According to new data from Innova Market Insights, almonds experienced double-digit growth (+13 percent) in 2019, with 12,206 new products with almonds introduced globally.
For the first time in the report’s history, dairy joined confectionery, snacks, bakery and bars as one of the top five categories for new product introductions with almonds, experiencing 19 percent growth (934 new products) compared to 2018. Dairy now holds an eight percent share of total new almond product introductions. Almonds have been the number one nut for new product introductions since 2006.
New almond product introductions across the confectionery, snacks, bakery, bars and dairy categories account for 80 percent of global almond introductions, but almonds also experienced double-digit growth in notable emerging categories like desserts & ice cream (+17 percent) and spreads (+26 percent).
“This annual report captures the evolving work that goes into developing new products. It provides reassurance and validation behind using an ingredient like almonds, and reinforces consumer demand,” says Lu Ann Williams, director of innovation at Innova Market Insights. “If you’re making a shortlist of ingredients to include in product development and you see these numbers, they should give you a lot of confidence. Almonds continue to show growth and expansion into new markets because they have undeniable consumer appeal and align with desirable health and texture claims.”
Global and regional insights
The Global New Product Introductions Report from Innova Market Insights found that almonds are the top nut in Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America. Europe continues to be the leading region for almond introductions (44 percent), followed by Asia-Pacific (24 percent) and North America (17 percent). Asia-Pacific continues to be the fastest-growing region for almond introductions, up 21 percent from 2018.
In North America, the third largest region for almond introductions, almonds are the top nut type for new product introductions in the bar, snacks, bakery and dairy categories. Bars is the biggest category for almonds with 24 percent of introductions. Almonds hold the highest share of total regional food and nut introductions in North America. The United States saw double-digit growth (+12 percent) in 2019 with 1,791 almond product introductions.
Health and texture claims in 2019
The Global New Products Report revealed that health claims are observed more frequently on introductions with almonds compared to total food introductions. The top health claim among almond introductions was “gluten free” (23 percent), followed by no “additives/preservatives” (16 percent), “high/source of protein” (15 percent) and “vegan” (15 percent). Notably, 52 percent of bar introductions with almonds featured a gluten-free claim.
“Crunchy” (6 percent) was once again the most frequently used texture claim for introductions involving almonds, but other claims included “creamy” (3 percent), crispy (3 percent), soft (2 percent) and smooth (2 percent).
“It’s no surprise that almonds continue to be a popular ingredient due to their versatility and nutrition, but the ways in which manufacturers expand almond usage across categories is more impressive every year,” says Harbinder Maan, associate director of trade marketing and stewardship at the Almond Board of California. “As consumer needs and preferences shift toward better-for-you, plant-based and natural ingredients, almonds simply offer product developers freedom to continually explore and identify opportunities for innovation.”
When compared ounce for ounce, almonds are the tree nut highest in vitamin E and riboflavin, and a one-ounce serving of almonds provides six grams of power-packed protein and four grams of fiber.
Visit Almonds.com to view an infographic highlighting key data from the report.
