“Great companies are built on great products” are words by Elon Musk. Do you know what goes on behind-the-scenes of product development to build great food products?

Every year over 15,000 new food products enter the food sector. The process of product development in the food industry plays a vital role in deciding the success of that food product in the market. The food product development strategy is the intricate process implemented to introduce a new food product that is capable of capturing the interests of target consumers, addressing gaps in their current preferences and needs,  meeting quality and food safety specifications, creating profitability, and being sustainable. In short, the general objective is to produce a product that an individual consumer or a food manufacturing or food service organization will buy. 

Thus, a food product is released in the marketplace as a result of the combination of consumers’ expectations, market research, technological input, and thorough research into the development of the food product’s characteristics to determine its quality and safety values. Just as significant as the development process of a food product, it is equally important to maintain compliance with food safety and quality aspects after the food product is developed in order to ensure that the product remains safe and of consistent quality. 

Essential Steps Involved in the Food Product Development Process

There are primarily two sets of knowledge bases to be integrated into the product development process, namely, the knowledge of the consumer’s needs/wants and the knowledge of modern scientific discoveries and technological developments. The different stages involved in the journey of food product development are devised to fulfill the needs of these two aspects. The product development procedures retain a structure of four main stages having sub-divisions in some product development models. These four stages are:

1. Product Strategy

The first step in the product development process, i.e., product strategy, includes the plan and approach taken to create a successful product that meets the needs of the target market. It involves determining the product’s purpose, identifying the target audience, determining the product’s features and benefits, and creating a roadmap for how the product will be developed, launched, and marketed. Basically, a product strategy acts as the guide to the entire development operation by providing a clear direction and framework for decision-making in the product design process with the customer requirements in mind.  Some major elements in product strategy are:

Ideation: Generating ideas for new innovative products through brainstorming, market research, or identifying gaps in the market.

Defining the Product Development Project: Define the project through an initial research phase revolving around the product ideas, consumers, technology, and market.

Concept Development:  Develop a product concept from the generated idea by summarizing the product’s target market, positioning, features, and benefits.  The process typically begins with consumers and product designers, often working alongside marketers to develop a product concept. Food technologists and engineers are then brought in to develop the product design specification.

Product Design Specifications: The product design specification is composed of individual specifications, which typically prioritize consumer-relevant metrics like safety or food regulations but may also include metrics related to the production or distribution process. It’s crucial to select practical and attainable metrics when creating the product design specification. The designer creates product models in a process known as food prototype development, on which some preliminary pilot run is conducted to make products on a small scale. The product design specification plays a vital role in ensuring product success and quickening development.

Study of Product Feasibility: The various activities needed for the project are initially developed in the outcomes of product strategy, which are the product concept and product design specifications, from which a comprehensive operational plan is created for the project’s management and direction. This process allows for a thorough understanding of the product’s feasibility, as all necessary activities and considerations are integrated into the planning and control of the project.

Identification of Processes, Distribution, and Marketing: Identifying steps required in the manufacturing process, the most effective ways to get the product to market, and in front of potential customers are decided in this stage through a clear understanding of the target market, related demographics, and other impacting factors.

2. Product Design & Development

Food product development is process-intensive, due to which the characteristics of the product developed are controlled by the processing techniques. This necessitates the process development and product designing to go hand-in-hand, a phenomenon called concurrent engineering , for eliminating the time and cost constraints on getting the product to the market. These are some important attributes in product design and process development are:

Co-development Approach by Suppliers & Manufacturers

In recent times, there has been an increasing trend in recognizing the role of suppliers in product development across various industries. Unlike in the past, where the manufacturer alone was responsible for the product’s raw materials, ingredient sourcing, and specifications, there is now a greater emphasis on collaborating with suppliers or co-manufacturers. This approach is particularly prominent in the food industry, where suppliers or co-manufacturers are introduced to the product design problem, and together with the manufacturer, they develop the solution. This approach, commonly referred to as the “black box approach,” has been shown to reduce product development time significantly.

Quantitative Techniques Incorporating Product and Processing

Over the past two decades, there has been a growing trend of using experimental designs and statistical analysis in food design and process development. While techniques like linear programming have been used in animal feeds and pet food formulation for many years, their use in human foods has been slower due to the diversity of critical product characteristics and non-linear relationships between processing variables and product qualities. However, as knowledge of reactions in processing and software advances, quantitative techniques are expected to become more common, requiring a higher level of knowledge from product designers and process developers.

Aesthetics & Values of Quality, Food Safety, and Nutritional Characteristics in Product Designing

Sensory science plays an extensive role in designing food products that are acceptable to consumers. Although industrial designers have not traditionally been involved in designing the appearance, color, or shape of food products, there has been increasing interest in recent years. Package design is typically the domain of industrial designers and is influenced by the artistic environment of the time. Nowadays, many food products are made from processed ingredients, and their design can be varied to match different aesthetic environments. Product characteristics are important and should be contained in such a way as not to overshadow consumer preferences. The design should focus on the highest valued quality, food safety, and nutritional characteristics. Value analysis can help identify the most important characteristics vital for the food item, such as low water activity and a controlled atmosphere for long-life products. Other characteristics like convenience and fruity flavor should also be considered, but their costs should not exceed their value to the consumer.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics, which concerns the relationship between a physical product and the person using it, is an area that has been overlooked in some aspects of food design, especially in packaging. An example of poor ergonomics is an aerosol can for dispensing dairy cream on a cake or dessert, which is primarily used by women and children but cannot be comfortably held and used with one hand. Since food is opened from a package, used in cooking, served, and eaten, design needs to consider the physical aspects of the product and how they relate to people using and consuming it at every step.

3. Product Marketing

In product commercialization, a full scale-up of both production and marketing takes place, and it ends with the full integration of the product into the marketplace. It involves finalizing the product design, testing and adjusting the production process, determining pricing and packaging, and developing a marketing strategy, which can be encapsulated as below:

• Setting up the commercialization – Product commercialization begins with agreeing on the aim, the resources, and the final definition of the product and consumer relationship by devising a route map on how the product can be successful in the market
• Design of marketing, production, and distribution – Design in product commercialization is introduced in marketing, product qualities, production plant, and physical distribution to bring an optimized marketing system for the product
• Testing of marketing, production, and distribution – The final product testing includes many aspects of the product, such as technical product qualities, consumers’ product concept, product value from a marketing perspective, how the product benefits the company, and finally, the environmental and societal impact of the product. Presently, with the latest trends in nutriecuticals , ethical product testing is coming into the limelight.
• Final integration of marketing, production, and finance – Ultimately, the insights gained from the design and testing phases are consolidated to determine the product’s feasibility. If deemed feasible, it’s important to decide on the appropriate market launch strategy. This integration plays a critical role in ensuring a streamlined and triumphant product launch.

4. Product Launch 

The successful launch of a product is a significant factor in achieving optimal performance, and it is often the most expensive phase in the development of a new product. It is the stage where all the planning, research, and development come to fruition.  There are three important parts of the launch – strategy, activities, and demand outcomes, i.e., setting a launch date, deciding on the packaging and labeling, and developing marketing strategies to create awareness and interest among the target audience. The targeting strategy, launch timing, and the product’s innovation level are considered carefully for establishing a launching strategy unique to the product. Conducting taste tests and gathering feedback from potential customers to make any necessary adjustments to the product should be included in the launch implementation to receive valuable insights on how to refine the product. A well-executed product launch can help food manufacturers create a loyal customer base and ensure long-term success in the highly competitive food industry.