Bell Flavors and Fragrances, a company specializing in numerous food and beverage applications, recently unveiled its list of macro trends which it believes will define the flavor and fragrance industry throughout the year 2021.
 
The 2021 Spark platform, a program created to highlight trends which the company has observed globally, has been reconstructed to reflect longer-term macro trends which are believed to serve as a foundation for today, with a lasting impact into the future.
 
Combining what consumers value with technology innovations and market dynamics all shape what is to be expected of future flavors, fragrances, and ingredients, the company said, touching “on all areas from wellness to indulgence. They focus on paying it forward to mother earth and the ways consumers have engaged with each other in the new virtual environment we’ve all had to endure. Finally, the platform speaks to the state of escapism where we are seeing new ways flavors, fragrances, and botanicals are being used by consumers to experience the exotic and the familiar from their own homes,” the company said.
 
“Finding Silver Linings” is a trend in which consumers seek to learn something about the world, including things that make people feel comforted, worthwhile, rewarded, and even whimsical in unexpected times. The trend centers around consumers finding purpose and delight in the tastes and smells they encounter. Some micro-trends in this area include nostalgia, enjoying rewards, and home-style.
 
The second trend, “Well Balanced,” involves responding to the increased focus consumers have on personal nutrition, personal care, and fitness, among other goals. Mental, physical, emotional, and even spiritual wellbeing are consciously integrating into dietary habits and routines aimed at enriching one’s core values, Bell said. Micro-trends in this category include moods and emotions, self-care, and functional ingredients.
 
“Escapism” is a trend centered on novelty. “The union of imagination, exploration and experience opens new worlds as new realities are reimagined into multi-sensorial experiences. Consumers today engage and escape through the senses; by the transporting power of technology or of the mind, blurring the boundaries between real life and fantasy,” the company said. Micro-trends in this category include inward, get away, and multi-sensorial.
 
“Global Consciousness” was highlighted not as just a trend, but as a way of life. The social, economic, and environmental factors at play in the daily choices surrounding diet are tied to protecting people and nature from harmful practices, while preserving cultures and traditions. Micro-trends in this category include diverse humanity, sustainability, and preservation.
 
Lastly, the trend “Together Apart” speaks to the ways in which consumers’ relationship to food has changed this year, as physical and emotional distance between humans has increased. “As a basic need to communicate through the senses has become a challenge, many typical experiences like a home-cooked meal or the smell of a rose have become virtual, creating a new togetherness in how people experience the world,” Bell said. Micro-trends in this category include connectivity, “joy of missing out,” and innovation.