New Zealand consumers are becoming increasingly mindful of the role that food and beverage choices play in their overall wellbeing. From reduced sugar intake to clean label preferences and balanced indulgence, health-conscious purchasing is continuing to shape the future of the food industry.
While consumers still value taste and enjoyment, there is growing demand for products that support healthier lifestyles without compromising on flavour or experience. This shift is driving innovation across categories including beverages, dairy, bakery, confectionery and nutritional products.
Recent New Zealand market insights show that health and wellness priorities continue to strongly influence food purchasing behaviour. At the same time, the food and beverage market is seeing growing demand for low-sugar and functional products, driven by increasing health awareness and consumer preference for wellness-focused formulations.
A Changing Consumer Landscape
Health and wellness trends in Australia are evolving beyond traditional “diet” products, driven by factors including:
- Increased focus on preventative health and nutrition
- Rising interest in functional and fortified foods
- Demand for clean label and naturally derived ingredients
- Greater awareness of sugar intake and metabolic health
- Growth in personalised wellness and active lifestyles
At the same time, brands are navigating the challenge of reducing sugar while maintaining taste, texture and overall sensory appeal - particularly in categories traditionally associated with indulgence.
Balancing Health and Indulgence
Today’s consumers are not necessarily looking to eliminate sweetness altogether. Instead, many are seeking smarter ways to indulge, with products that deliver enjoyable flavour experiences alongside improved nutritional profiles.
This has created opportunities for manufacturers to innovate with:
- Sugar reduction solutions
- Natural and alternative sweeteners
- Flavour modulation technologies
- Fibre enrichment
- Protein fortification
- Clean label formulation approaches
The result is a new generation of products designed to meet consumer expectations for both wellness and indulgence.
The IMCD Solution
At IMCD Food & Nutrition, we work closely with customers to support formulation strategies that respond to changing market demands across the Australian and New Zealand food and beverage landscape. From sugar reduction and flavour optimisation to texture enhancement and nutritional positioning, our solutions are designed to help brands create products that resonate with today’s health-conscious consumers.
Nutritional Enhancement
Soluble Corn Fibre (Resistant Dextrin)
Nutriose 06 is a fully soluble dietary fibre containing 80 percent fibre content, class leading process stability and a neutral taste, smell, and texture, allowing seamless integration into a wide variety of food and drink products, including clear beverages. Nutriose 10 is a soluble dietary fibre offering 70 percent fibre content and a mild, naturally sweet taste due to a small number of in-bound sugars.
Application: Bakery, Confectionary, Nutrition, Beverage, Savoury, Dairy
Soluble Fibre (Inulin)
Our range of Chicory based Inulin products (Frutafit and Frutalose), available in both liquid and powder format allow formulation of sugar reduced and sugar free products with superior taste, mouthfeel and texture. These Inulin products are offered with a varying degree of sweetness and fibre content, which allows great flexibility in formulation challenges.
Application: Bakery, Confectionary, Nutrition, Beverage, Savoury, Dairy
Protein
Our range of Vegetable based Proteins (Pea, Soy and Fava Bean) and Dairy (Milk Protein Concentrate and Milk Protein Isolate) offer a broad palette of options to formulate foods with increased levels of protein and align your products with the growing interest in protein fortification . The range offers varying degrees of solubility, taste and amino acid profiles which allows balancing of recipes to achieve the desired nutritional and flavour outcomes.
Application: Bakery, Confectionary, Nutrition, Beverage, Savoury, Dairy, Meat
Clean Label Solutions
With the growing interest in clean label solutions to formulate foods , IMCD is well placed to support all your formulation challenges. A range of clean label offerings in starches, vegetable gums and texturising fibres is available to develop products with outstanding texture and mouthfeel and to complement the nutritional enhancement demanded by the consumer
Application: Bakery, Confectionary, Nutrition, Beverage, Savoury, Dairy, Meat
Sugar Reduction Solution
Stevia New Generation Natural Sweetener
Morita JX and Morita PG are a new generation of plant-based sweetener extracted from the stevia leaf, offering a sweetness level 200 to 350 times that of sugar without any calories. Morita JX offers are sharp and clear aftertaste whilst Morita PG is more rounded with increased mouthfeel.
Application: Nutrition, Dairy, Bakery, Beverages, Savoury and Confectionery
Erythritol: No Calorie Bulk Sweetener
Erythritol is a low-calorie sweetener that delivers around 60 to 70 percent of sugar's sweetness while having virtually no effect on blood sugar or insulin levels.
Application: Bakery, Confectionary, Nutrition, Beverage, Dairy
Maltitol: Bulk Sweetener
SweetPearl and Lycasin closely mimics the taste and texture of sugar, offering up to 90 to 100 percent of its sweetness and making it an ideal 1:1 replacement in many formulations.
Application: Bakery, Confectionary, Nutrition, Beverage, Savoury, Dairy
Sorbitol: Bulk Sweetener
Sorbitol is a mild, pleasant-tasting bulk sweetener that delivers about 60 percent of sugar’s sweetness and a natural cooling sensation.
Application: Bakery, Confectionary, Nutrition, Beverage, Savoury, Dairy
Xylitol: Bulk Sweetener
Xylitol is a mild, pleasant-tasting bulk sweetener that delivers sweetness comparable to sugar, along with a natural cooling sensation, the most pronounced among polyols.
Application: Confectionary, Dairy
Masking Solutions
Our Masking Solutions from Givaudan and Butterbuds are designed to smooth out undesirable notes that can result from the use of sugar substitutes, such as bitterness, metallic hints, or lingering sweetness.
Application: Bakery, Confectionary, Nutrition, Beverage, Savoury, Dairy
The future of food innovation in Australia will increasingly centre on creating products that balance nutrition, transparency and sensory experience — helping consumers make choices that feel both enjoyable and mindful.