Consuming the Zeitgeist

The desire for new experiences and a healthy diet are the main reasons why superfood is enjoying increasing popularity. It includes turmeric, chia, matcha, quinoa and goji berries. Each is considered to have beneficial health effects from containing important nutrients. They are often consumed in granola, tea or even as juice – very much in line with the zeitgeist of the era.

Superfood in global demand

Superfood is often fruit, plants or seeds that have a long tradition in the diets of certain countries and regions. In recent years, they have made the leap into other markets and are on the rise around the world. More than half of superfood launches in 2016 and 2017 were in the US, Germany, the UK, Canada, India, Australia and South Korea. Increased demand naturally has an impact on supply. Global production of saturating quinoa seed is now four times as high as it was ten years ago. And it isn’t stopping anytime soon. Experts expect global sales of chia seeds to increase fivefold from 2016 to 2021.

From Asia to the world

Many trendy foods come from South America, but Asia is a rapidly growing source. These foods follow in the footsteps of ginseng, which has long been discussed as a remedy in many countries – Western included. Its successors include matcha tea from Japan. The powdered green tea is called “green-foaming jade” in its home country and is credited with strengthening the soul and spirit. The tea has quickly conquered global gastronomy. A matcha latte can even be prepared with milk and should appeal to coffee drinkers. The goji berry from China is said to strengthen the immune system. There are almost no limits to how it can be eaten. The red berries are available as dried fruit, in chocolate bars, in jam, as juice, as powder or in capsule form. Turmeric comes from South Asia and has a beneficial effect on digestion. It is well suited for seasoning food, but is also added to smoothies and shakes.

Positive effects are rarely proven

Alongside the goji berry, turmeric ranked among the top 10 superfoods regularly bought by German consumers in 2017. That is despite the fact that the health-promoting effect of superfood is rarely scientifically proven. High prices clearly aren’t deterring buyers either. It probably reinforces the impression among consumers that they are treating themselves to something high-quality. Which reaffirms superfood’s trendiness.

In our customer magazine ESSENTIAL, which will be published in November, we present more examples of superfood and trendy drinks, exploring their global success.