Food Trends in Europe
Discover key European Union marketplace trends to tailor your Canadian agri-food exports to European consumer needs.
Video transcript
[Electronic sounding music starts.]
[The video opens with a shot of two men and a woman working in a laboratory. A red bar appears from the left. The title of the video appears on the bar.]
Text on screen: Canadian Agri-Food Trade Commissioners
[Cut to close up of person with rubber gloves on filling out a report surrounded by vials. The text disappears and is replaced by new text. The red bar remains.]
Text on screen: Market Opportunity in Europe
Voice of Yannick Dheilly: Food innovation never stops.
[The red bar, text and image disappear from the screen.]
[Cut to man and woman conducting tests in a laboratory.]
There's always something new...
[Cut to person looking at slide through a microscope.]
Text on Screen: Food Trends in the EU
...and things never...
[Cut to rows of terracotta pots with small potato plants.]
...stand still.
[Cut to a shot of Yannick Dheilly.]
My name is Yannick Dheilly. I'm a trade commissioner at the Canadian Embassy in Paris. I'm also an agri-food engineer. It's a sector I'm passionate about.
[Cut to shot of farmer checking out his crops with an irrigation system in background.]
[Electronic sounding music fades out.]
[New electronic sounding music fades in.]
[Cut to the interior of a large warehouse with tall shelves filled with consumer products.]
[Cut to shelves inside a grocery store.]
Text on screen: Market Changes
There have been many changes...
[Cut to young woman comparing products in grocery store.]
...in the market.
[Cut to shot of Yannick Dheilly.]
Consumer needs have undergone a transformation.
[Cut to woman shopping in a small local organic store.]
Text on Screen: Individualist consumers
Consumers have moved away from following the norm...
[Cut to shot of worker closing up a small silver package with product inside.]
...the tradition, and become more individualist...
[Cut to shelves in a store with organic products on shelves.]
Text on screen: Health conscious
...as well as more health conscious...
[Cut to shot of varieties of pastas.]
...for example by eating organic.
[Cut to image of mustard seeds and mustard sauces]
Text on screen: Growth in organic products
[Cut to shot of Yannick Dheilly.]
Twenty years ago, organic products made up only a tiny fraction of the market.
[Cut to shots of young girl doing comparative shopping in grocery store using a digital tablet.]
Today, they represent five to six percent of the market, and that figure could eventually rise to twenty or twenty-five percent, maybe thirty.
[Cut to shot of Yannick Dheilly.]
That would mean one meal out of three would contain organic products.
[Cut to boxes of cherries ready for shipping.]
Text on screen: More vegetarian products
Vegetarian products have become much more popular these past few years...
[Cut to close up of different types of pulses being scooped up and put into a paper bag for purchase.]
Text on screen: Less meat
...and we've also seen a notable trend towards eating less meat.
[Cut to boxed products moving along a conveyor belt in a factory.]
Text on screen: Plain-coloured packaging
Packaging colours are also changing. The trend now is towards less bright colours, such as bright red and green.
[Cut to shot of Yannick Dheilly.]
For most food products, the packaging has become not duller,
[Cut to shot of products in small silver packaging going along conveyor belts.]
... but plainer, with a lot of white...
[Cut to bottles going along a conveyor belt.]
...and a lot of blue being used, for instance.
[Cut to shot of machine in factory putting lids on small containers.]
Text on screen: Small sizes
The other trend has been the size of the packages themselves.
[Cut to small clear packages being filled with spiral pasta.]
Packages are often simply smaller in Europe. I don't know whether people are eating less...
[Cut to shot small clear package of grains going up a conveyor belt.]
...but they prefer smaller package sizes than in Canada.
[Cut to close up of red apples with an image of a maple leaf and the word "Canada" on them.]
[Cut to time-lapse of people on a busy city sidewalk.]
There are still many more changes ahead.
[Cut to shot of Yannick Dheilly.]
For example, in France, which seems like a very traditional country, all sorts of things are happening. There's a restaurant chain making bagels.
Text on screen: Market diversification
The food offering is changing in many ways, always towards diversification.
[Cut to image of large conference room where a SIAL convention is being held.]
Text on screen: Recommendations
It's a fact that in Europe...
[Cut to crowds of people checking out the many different displays at the trade show.]
...it's a good idea to attend events like trade shows.
[Cut to another shot of people attending trade show.]
It's a key activity in Europe.
[Cut to with 4 people in a business meeting.]
You get to meet virtually all of your clients and to do some prospecting...
[Cut to 3 people in a business meeting shaking hands.]
...and see what there is on the market. It's more or less a required activity in Europe.
[Cut to shot of Yannick Dheilly.]
I like the variety of my work. I like answering questions from companies, and I get all kinds of questions. There are all kinds of food companies and products out there.
[Cut to white background. Red bar appears from left.]
Text on screen: Tradecommissioner.gc.ca
[The text on screen changes.]
Text on screen: Contact Us Today
[Cut to the animated Canada word mark]
Text on screen: (c) Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (2017)
[Electronic sounding music fades out.]
[Fade to black.]
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