Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1093876
15 AROUND THE WORLD California Almonds Conquer a Health- Conscious World With "big food" under fire, continued trade disputes and ever-shifting food values among consumers, the headwinds and tailwinds influencing global demand for almonds require constant attention. At the Almond Board of California (ABC), the Global Market Development Committee and ABC staff help navigate these factors, building worldwide demand for almonds while managing opportunities and risks along the way. ABC's continued investment in developing global markets, boosted by the temporary assessment increase, has paid off: Shipments within the U.S. and overseas to key international markets — Canada, Mexico, India, China, Japan, South Korea and Western Europe — rose 24% over a three-year period, from FY15/16 to FY17/18. 1 What does the global marketplace have in store for us today? The future looks strong and is bolstered by many consumer trends that play to the strengths of our industry and our product. Health and wellness top of mind Consider this: One-fifth of the world is obese. 2 While that statistic is alarming, the upshot is people around the globe have a renewed focus of fit lifestyles, to the extent that Fitbits and Apple Watches remind users when to grab a healthy snack, doctors talk about "food as medicine," and in China and India (two key markets for almonds) gym memberships are the new status symbol. 1 ABC Position Report, July 2018. 2 OECD (2017), OECD Health Statistics 2017. 3 Dataessential, State of Eating, U.S. February 2018. 4 Nielsen. 5 Label Insights Almond & Category Data 2018. WANT TO INCREASE WANT TO REDUCE 5% 5% 32% 3% 44% PLANT PROTEIN 33% SEAFOOD 26% POULTRY 5% RED MEAT Plant protein emerged as a consumer favorite in a recent survey on eating habits. Of the respondents, 44% said they wanted to increase their intake of plant protein — the highest percentage of any protein source. 3 Almonds have become a larger part of consumers' "healthy lifestyle" vocabulary, too. With macronutrients like protein and healthy fats receiving kudos for playing a role in vigorous diets, almonds are becoming a grocery list staple. Plant protein packs a punch The benefits of plant proteins are catching on across the globe. A recent survey found that 44% of respondents want to increase their intake of plant protein, while 32% want to reduce consumption of red meat. 3 This trend is far-reaching, evident in the popularity of "Meatless Mondays" in markets from Hong Kong to France, and almonds are poised to capitalize on this movement toward plant-based diets. Snack attack As consumers invest more heavily in healthy lifestyles, smart snacking is also steadily gaining traction. In the case of snacking, the need for convenience along with shifting consumer attitudes has led to what is referred to as "snackification," and the market opportunity is significant — $45 billion in China, $23 billion in the U.K. and more than $100 billion in the U.S. 4 Being both portable and healthy, almonds will continue to benefit from this trend in many countries, and the Almond Board will continue to elevate the ease and guilt- free nature of almonds as a snack to consumers around the world. Innovations in almonds Food manufacturers have taken notice of almonds' popularity and are bringing an astonishing array of new products to market, many of which are overachievers in their respective categories. Sales of non-dairy almond creamers, for instance, are up 111% in sales (category average: 6% growth) and almond snack and variety packs are up 140% (category average: 11% growth). 5 This strong outperformance will continue fueling product innovations that feature almonds as an ingredient. While there are certainly differences among the key global regions for almond consumption, consumers across the globe are taking greater stock in wellness and snacking, and the Almond Board of California is leveraging this opportunity to market almonds worldwide.