Due to the growing concerns about health and well-being in a time of epidemics, consumers are approaching it in new and innovative ways, including knowing a link between environmental and personal health.

Moreover, with consumer behaviors changing, brands feel the pressure to stay up to date.
FrieslandCampina ingredients, the global innovator in functional and healthy ingredients, has made a report on "Shaping the Future of Nutrition". According to this report, the five trends shaping consumer buying habits include:

1- Planet-first nutrition:

65% of consumers believe that food and nutrition brands should do more to protect mother earth. As consumers become more ethically and environmentally aware, trust in the brand plays a crucial role, and brands need to make their claims meaningful and tangible in order to stand out to consumers.
Reduced greenhouse gas emissions, clean labels, and sustainable packaging are in line with this goal, according to a report examining the top dairy trends in 2022.


2- Resilience in an ever-challenging World:

The Covid-19 pandemic has created a rare unifying experience for people around the world, to sum up how people are feeling, the word is stressed. In 2022, people want to secure their future by creating more flexibility. The top priorities of 60% of consumers are well-being, general health, sleep and mood, and physical fitness.
Cognitive and mental health, and dairy-based sports nutrition, are amongst the top dairy trends in 2022 associated with this goal.

3- The future is flexitarian:

In an effort to be healthier, people are increasingly consuming plant-based proteins. In fact, a quarter of consumers are flexitarian. So, given that consumers do not want to lose the taste, texture, and nutritional value of animal products, they tend to combine several sources of plant and dairy proteins in their diet.
Accordingly, the top dairy trends in 2022 include plant-based dairy and lab-based dairy.

4- Public health starts with the gut:

Globally, two out of every three consumers claim that the key to achieving general health is gut health. By including intestinal tonics such as prebiotics, an opportunity for growth in the food, beverage, and supplement industry can be anticipated.

5- Celebrating Healthy Aging:

As the global population ages, consumers of all ages are actively re-evaluating their health and diet and seeking the health benefits of their daily meals. 90% of older consumers, choose food and drink instead of traditional supplements, so there is a demand for innovative products supporting healthy aging, aimed at a range of consumers of all ages.

References:

https://www.dairyindustries.com/news/39395/the-five-trends-set-to-drive-the-evolution-of-the-food-drinks-and-supplement-industry-in-2022/

https://www.greyb.com/dairy-industry-innovation-trends/