..AND RISING DEMAND TO PROPEL FURTHER INNOVATION IN COCONUT SECTOR

Rising demand for coconut products looks set to continue to propel innovation in the sector. This is despite misgivings about coconut oil in some public health bodies like the British Heart Foundation, the consumer research report said.  Coconut oil has become a mainstay product throughout Europe while coconut has been incorporated as an ingredient in a host of finished products.  New Nutrition Business revealed there has been 318% increase in the number of product launches with coconut from 2010 to 2016.

Growth has been supported by coconut’s appeal to a number of popular trends, according to Euromonitor analysts. “Besides the roaring success of coconut water, based on the concept of ‘natural hydration for active people’, it is the free-from trend, and in particular the dairy-free trend, which is a key driving factor...Promoted as soy-, GMO-, dairy-, transfats-, and gluten-free, the product keys perfectly into the several major health and wellness trends”.

Based on feedback from its consumer panels, New Nutrition Business identified a number of other applications for coconut ingredients.  The “most appealing “ categories for coconut were bakery and confectionery, while interestingly given the drive for dairy-free, coconut-based yoghurts were the least well-received.  Given the results, this provides an opportunity for companies to develop coconut yoghurts, New Nutrition suggested.