Resistant to Crisis?
and respective regulations. Here, we have really benefited from
having a defined crisis team at a global and local level.
IDM: The high level of food sales in particular has made the
food industry a winner in the current situation – but has consumer
perception of food changed too?
Meissner: The high demand for food has settled already, and
stockpiling has decreased significantly even now. What will remain
in the long-term is heightened consumer interest in healthy eating
and increased attention to foods that are perceived as healthy, be
they vegetables and fruits, organic products or functional foods.
Topics such as immune health, staying fit and healthy are all front
of mind at present. Latest figures show that almost three quarters
of the consumers worldwide plan to eat and drink healthier as a
result of the pandemic. This is a factor that will be hard to ignore
by the industry when looking into new product development.
However, this also means it’s about exploring ways to strengthen
and improve existing solutions, such as natural and organic products,
as well as those with functional or health benefits.
IDM: What other fundamental questions should the food industry
be asking itself after the crisis?
Meissner: In crisis, attention is usually reduced to focus on the essentials
– and that includes ensuring an uninterrupted food supply.
After the crisis, a few things will have to be re-evaluated: How do we
secure supply when borders are closed, how do we find a balance
between global and regional sourcing, as we are doing at BENEO,
Interview ¦ IDM
Like many other industries, BENEO has to deal with logistical
challenges
for example, with production sites in different parts of the world.
Already today, we’re seeing increased consumer interest in topics
such as inner defence, staying fit and healthy, blood glucose control,
as well as sustained energy. Alongside this, there is higher interest in
science-based information, a trend which we believe is here to stay.
As a science-driven provider of functional ingredients, we
are glad to see that the voices of scientists worldwide are being
heard in in the public arena and, going forward, this can only
be of benefit to consumers and the food chain alike.
All photos: BENEO
September/October 2020 ¦ international-dairy.com · 27
/international-dairy.com
