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Are 'super' products a challenge for the F&B industry? [Interview]

Article-Are 'super' products a challenge for the F&B industry? [Interview]

Michael-Kuech.jpg
Michael Kuech, a featured speaker at Hi Europe 2016 Conference, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Your Superfoods, whose mission it is to make the world a healthier and happier place by providing natural products.

As a semi-professional athlete (tennis) his body felt always strong and he rarely worried about nutrition. However, it all changed when he had to overcome serious health issues three years ago, that made him realize that you are what you eat. We had a discussion with him ahead of his presentation at Hi 2016 about superfoods, their benefits and consumers’ demands.

Could you sum up the Superfood trend in one sentence?

The Superfood trend, as a sub-trend of the overall movement towards healthier products, shows that the food industry needs to dramatically change to keep up with consumer demand.

What is a superfood?

Superfoods are fruits, vegetables, seeds, grasses, seaweeds or leaves that are extremely high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes and healthy fats.

How has demand for these foods grown since you started your business? Why do you think this is?

Consumers are becoming more and more consciousness about what they eat. Therefore the market for healthy, organic and fair products has grown tremendously in the past 2-3 years.

What are the benefits of superfoods, and why should people be including them in their diet?

Superfoods give people the opportunity to benefit from a high and very concentrated amount of natural vitamins and minerals that are easy to take. Since superfoods are natural they contain the perfect mix of vitamins and minerals that can be absorbed by the body.

Each year a different superfood seems to be trendy. What do you see as being the ‘one to watch’ for the year ahead?

It seems that Superfoods in general are still going strong over the next years. The next one to watch might be Yacon or different ones going more into brain health.

What are your predictions for the F&B industry over the next 3-5 years?

More and more small food companies are being established because there is growing demand for organic, healthy, clean, and delicious products. The big food companies have to change their business model dramatically to keep up with that change.