It was almonds that retained their top spot for new product launches in Europe, with 6,000 launches in 2020. Compared to 2019, that represents a 7.5% increase. Additionally, Europe is the world’s top importer of almonds with a 47.8% market share. According to information released by the Almond Board of California, the data is drawn from Innova Market Insights’ Global New Product Introductions Report.
A notable category in last year’s report was dairy, listed as one of the top five new launch categories with almonds. This category saw an increase of 7% in almond introductions in 2020, compared to the previous year. This isn’t just true for Europe. Around the world, almonds are the most commonly used nut in dairy products.
As the report notes, the European Union leads the world in almond imports in the confectionery, snack, bar, dairy, and cereal categories, as well as in the baked goods category. A total of six European countries are among the top ten countries that import almonds, with Germany, France, and the United Kingdom topping the list.
“We have had an unprecedented year in 2020 due to the global disruption caused by Covid-19 in the food industry. However, the versatility of almonds should encourage food developers to meet increasing consumer expectations for their food to meet their health and lifestyle needs. The versatility of almonds, transformed into various forms such as almond flour and almond butter, and thus used in all product categories, contributes to their widespread use in Europe. Europe is also the region responsible for nearly 50% of the world’s almond imports, which is why it remains Europe’s number one nut, ” comments Lu Ann Williams, Innova Market Insights’ Director of Innovation.
