yang-mi" fruit - a super-high antioxidant tree fruit from China).

Ingredients: the fewer, the better

The challenge for packaged food and drinks companies around the world is how to say 'better for you' when natural and organic claims become mainstream, says Datamonitor.

The newest technique is to take a hatchet to product ingredient lists, it claims. Out are ingredients that sound more at home in a chemistry lab and in their place are ingredients that most consumers recognise. Haagen-Dazs' 5 Ice Cream illustrates the trend with just five ingredients for each ice cream flavour. Look for other packaged food and drinks makers to follow suit.

Bamboo cleans up

Perhaps no product has enjoyed more of a boost from the green movement than bamboo. Thanks to its outrageously-fast growth rate (it can grow as much as 24 inches in a single day), bamboo has become the ingredient of choice for companies that want to bolster their sustainability credentials, says Datamonitor. The product has shown up in recent launches as disparate as dish-cleaning sponges and paper plates to baby wipes and cosmetics packaging.

Shots aim for success

While the shot format has been around for some time in various world markets for dairy-based drinks, the format has exploded in popularity in other markets, says Datamonitor. Almost singlehandedly, shots have elevated the energy drink market to new heights. The latest shot trend is the polar opposite of energy drinks - new relaxation shots that offer a non-alcoholic way to reduce stress. Examples include Koma Unwind Chillaxation Shot and Tranquila Relaxation Shot. The number of new products featuring the words shot or shots has doubled since 2006, according to Datamonitor's product launch analytics.

A gluten-free world

The gluten-free movement is going from strength to strength each year, report researchers. Datamonitor's product launch analytics reports a doubling of new gluten-free products since 2005 with major consumer packaged goods companies now jumping on the bandwagon. And, with the incidence of food-related allergies on the rise, things look good for suffers of celiac disease seeking products they can enjoy, it says.