Charting Africa's 2020 taste trends

Issued by Kerry

23 Mar 2020

As a global leader in taste and nutrition, Kerry looks to discover and translate the best taste experiences from nature's high-quality ingredients. Over the past decade, Kerry has released official taste predictions that have shaped product development their respective markets. The 2020 South Africa Taste Chart is Kerry's annual review of the food and beverage landscape, tracking consumer trends, sales performance, food service influences and culinary experts to predict where tastes are going. The chart looks at flavours and ingredients across the sweet, beverage, savoury and salty snack categories, helping brands and manufacturers develop and revitalise products relevant to the markets it serves.

Elevate the everyday

Consumers are looking to experience traditional flavours in new ways. Under the savoury and salty categories, beef, chicken and cheese remain mainstream tastes. Flavour enhancements through spice, fermentation and heats applications such as roast, flame grill and good old South African braai are putting a new spin on favourites. Base alternatives such as quinoa, barley and root vegetables like butternut, sweet potato and beetroot are providing new textures to meals.

A toast to good health

Beverages are an exciting and experimental market. Floral/botanical flavours and infusions continue to be menu favourites. Standout flavours being moringa, ginger, rooibos, grapefruit and rose across multiple beverage categories.

There is a growing consumer desire for natural and fresh ingredients that offer additional health benefits while also meeting expectations for natural and clean label products. We’re seeing manufacturers and brands respond with premium unique, value-added product lines.

Decidedly African

Drawing tastes from local roots and traditions have become a greater priority, in addition, consumers are seeing that African cuisine is varied and unsurprisingly similar all at the same time. South African staples such as biltong, Durban curry and chakalaka have long had mass-market appeal, and we continue to see the emergence of tastes that reflect more authentic South African food culture such as inhloko, umleqwa and the kota.

Looking further across the continent, emerging flavours include North African spice blend of harissa and chermoula and West Africa’s hotly contested jollof rice. The African culinary boom has just begun, the influence sparking an interest in food innovations worldwide, brands and private labels are tapping into this trend as well.

Understanding trends is just the beginning, customers can leverage Kerry’s expertise in food and beverage including its taste knowledge and portfolio. We look to create differentiated products with the taste’s consumers desire, that go beyond flavour.

About Kerry

Kerry Group is a leader in global food ingredients, bringing technology leadership and sustainable growth to the food and beverage industries. At Kerry, we are dedicated to making the world of food and beverage better for everyone. Every day, millions of people throughout the world consume foods and beverages containing Kerry’s taste and nutrition solutions. At Kerry, we are proud to provide our customers – some of the world’s best-known food, beverage and pharma brands – with the expertise, insights and know-how they need to deliver products that people enjoy and feel better about consuming.