FOOD & BEVERAGES

FOO D & B E V E R AG E S
C AT E G O R Y R E P O R T
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INDEX
1 .METHODOLOGY

2 . FOO D & B E V E R AG E S

3.FOOD
Five main tre n d s o n Fo o d
COVID -19’s imp ac t o n th e Fo o d I n d u str y

4 . B E V E R AG E S
S even main trend s o n D r inks
COVID -19’s impac t o n th e B eve rag e s I n d u str y

5.CONCLUSIONS
& AC T I O N S TO CO N S I D E R
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Me
thodo
logy
FOOD & BEVERAGES
CATEGORY REPORT
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Food & beverages industry

The following repor t aims to provide a moderately comprehensive over view of
the changes and emerging trends for the Food & Beverage industr y, spe cif ically
focusing on their impac t on the convers ation pres ent on digital me dia outlets .

The repor t fe atures insights obtaine d from Desk Res e arch repor ts by various
providers* and S ocial Listening data gathere d through spe cialize d tools from
the following s ources:

• S ocial Me dia
• Digital News ( including magazines and re gional publications)
• Various Online Forums
• Comments and Reviews on dif ferent digital plat forms

In an at tempt to compens ate for the understandably large volume of

convers ation that COVID -19 would inf luence, the s ele c te d period of study was
rather large, spanning from Januar y 2020 to Februar y 202 1 .

A total of 11 . 3M mentions were found both in English (from the US A , UK ,

Germany, France, Brazil and Por tugal) and S panish (from S pain, Mexico,
Argentina , Colombia , Chile, Peru).

*2020 repor ts from Rival IQ, Brandwatch, Forbes, S tackline and ListenFirst .
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Food &
beverages
FOOD & BEVERAGES
CATEGORY REPORT
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Food & beverages

The conversation about Food is larger than Beverages and creates more
engagement on Social Media.

VOLUM E O F M EN TIO N S VO LU M E O F I NT E R ACT I O NS

To t a l v o l u m e o f m e n t i o n s : 1 1 . 3 M

Food not only creates more engagement, but also generates relatively less
negative conversation

16% 25% 61%

21% 25% 54%

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Food
FOOD & BEVERAGES
CATEGORY REPORT
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FOOD
5 main trends on Food…
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#1
Eating healthy key for the
wellbeing during the pandemic
Many brands and people talk about the important of a healthy diets,
especially during the pandemic when it is difficult to keep a balanced lifestyle.
Nutrition is also portrayed as a way to boost the immune system and fight
coronavirus.

HEALTHY CONCEP TS
ON THE TOP 30

11. #healthyfood
12. #healthy
13. #vegan
...
23. #healthy
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#2
Veganism continues to be
an increasing trend
Veganism and related topics are growing in popularity as people and brands
evolve looking for more natural solutions and eco-responsible products.

VOLUME OF MENTIONS

Vegan Vegetarian Gluten-free Ketogenic Paleo Intermittent Raw Low-Fat Sugar-free Piscitarian
(keto) Fasting Vegan

On this space, plant-based milks and

avocados deserve special mention
“Plant-based milk sales grew 5%, other plant-based dairy products soared 53% in
the last two years”- Forbes

MOST POPUL A R M IL K S UB STITUTES O NL I NE AVOCA DO S A R E HE R E TO STAY

VOLUME OF MENTIONS
2.6% 2.2%
3.2%
4%

6% 29%

6.3%

7%

8% 16%

15%

Avocados Blueberries Ginger Kale

Cashews Chia Quinoa Matcha
Almond Milk Oat Milk Coconut Milk Soy Milk Cashew Milk Rice Milk Almond Milk Hemp Seeds Flax Acai

S ource: BrandWatch
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#3
Homemade recipes blew up
Given the unprecedented amount of time that many have had to spend at
home, cooking homemade meals has become both a source of entertainment
and a way to stay healthy in times of reduced mobility.

R ECI P E S CO NCE P TS
O N T HE TO P 30

4. #recipes
7. #recipe
...
17. #homemade
...
30. #baking
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#3
Most of the words related to recipes are
positive. People are thankful for what they have
and for learning new things.
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#3
Recipes as an opportunity to reinvent some
categories like snacks: now used as ingredients
for other meals.
I t i s a n o p p or tu n it y th e bran ds should n’ t m iss in ord er to show
th e vers at i l i t y of th ei r pro du c ts .

S ource: ListenFirst
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#4
Family and care have a strong
presence in the food industry
B oth foo d an d me al are co n n e c te d to word s like “fam ily ”,
“c h i l dren”, “c are”, as wel l as “20 20”, “covid - 19”, “coronavirus”,
sh ow i ng t h e i mpo r tan ce of thos e thre e f irst ones d uring the
p a n d em i c .
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#4
Content related to family and care focuses
on recipes for the loved ones and the joy of
spending quality time with them while cooking.

