The purchasing power of Brazilians has increased in the last decade and the greater access to information has resulted in consumers being more aware and demanding.
In his dissertation during the first edition of PMA Fresh Connections Brazil, Jose Luiz Tejon Megiddo, of ESPM (Superior School of Marketing) spoke about five trends in contemporary food:
- The Food Telling or food with a message. These focus on informing consumers in a transparent, attractive and familiar way, generating a sense of identity and authenticity for the food itself.
- The second one is the Super Sense (multisensory experience), which aims to stimulate the senses and result in an original, enjoyable, intense and complete sensory experience.
- The third is the search for healthy foods that lead to well-being.
- In fourth place, he spoke of practicality and immediacy, which becomes even more important in large cities like São Paulo, where you need flexible food to instantly meet the consumers' needs, helping them optimise their time.
- Lastly, the concerns and the search for foods that are produced sustainably.
"The world has changed. It is no longer a matter of revenue, but educational marketing," affirms Jose Luiz.
A few months ago, the French supermarket chain Intermarché started marketing "ugly" fruits and vegetables, which would normally be discarded. To convince customers to buy them, they were explained the importance of sustainability and were offered soups and smoothies produced from these fruits, in order to show that the flavour does not go hand in hand with the appearance.
"Ugly" fruits have become a bestseller and an excellent example of this type of marketing.
"Educational marketing changes things really quickly," says Jose Luiz.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alexandre Oliverai Gomes, of ANVISA, pointed out that Brazil's horticultural sector needs more dialogue with the consumer.
"No matter the size of your business, you always have the ability to communicate," he said. "Packaging is very important as a means of communication between the consumer and the producer."
They also highlighted the importance of using the packaging to facilitate information on the traceability of food from producer to consumer in order to prevent health problems in the population caused by viral infections or excess traces of agro-chemicals.