Brand Buttressing*

I was talking to someone the other day who asked me what I thought the major themes in branded Food and Beverage Innovation would be over the next 10 years. I came up with a number of key developments that I believe will and should be led by big brands and which will become the buttresses which strengthen these brands into the future. I am sharing my thoughts over my next few posts.

The first is “Functional” foods – foods which go beyond basic nutrition. That is, when a food product addresses a secondary need in addition to fulfilling its primary purpose of nourishment.

In the infant formula, baby food and sports nutrition sectors, the sole raison d’être of the product is to satisfy a specific nutritional requirement. But what happens when “taste-delivering foods” add some form of additional benefit? Imagine a soup that can help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s, or a pasta that could genuinely help reduce the risk of cancer. As luck would have it, as I was writing Nestlé posted this about what Maggi Bouillon has been doing in my old stomping ground of West and Central Africa. This is the future of food brands: great-tasting good food with real added value.

* (Buttress – a solid superstructure providing additional strengthening support to an existing construction)

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