Air-dried Food Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Coffee Beans, Fruits & Vegetables, Meat, Herbs), By Application (Household, Commercial), By Form, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027

Report Overview

The global air-dried food market size was valued at USD 93.59 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% from 2020 to 2027 Increasing health awareness, changing lifestyles, and rising willingness to pay premium prices for convenience goods are expected to expand the market scope.

Furthermore, easy access to a variety of packaging materials and innovative technologies have widened the growth opportunity for the air-dried food industry at the global level. The development of advanced packaging materials, including paper packets, stand-up pouches, and wooden packaging, has been influencing the market growth positively.

Prominent manufacturers have been adopting advanced packaging methods to protect the products from external elements, such as humidity, temperature, and microorganisms, which can cause contamination. Packaging also improves the durability of the product and prevents it from damage caused by transportation. Thus, dehydrated nutritional products are expected to gain momentum in the upcoming years due to the development of the packaging industry.

Over the past few years, consumers are opting for products with fewer preservatives, high nutrition value, low fat, and cholesterol. Shifting inclination towards nutritional product forms has fueled the growth of the market. In addition, a product’s nutritional value is minimally affected in the air-drying process.

Fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, peppers, sweet potatoes, and winter squash, contain high vitamin A content and they can retain their nutritional value once they are packaged with an air-dried process. In addition, a positive outlook towards organic-grown foods at the global level as a result of supportive government policies aimed at increasing organic farming at the domestic level is expected to promote market growth.

An extensive variety of options for each meal has surged the application of air-dried food in the household and commercial sectors. Air-dried food products are utilized in numerous foods, including breakfast cereals, healthy snacks, ready-to-eat meals, and desserts. In addition, air-dried food is gaining traction in pet diets since the owners have been concerned about their pets' health. As a result, several players in the pet industry, including WellPet, Isle of Dogs, SmartBones, and Cloud Star, are introducing the product in their portfolios.

Application Insights

The commercial application segment held the largest share of over 70.0% in 2019. Air-dried food finds a wide application in hotels and restaurants, bakery and confectionery, processed food, and pet industries. Among these, processed food industries accounted for the major share in the commercial application segment. This segment includes a wide range of products, including cereals, savory snacks, pastries, cookies, confectionery, and spices.

The household application segment is expected to witness the fastest growth over the forecast period. Rapid urbanization in developing nations and changing consumption patterns of consumers are expected to have a positive impact on the application of air-dried food products in the household sector. In addition, expanding the e-commerce sector has enhanced the availability of air-dried food products to the end consumers. This, in turn, will boost the growth of the market in the household segment.

Form Insights

The powder and granules segment led the air-dried food market in 2019 with more than 40% share of the total revenue. This form of air-dried food is widely used in bakeries, daily meals, and beverages to enhance taste, flavor, and nutritional value. Over the past few years, increasing demand for spray-dried coffee powder is also contributing to the growth of the segment.

Chunks/pieces will witness the fastest growth in the upcoming years owing to the increasing application of this air-dried food form in numerous recipes and dishes. It has gained utility in a wide range of products, such as breakfast cereal, ready-to-eat, cakes, and pastries. Furthermore, these air-dried food forms find application as toppings in various dishes.

As a result, companies are also expanding their air-dried chunks/pieces portfolio. For instance, in November 2019, Nims Fruit Crisps Limited launched three limited-edition flavors of crisps in the U.K. for the Christmas celebrations. These products include Beet & Butt, made with beetroot and butternut squash; Bubble & Squeak, a combination of beetroot, parsnip, and Brussels sprout crisps; and Brussels, featuring Brussels sprouts.

Product Insights

Coffee beans dominated the market for air-dried food with more than 30% share of the total revenue in 2019. The spray drying process has gained remarkable popularity in the coffee beans sector for the production of instant coffee or coffee powder. This drying process provides a shorter drying time, a high economic scale of production, and rounded particles as compared to the freeze-drying counterpart. Therefore, numerous foodservice chains opt for coffee beans treated through the air-drying process. In addition, the coffee beans' air-dried products are expected to gain momentum among coffee drinkers located in developing countries, such as China and India.

The fruits and vegetable segment is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period. Rising demand for ready-to-eat food with a longer shelf life is fueling the demand for these air-dried products. Fruits and vegetables are gaining traction in the food processing and foodservice industries owing to their nutritional value.

Fruits have become one of the popular high-energy snacks for health-conscious consumers. The compact structure and lightweight of these air-dried products make them ideal for outdoor activities, such as camping and hiking. Apples, peaches, pears, plums, bananas, apricots, cantaloupe, blueberries, strawberries, carrots, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and green beans are suitable fruits and vegetables for drying.

Regional Insights

Europe dominated the market for air-dried food in 2019 and accounted for more than 30% share of the global revenue. Increasing consumption of processed foods in developed economies, including Germany, the U.K., and France, is expected to promote the scope of air-dried food products. The easy availability of ready-to-eat meal kits in various distribution channels, including supermarkets, hypermarkets, and convenience stores, has also fueled the growth of the market in the region.

Asia Pacific is projected to witness the fastest growth in the upcoming years owing to rising demand for ready-to-eat and make-ahead meals in countries, including China and India. The increasing number of dual-income households has been boosting the demand for convenience food, which, in turn, will augment the sales of air-dried food in the region. In addition, the growing food processing industry will create a wide opportunity for air-dried food in the upcoming years.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

The industry is fragmented in nature due to the presence of a large number of small and mid-sized players. Air-dried food manufacturers are expanding their business through product launches and merger & acquisition activities. For instance, in July 2017, BCFoods Inc. acquired Culinary Farms, a producer of dehydrated fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. This acquisition helped the former company in enhancing its product portfolio and serving the food industry in a better manner. Some prominent players in the air-dried food market include:

• Dehydrates Inc.

• Saraf Foods Pvt. Ltd.

• Berrifine A/

• La Frubense, BCFoods, Inc.

• Nestle S.A.

• B-B Products (Australia) Pty Ltd.

• FREEZE-DRY FOODS

• DMH Ingredients, Inc.

• HOWENIA ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.

Air-dried Food Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at the global, regional, and country levels, and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2016 to 2027. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global air-dried food market report based on product, application, form, and region:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Coffee Beans

  • Fruits & Vegetables

  • Herbs

  • Meat

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Household

  • Commercial

• Form Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Powder & Granules

  • Chunks/Pieces

  • Flakes

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • North America

    • The U.S.

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • The U.K.

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

  • Central & South America

    • Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa

    • Saudi Arabia