What is it that drives consumers, even in a zero-growth economy, to pay a super-premium price for berries – in fact a 90% premium over the next-highest-priced category? It comes down to six factors, but these factors aren’t exclusive to berries – they’re also key in packaged food categories, making the story of berries’ success a must-read for anyone wanting to market “naturally functional” benefits, writes Julian Mellentin of New Nutrition Business.

The convergence of scientific and technological progress, corporate strategy, consumer knowledge and desire for foods that can claim to be “naturally healthy” is bringing cocoa to a tipping point. Though the growth curve may be a long and gentle one, cocoa’s use in foods as a health ingredient is now clearly and firmly on the increase. Beverages, dairy and snacks look like the areas most likely to be able to make the most of cocoa’s future potential.

The unstoppable rise of the energy drink category continues to astonish. That a market that is (in the West at least) now twenty years old can continue to produce 10% annual growth – against the background of a stagnant economy and despite premium pricing – is scarcely believable. So how is it possible? And what can we all learn from the phenomenon?

Protein is one of the growth ingredients of the future. But the sources of that growth may not be what we expect them to be, comment and insights from Julian Mellentin, founder of New Nutrition Business.