Consumers to shape US food trends in 2010

New food products will reflect the value-based mindset of today's consumers as the year 2010 approaches.

Americans are taking a hard look at every aspect of their food - from where it comes from to what's on the ingredient label, said food marketing expert Phil Lempert, who is also known as the supermarket guru.

Major brands are responding in positive ways to ensure they meet consumer demands in 2010, he said.

Lempert predicts seven trends for 2010:

• Food brands will continue to use ''real foods'' on ingredient labels while also shortening the label's length, as shoppers prefer shorter labels.
   
• In the wake of the recession, many shoppers switched to private-label or store brands because they offer better prices. In 2010, major food brands will develop co-branded, private-label foods with retailers that will feature brands' key ingredients, fueling industry innovation while winning back the favour of consumers.
   
• Americans are now focused on preparing easy and tasty meals to nourish their families. Therefore they prefer purer ingredients and less complex ingredient labels.
   
• Consumers want to know the origin of their food, especially in the meat case where labels often list multiple countries of origin. There will be a renewed interest in local butchers, who almost always sell domestic meat. At the butcher's counter, consumers can also select the cuts of meat they prefer and have them ground or sliced on demand.
   
• More shoppers will depend less on advertising and more on social networking and word-of-mouth to help them make purchase decisions.
   
• More brands will focus on positioning their products as ''relaxation'' foods rather than comfort, with the message of helping people relax and unwind.
   
• Brands will likely listen to and work to answer the collective call for healthy quality foods at low costs.