A wave of research has linking coffee consumption to health and longevity will increase opportunities for coffee manufacturers to appeal to health conscious consumers, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Two separate research studies published in 2017 have already linked higher frequency of coffee consumption to a reduced risk of mortality. These findings have now been supported by a wide-scale meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal.
“The findings will be welcomed by coffee consumers around the globe, particularly as other caffeinated beverage options such as fizzy drinks and energy drinks become increasingly criticised due to their high sugar content,” says Melanie Felgate, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData.
According to GlobalData’s Q3 2016 consumer survey, 60 per cent of consumers globally are often or always influenced by how the product impacts their health and wellbeing when choosing non-alcoholic beverages.
The survey revealed that 89 per cent of consumers are interested in food and drinks that claim to improve general health and wellbeing, ensuring that coffee is likely to be an increasingly attractive beverage option.
“Coffee consumption is already on the rise globally, with GlobalData forecasting volume sales of coffee to grow by around 2.4 percent per year from 2016 to reach 6.8 billion KG by 2021,” Melanie says. “As awareness of the positive benefits of coffee become more widespread, it is likely to become even more attractive as a form of healthy functional hydration supporting further growth.”
Coffee also has the advantage of being a natural product, likely making it more appealing than the array of functional health beverages, such as added vitamin waters, hitting the market. GlobalData’s Q1 2017 survey revealed that 90 per cent of consumers globally find products naturally high in nutrients to be appealing, well above the 68 per cent who find products fortified with added nutrients appealing.
“As the understanding of the link between coffee consumption and health increases, there are opportunities for other food and drink brands, beyond coffee, to capitalise by incorporating coffee as a flavor or ingredient to enhance the healthy ‘halo’ of such products,” Melanie says.