Re c i p e s for t h e fam ily S p end q u a l i t y t i m e w i t h t h e fa m i l y coo king

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#5
Food is perceived as very
“instagrammable”
T h e re’s a b i g o ppo r tu n it y fo r b rand s to cre ate m ore
e n g a g i n g co ntent .
INSTAG R A M M A B L E
CO N C E P TS O N T HE TO P 30

6. #foodporn
...
18. #instafood
20. #foodphotograpy
22. #foodstagram
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#5
Indeed, most of the interactions about food are
currently taking place on Instagram
VO LUM E O F I NT E R ACT I O NS

Instagram - 69% TV & radio - 3% National news - 1%

Twitter - 11% YouTube - 3% Blogs - 1%
Facebook - 7% General news - 3% Regional news - 1%

BR A N D S A RE A L RE A DY L E V E R AG I NG T HI S P L AT FO R M

Pos t s / Day E ng a g em ent Rate / Pos t ( by fo l l ower)

S ource: Rival IQ
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#5
But there are also other platforms where food
content get viral - TikTok, Youtube and Pinterest

Full of recipes focused in any kind of consumer

Lots of people learn and share recipes thanks to the platform

during quarantine
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#5
But there are also other platforms where food
content get viral - TikTok, Youtube and Pinterest

Full of recipes, viral food trends and videos, ASMR videos

T H E TO R T I L L A TREND TH E JAL APEÑ O T R EN D WAST ING FOOD VIR AL VI DEO

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Brands
Keeping in touch with social trends, brands also
decided to join in and create both recipes and
challenges

S p on s ore d tren d s on
S o m e we l l - kn ow n bra n d s s ocia l me d ia like the
pos te d re c i pe s l i ke Ore o #Dor itos3d cha llen g e on
TikTok
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FOOD
COVID-19’s impact on
the Food Industry
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COVID-19’s impact
The conversation around Food has clearly
peaked during the months when lockdown
happened, followed by big drop after summer.

The talk focused charity-related activities, such as providing food for people with little
resources during the pandemic, or supporting small catering businesses in harsh times.

S o c i a l work - giv ing food to p e op le in ne e d

S upp o r t local re staurants (hom e d eliver y)

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Food industry’s social engagement increased

over the lockdown
As people spent more time on social media during the lockdown, brands achieved a
significantly higher engagement vs the same period last year.

CO N TE NT R E S PO NS E S 2 0 2 0

S ource: ListenFirst - Food Industr y S pe cial Repor t: S ocial Me dia in the Time of Coronavirus
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Due to the pandemic, certain categories

were consumed more often: those that are
non-perishable.
T he TO P 1 00 Fa s te s t Growi n g & De c lin in g Cate go r ie s in E-co m m e rce

March 2020 vs. March 2019

+6 5 2%
Bre ad Machines

+ 3 97 % + 3 86 % +37 7 % + 3 26 %
S oups Drie d Grains & Rice Package d Foods Fruit Cups

+ 2 49 % + 23 8% + 23 8%
Pasta Ve getables Flour

+ 1 86 % + 1 8 4% + 18 2% + 17 9%
C hips & Pre t ze ls Crackers He alth Monitors Popcorn

S ource: S tackline
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Beverages
FOOD & BEVERAGES
CATEGORY REPORT
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BEVERAGES
7 main trends on Drinks...
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Alcohol first, but then also

coffee, tea, juice and milk
Alcoholic beverages led the conversation, with “beer” and “wine” being on
top of mentions. “Coffee” on the other hand is king for non-alcoholic drinks.

CORRE L ATIO N O F WO RD S (EN G L IS H) TO P # TO P #

I N E NG L I S H I N S PA N I SH

#beer #vino
#drinks #cerveza
#drink #bebidas
#wine #salud
#cocktails #vegan
#cocktail #bebida
#covid19 #coranavirus
#craftbeer #quedateencasa
#drinking #saludable
#bar #cuarentena
#coronavirus #vodka
#drinklocal #and
#whiskey #beer
#gin #cádiz
#jerez

CORRE L ATIO N O F WO RD S (S PA N IS H) #wine

#yomequedoencasa
#amor
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#1
Beer is strongly associated
with social contexts
“Cheers” or “company” definitely give beer an important social component.

TO P WO R D S I N M E NT I O NS
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#1
IPA and Ale, the beers with
the highest volume of positive
mentions
On the other hand, the brand “Corona” received some negative mentions due
to its association with the virus, but it also helped to increase its awareness
among consumers.
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#2
Treat yourself with a fine
glass of wine
Wine, on the other hand, is perceived as a comfort drink, to treat yourself and
disconnect from a stressful day.
“Company” or “cheers” aren’t present here. It is likely to be enjoyed at a
personal level.

TOP WO RD S IN M EN TIO N S
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#2
Spanish-speaking countries perceive wine as a
healthy drink
There’s a significant number of mentions linking wine and health together,
justifying why users should incorporate it to their diet.
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#2
Wine flows thicker than beer
Analyzing the overall conversation, we may observe that “wine” and “vino”
register a greater amount of interactions, however, “beer” and “cerveza”
are the most represented terms in the search.

