Kerry, the Taste and Nutrition Company, has released an interactive consumer preference simulator to supplement their 2019 Proactive Health research, which explored key consumer groups, their functional health and ingredient preferences. The proactive health simulator utilizes Kerry’s proprietary consumer data to help industry professionals understand consumer preferences across 11 different functional benefits, such as gut health, immune support and weight management.

In 2019, Kerry conducted a quantitative online research study in the US to estimate specific consumer preferences of 85 different ingredients across 11 functional benefits. The goal was to understand consumer expectations of functional benefits and determine the importance of specific ingredients by functional benefits derived from food and beverages.

With the simulator, users can choose a functional benefit and by gender and/or age, determine the top 10 ingredients preferred by consumers of that demographic group. Use the simulator to create on-trend, consumer-centric data for product and menu development.

Experience the simulator for yourself HERE.

“Consumer attention to food and beverages with added functionality has never been higher than today, as they adapt to the current challenges of COVID-19,” commented Soumya Nair, director of marketing insights for Kerry North America. “They want to future-proof themselves from the short-term pandemic but also shield themselves and their families from any long-term health concerns. 69% of health-conscious US adults said they are proactive with their health. Beyond weight management concerns, busy lifestyles have given rise to issues related with stress, energy, sleep, gut health and more. Our research unlocks these critical associations consumers make between functional benefits and functional ingredients that are key to developing future-focused functional products across food and beverages. For instance, specific ingredients such as ginger, apple cider vinegar, and probiotics are associated strongly with gut health, while coffee, green tea, green coffee bean, and ginger are perceived as functional ingredients for energy support. With the simulator, you can create products that are targeted to specific demographic groups, using ingredients that strongly connote a specific functional benefit for the consumer.”