6 major food trends to watch in 2018

Consumer demand for healthy ingredients, complex flavor profiles and environmentally sustainable offerings greatly shaped the food industry in 2017. With these trends deeply entrenched, expect many of them to dominate again this year.

Botanical flavors, science-based foods and indulgent products are just a few product attributes expected to be top of mind for consumers in 2018, according to major manufacturers and research firms. Other ares to watch include transparency, sustainability and ethnic offerings.

“We’re seeing food trends emerge and shift at an ever-increasing rate. ... Whether you’re an accomplished chef, bona fide foodie or have a passing interest in food, you should keep a look out for these trends and incorporate some into your cooking and eating habits,” Thomas Griffiths, vice president of Campbell’s Culinary & Baking Institute, said in a release.

Time will tell how these six projections will impact this year's product offerings, but several food company experts and industry analysts have already seen these trends start to make their way into the marketplace.

1. Botanicals
Plants and flowers are springing up in food and beverage items as more consumers become interested in their potential healing properties. They include the leaves of the moringa oleifera tree, ashwagandha (Indian ginseng), lavender and curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric.

McCormick & Co. embraced the trend early by purchasing Botanical Food Company of Australia in 2016. The company manufactures packaged herbs designed for busy consumers who want an easy way to incorporate the fresh ingredient in their meals.

2. Transparency

This trend began with the clean-label movement, driven by consumer demand for more product information, fewer artificial ingredients and more sustainable production and packaging. Recently, it has extended beyond labels to include product traceability as shoppers grow more interested in where their food comes from and how it was handled along the supply chain.

Only a few food makers print the name and location of the farm, along with the signature of the producer, on their packaging, but that's the practice of Farmhand Organics. The Colorado-based company also uses transparent jars to display its fermented and preserved food products, which are both locally sourced and certified organic.

3. Ethnic cuisine

Asian and Middle Eastern flavors have struck a chord with consumers who are seeking new and intriguing items beyond the well-known standbys such as sushi, tempura, hummus, tahini and yogurt. Asian flavors balance the five basic tastes — sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami — while Middle Eastern ones range from spice blends with texture — such as za'atar and dukkah — to labna, a soft and spreadable cheeses made from strained yogurt.

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. Changing demographics are behind some of this trend, particularly as the purchasing power of the millennial demographic increases and companies target growing Hispanic and Asian populations.

4. Science-based foods

Food made from technology — such as cell-cultured meat and highly realistic plant-based meat analogues — is no longer the stuff of science fiction. 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.

5. Sustainability

This trend has moved beyond merely producing food in an environmentally conscious ways and selling it in recyclable packaging. Consumers are taking a more active role in the battle against food waste, a mindset that is leading many shoppers to try and use all parts of a plant or animal, rather than cherry-picking some and throwing the rest away.

Also called "root-to-stem" and "nose-to-tail" eating, this expanded type of sustainability is likely to appear equally in meat and produce departments. According to Siegler, who spends her time in the Whole Foods' test kitchen in Austin, Texas, the company has always bought entire animals and made sure that everything was utilized in some way. Applying the same approach to produce is just an extension of that mindset, she said.

"When you think of the most beautiful carrot, it's not the ones already bagged with their tops off. It's the ones with the tops and [that] are multi-colored and gorgeous," she told Food Dive. "People are attracted to that sort of produce but may feel some sense of guilt. You have these gorgeous green tops but don't know how to use them except putting them in compost or throwing them away."

6. Indulgence foods

Comfort foods containing butter, lard and other fats and oils are back in style. Today's consumers seem more interested in reducing the amount of sugar and sodium they consume than about the amount of fat in their diet. As many large CPG manufacturers limit sugar and sodium levels to meet consumer demand, saturated fats are being added back in to some foods to compensate.

For some shoppers, stress about the economy, the weather or the future encourage people to reach for indulgent treats such as premium chocolate, pizza or macaroni and cheese — nostalgic foods that remind them of a simpler time, but can't be considered low-calorie or particularly healthy.

Healthier versions of popular comfort foods are making their way on to the marketplace. In 2015, Kraft Heinz reformulated its iconic macaroni and cheese to remove artificial dyes and preservatives. Some processed foods have been reformulated to contain less sodium, while many chips now have less salt and fat. Some comfort food is even sporting added vegetables.

Article source: Industry Dive