Overview

Kline Covers the Value Chain – From Farm to Fork

Kline understands the challenges and opportunities related to succeeding in the complex global food and nutrition market.  Major demographic, economic, and environmental  trends are impacting industry participants across the food and nutrition value chain, including:

  • Increasing demand for food
  • Dietary changes – dichotomy of growing obesity and malnutrition
  • Increasing pressure on natural resources
  • Impact of climate change
  • Food loss and waste – one-third of food produced is lost in the supply chain
  • Global trade and supply chains

Kline’s food and nutrition practice centers on our expertise in food ingredients and additives.  Serving raw material suppliers, ingredient companies, and food manufacturers, our knowledge  covers sensory ingredients, processing aids, preservative ingredients, textural ingredients, and  health ingredients.  Across all ingredient categories, ingredients of natural origin, via plant-based sources or manufactured via fermentation-based processes, are a top priority for industry participants.  Preference for natural additives and ingredients – the belief that natural foods and ingredients are healthier than synthetic ones – remains widespread favoring natural additives (e.g., stevia extract, pectin, vitamin C) at the expense of “chemical” (synthetic) additives.   Also driving the natural market is the Clean Label movement.   The Clean Label trend represents an opportunity for natural additives and foodstuffs with colorant, antioxidant, preservative, thickening, or emulsifying properties.

Kline provides the supporting research, fact base, and strategic insights to help suppliers, ingredient companies and food marketers/ manufacturers with the third-party insight needed to address business problems and to validate opportunities.  Whether the challenge is to revitalize an existing business or determine the best options for growth, Kline has the right balance of seasoned industry expertise and consulting skills to develop the optimal solution for each individual client.

Opportunities

Where to Play, How to Play, and Right to Win

Kline supports food industry participants with strategic research and analysis for pursuit of opportunities such as entering a new ingredient category, undertaking a bolt-on acquisition, investigating a new processing technology, and more.  They look to Kline’s experts for solutions for consulting projects in areas such as:

  • Opportunities in plant-based alternatives and proteins
  • Expansion of ingredient portfolio for healthier foods
  • Increasing use of nutritional ingredients for convenience foods
  • Understanding new consumer segmentation models
  • Researching new developments in storage and packaging
  • Competitive analysis of specific food processing technologies/capabilities
  • M&A to diversify and expand globally
  • Strategies needed in developed and developing markets

Competencies

Kline’s Targeted Service Solutions for Suppliers and Marketers

Kline leverages our industry expertise across our global organization and applies targeted service solutions to work with clients on your specific initiatives. Our service solutions include:

  • Market Entry: Assess attractiveness and right to win; prioritize options based on market and client criteria
  • Technology & Innovation: Help optimize approach to achieve greater innovation; investigate new technologies, products, processes
  • M&A Advisory: From developing the business case to secure hunting license to detailed commercial and technical due diligence
  • Manufacturing & Supply Chains: Competitive cost analysis and benchmarking to improve gross margins; research projects to address supply sourcing decisions
  • Pricing & Margin Management: Utilize robust quantitative research to evaluate pricing options and related profit pools to increase margin significantly

Kline’s Food & Nutrition practice focuses on these key sectors:

  • Sensory ingredients
  • Processing aids
  • Preservation ingredients
  • Textural ingredients
  • Health ingredients
  • Processed foods
  • Functional foods