Identification and analysis of future trends in food industry

Abstract

Food industry is a sector, which specificity strongly influences innovation activities, whereas the level of its innovation in Poland is relatively low. The strong position of consumer on the market, more widespread awareness of the impact of food on health, Poles nutritional conservatism, shortening of the life cycle of products and companies, and the related need for constant observation of the market, identifying the needs and quick delivering an product in accordance with the preferences of the consumers are the factors that most strongly affect innovation in food production. Extremely important is also accelerated flow of knowledge and information contributing to technological progress, growth of non-price factors in the construction of the competitiveness of enterprises, including higher and higher quality requirements, globalization and liberalization processes, which cause new businesses competition on the market. The effects of pro-innovative activities should be specific new products, new technologies, new organizational methods, or marketing strategies, which have a chance to become a very important factor in the economic development of Polish companies. In an article the future trends in the food sector were identified and analysed based on secondary sources, with special attention to demographic and social changes taking the place in Polandand Europe shaping trends in human nutrition and domestic consumption of food products. For their verification there were used the results of a foresight and technological expertise in the strategic vision of the development of the Polish food industry with an indication of the priority directions of R&D for the sector in the perspective of 2030. As the most important directions of development of the food industry the production of functional food, organic, minimally processed, traditional, local, convenient, HoReCa, low-calorie, personalized food were determined. Polish food industries in these areas are able to fill in a niche existing on the market.