According to a recent article by fooddive.com, some of last year’s food trends such as healthy ingredients, complex flavor profiles and environmentally sustainable offerings will once again shape the food industry this year.
Their “top 6” predictions with respect to consumer demand this year are:
- Botanicals: Plants and flowers are springing up in food and beverage items as more consumers become interested in their potential healing properties.
- Transparency: Shoppers will continue to grow more interested in where their food comes from and how it was handled along the supply chain.
- Ethnic cuisine: Spicy flavors do well in the U.S., and many shoppers are exploring beyond basic hot sauces as food makers highlight more authentic, ethnic flavors.
- Science-based foods: A few futuristic products are already in stores and restaurants, and more will soon be on the way as companies work to develop and scale up state-of-the-art foods to meet the public’s growing appetite for these innovations.
- Sustainability: This trend has moved beyond merely producing food in an environmentally conscious ways and selling it in recyclable packaging.
- Indulgence foods: Comfort foods containing butter, lard and other fats and oils will be back in style.
Read the full article…