If a six-letter word can be classified as a “four-letter word,” then “demand” might fit the bill for food processors. Demand for a product is a good thing, but nailing down exactly what is in demand now, what might be in demand in the future and how you get from point A to point B is one of those things that keeps processors up at night. 

That’s the case more than ever these days, because instant feedback from social media, flash-in-the-pan fads and shifting consumer demands for everything from less-complicated ingredients to a smaller carbon footprint can cause processors to get caught off guard when a market suddenly shifts. To mitigate the risk of that, processors have no choice but to be flexible and adaptable. Failing to do so can be the difference between catching a long-term trend at the right time to be successful and missing out entirely. Or, even worse, aiming at the wrong target and having a product rollout that fails miserably.