NAPLES, N.Y.—In the time-honored tradition of year-end prognostication, Datamonitor released its expected packaged goods trends to watch in 2009. Among the predictions:
- Relax vs. Energize: Relaxation beverages, such as Drank Relaxed Energy Beverage and Purple Stuff Pro-Relaxation & Calming Elixir, will mirror the slower pace of the economy, in contrast to the hyped-up times in the recent past.
- Beauty to Eat or Drink: Specially-formulated foods and drinks, whether Nestle’s Glowelle or Dove’s Beautiful Milk Chocolate, will continue to attract attention from industry heavy hitters to help consumers look beautiful from what they consume.
- Detox Me: Celebs such as Beyonce and Oprah are leading the charge to detox diets, and marketers are heeding the call, releasing detox beverages, supplements and body scrubs.
- Go Eco-Friendly: Mentions of the word “eco” on food and non-food packaged goods have doubled in the last two years; on-trend product launches include Nvey Eco Organic Erase Makeup and Nature Babycare Eco Sensitive Fragrance Free Awarded Wipes.
- Flower Power: Floral flavors are playing a bigger role in food and drink introductions; look for more subtle, aromatic, floral flavors in 2009.