Kerry, a world leader in taste and nutrition, is pleased to release its 2024 Taste Charts, A World of Future Tastes, to the global food and beverage community. The culmination of Kerry’s year-long research is a series of incisive charts created separately for 13 individual regional markets, including 30 countries in Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA).
The charts list mainstream, key, up-and-coming and emerging tastes across five food and beverage categories, provide an in-depth analysis of the flavours, ingredients and trends that will shape innovation in the food and beverage sector in the year ahead, and inspire product and menu developers worldwide.
To illustrate today’s incredible pace of innovation, Kerry researchers conducted a deep dive into the lifecycles of two long-popular flavours — orange and chocolate — and examined how these mainstream ingredients are evolving into all manner of inventive tasty product offerings around the world. These two case studies demonstrate how popular and traditional tastes worldwide are fusing into new, innovative applications as brands source, combine and recombine flavours and ingredients from other places.
Among trends across India, indulgence and premiumisation is growing as the market evolves and consumers develop a taste for sea salt, salted caramel, truffle mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and peanut butter.
Other top insights for 2024 flavour innovation in South Asia:
- K-Cuisine: Korean tastes like gochujang and kimchi are picking up in Savoury categories.
- Cheese +: While cheese is popular, the market today is moving towards specific types of cheese and pairings that will delight consumers, among them, parmesan, cheddar and cream cheese.
- Love for Chili: Types of chilis and their distinct, specific tastes are a key component in many food categories. Consumers in India are now exploring green chili, chipotle, peri-peri, sriracha, and ghost chili, among others.
Across wider Asia Pacific, the flavour scene remains vibrant. Commenting on the 2024 Asia Pacific (APAC) Taste Charts, Avinash Lal, Market Research & Consumer Insights Director, Kerry Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, said: “APAC is a colourful flavour tapestry, constantly evolving and influenced by diverse cultural traditions, emerging trends, and evolving consumer preferences. Consumers are rediscovering the magic of their own culinary heritage, seeking out unique regional ingredients and flavour profiles. Traditional spices and cooking techniques are also getting a modern twist, leading to innovative dishes like turmeric latte macarons in India and charcoal-grilled skewers with fermented chilli paste in Thailand.”
Lal added: “Young consumers are craving bold and unusual flavour combinations, driven by social media’s influence and a desire for novelty. This opens opportunities for sweet-savoury pairings like bacon milkshakes, coffee infused with black garlic, and chocolate bars with wasabi.”
Soumya Nair, Global Consumer Research and Insights Director at Kerry, observed: “Consumers want tasty new innovations or flavours they may have experienced while traveling. We are seeing many unique flavour intersections in foods and beverages. Although rapidly changing times can present great challenges, they also provide an unparalleled opportunity for brands to catch a trend on the rise. The Kerry 2024 Taste Charts are a valuable tool for the food and beverage industry to navigate the new taste environment for products.”
To access the 2024 Kerry Taste Charts for the region of your choice, please click here.