WINE BEER

Me nt ions 333.6 K 57 9 K
I nte ra c t ions 16. 4M 11 . 2 M

VINO CERVEZA

Me nt ions 4 4. 9K 64.4K
I nte ra c t ions 3M 2.5M
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#3
Homemade drinks burst
during lockdown
With the unprecedented amounts of time at home, many people took interest
in experimenting and trying recipes out, whether it was with alcohol, special
coffee mixes, or smoothies.
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#4
Especially cocktail home
recipes
Many people followed the “quarantini” craze. This could be potentially
exploitable by brands willing to “teach” their customer base to create an
active and engaging conversation.
Different drinks, whether by themselves or involved in different mixes such as
“juice”, “vodka” or “gin” are also part of the conversation.

TO P WO RD S IN M EN TIO NS
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#5
Soft drinks reinvented
themselves
Most of the conversation about soft drinks is focused on them as an
ingredient for a cocktail, “mocktail” or even a food recipe.
Some soft drink brands decided to take advantage of this and create and
share different kinds of recipes

Peps i and it s Coca-cola and it ’s e ntire new

origin a l re cipes Signature Mixe rs produc ts
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#6
Coffee, part of the daily
morning ritual
Coffee is viewed as a part of the morning ritual, along with products that can
either be complements or alternatives, such as milk, chocolate, or tea.
Habits don’t seem to have changed much, other than some over consumption
during lockdown, as expected.

TO P WO R D S I N M E NT I O NS
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#7
Veganism is also very present
in the beverages industry
The vegan buzz could also be found while looking at drinking, with vegetal
drinks and healthy smoothies being a big part of the conversation

TO P WO R D S I N M E NT I O NS
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BEVERAGES
COVID-19’s impact on
the Beverages Industry
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COVID-19’s impact
Peak of conversation, again, during
lockdown months

Drinks are seen as a coping mechanism and people reminisce drinking with friends and loved
ones. Whereas the negative conversation is related to the possibility of creating dangerous
habits after lockdown

S EN TIM EN T O F T HE CO NV E R SAT I O N
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Some brands have successfully adapted their

content to the new pandemic situation
Aside from punctual product launches, novelty in this year’s brand communication has been
brought by the pandemic.
Some brands have been able to effectively transmit their solidarity, either with the affected
industries or the general public.
Content related to social responsibility has really resonated with the audience.
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Con
clu
sions
FOOD & BEVERAGES
CATEGORY REPORT
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Conclusions
• COVID-19 has perme ate d ever y aspe c t of the online buz z , either giving dif ferent
s ocial connotations to establishe d Food & Beverages cate gories , or kick-star ting
new topics altogether. Family, home, friends and the communit y are now more
impor tant than ever when dis cussing e ating or drinking.

• The public s e ems to have a more positive than ne gative outlook on both Food and
Beverages , with a preference for the f irst . The global he alth crisis has s er ve d as
focal for both favorable and unfavorable comments , leveraging on subje c ts such
as dietar y cons ciousness , limitations to enjoyment , and s ocial responsibili t y.

• Dif ferent pro duc ts continue to have dif ferent roles in the consumer minds et .
S ome, like wine or cof fe e are enjoye d on an intimate level, or as par t of one’s
s elf-care; be er is to be share d with friends . Others like canne d food and non-
perishables are most re queste d when fe aring a food s carcit y period.

• Incre as e d S ocial Me dia ac tivit y has proven that there are oppor tunities for agile
brands to s er vice the audience more ade quately, either being par t of an engaging
or e ducative convers ation (re cipes , DIY, etc .) or catering in accordance to
growing demands (ve getarians and ve gans on the ris e).

• In terms of s ocial me dia plat forms , Instagram has proven to generate the highest
engagement thanks to its photogenic , appe aling and share able nature, but als o
TikTok and Pinterest play ver y strongly in this contex t
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Actions...
• Visual s ocial me dia (Instagram, TikTok …)
is te eming with re cipe content that ’s
als o ver y engaging to the public .
Brands should generate that kind of
content and establish an interac tive
convers ation with their audience.
They have the oppor tunit y to be come
te achers , enter tainers , etc .

• The interest for ve gan, ve getarian,

and environmentally-responsible
produc ts is growing ste adily. Brands
who want to ke ep being the preferre d
option must cater to thes e ne e ds and
be transparent about the ingre dients or
proce dures us e d in the manufac turing
of their produc ts .

...to consider
• Knowing what spe cif ic s ocial
contex t is tie d to e ach
par ticular cate gor y can make
communication much more
ef fe c tive. Language changes
when spe akin g about wine
or cof fe e, for example, and
brands must be on the lookout
for shif ts in this re gard.

• U tilis e trends to reinvent

your brand (e.g. snacks as
an ingre dient for re cipes ,
s of t beverages in mock tails).
Maximize cha llenges and
hashtags to make us ers
talk about your brand (e.g.
quarantini ).
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