Natural provokes growth in gourmet foods

In its new report called Gourmet, Specialty and Premium Foods and Beverages in the US​ Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, said consumers have bought $59bn worth of top notch packaged products in 2007 - 10.9 percent more than last year. It expects the gourmet and premium sector to continue growing through 2012 to be worth some $96bn - and for the cheese and dairy sector to have the highest growth rate, of 13 percent. At the same time, consumers are more aware of healthy eating options, and the term natural carries health connotations with it. This means that presenting food of natural origin in a gourmet or premium format could cater to two facets of consumers' desire in one sitting. Up to the end of October, the number of new gourmet foods and beverage products this year carrying a natural claim was 259, up from 174 in 2006. The 'fresh format' has become a new phenomenon at national and independent supermarkets, said the researcher, as retailers bid to capture more customers with gourmet and specialty products. Indeed, in a separate report published earlier this year on fresh and local foods in the US, Packaged Facts said that sales of fresh and locally grown foods have shot up in recent years, driven by factors such as food safety fears and America's growing 'green' culture. It forecasts sales of these to reach $5bn in 2007, up from $4bn in 2002, and ongoing growth to $7bn by 2011. Packaged Facts publisher Tatjana Meerman said that mainstream supermarkets and grocery stores have led the way in gourmet and specialty foods in 2007 (natural or not), accounting for 52 per cent. Indeed, increased availability has proved a spur to sales - and Meerman does not expect it to stop there. "We anticipate this broadening of the gourmet/premium market well into the next decade as growing numbers of marketers and retail channels offer an ever-increasing number of products to attract more customers." ​