Health truly is wealth for food brands in the UAE

Health has been top of mind all through the coronavirus pandemic, so it’s no surprise that market intelligence firm Mintel believes food and drink formulations that cater to our general wellbeing will be front and centre in 2021. Consumers can expect to see the launch of innovative food and drink formulations that offer solutions for mental and emotional wellbeing over the next 18 months.

This newfound focus on health goes beyond traditional new years’ resolutions as people commit more seriously to reduce the risks associated with unhealthy eating. As the focus on avoiding COVID-19 fades, we’re likely to become more interested in mindful and intuitive eating, and seek proof and incentives through the use of technology, Mintel says in its new Global Food and Drink Trends forecast for 2021, which is being presented at Gulfood in Dubai this week. The event is the first live, in-person global food and beverage sourcing platform to take place for nearly 12 months.

“Consumers are taking the concept of wellbeing further and will look to food and drink concepts that go beyond physical health. This will become increasingly important as the full effects of lockdowns, quarantines and prolonged periods of isolation on consumers’ mental and emotional wellbeing become clearer,” Dr James Wilson, Mintel’s Middle East Business Development Manager, said ahead of the event. “We predict that innovative food and drink formulations will help people learn how diet can impact mental and emotional health, which will lead to new interest in psychology-based approaches to healthy eating to help them maintain a healthy mind as well as body.”

Certainly, a broad range of new health-focused food products are being launched across the UAE, and many of them will be seizing their moment at Gulfood. Dubai-based House of Pops will present its new keto ice-cream as part of its suite of all-natural desserts at the show in order to find franchise partners and expand into the hotels and restaurant sectors, co-founder Marcela Sancho told GN Focus.

House of Pops describes itself as a disruptive dessert company because of its natural-focused range of ice-pop fruit sticks and plant-milk-based ice creams. The brand is an example of the trend for clean-label items, a term referring to food products with fewer, simpler ingredients largely derived from natural sources and without processed ingredients.