Faux-meat snacks: Plant-based foods will continue to surprise and inspire—this year taking on the meat-based snacking world of jerkies and pork rinds you may associate with the corner store and road trips. While plant-based foods aren’t exactly a new trend, our experts noted more people—even those who don’t eat only vegan or vegetarian—are exploring plant-based snacking as their palates crave adventure, want a break from meat, or seek more ways to add savory umami flavors into snacks and meals. Mushrooms like king trumpet will play a key role here, flexing their flavor and texture powers in tasty jerky, “pork” rinds and “bacon” snacks (used in both Pig Øut Pigless Bacon Chips and Snacklins Cracklins Without the Pork) to offer up a satisfying crunch. [Photo: courtesy of Whole Foods]
Eco-conscious packaging: The number of brands making the switch to packaging with the environment in mind continues to grow at a quickening pace. Dozens of like-minded brands in the OSC2 Compostable Packaging Collaborative have pooled their efforts to make important advances in flexible product pouches. Some companies are making commitments to ban straws, while brands like Whole Foods Market are setting up regional pilots to test recyclable strawless sipper lids made from PET, without increasing the plastic content of a lid/straw combination. [Photo: courtesy of Whole Foods]
Marine munchies: Seaweed snacks rose to popularity a few years back and are now enjoyed by health-conscious adults and toddlers alike, however, our experts expect even more ocean influence in the grocery aisles in the year to come. Think beyond seaweed snacks. Sea greens are showing up in dishes like seaweed butter and kelp noodles while consumers are exploring new depths of ocean flavors with superfood properties like unique varietals of algae and kelp. Puffed snacks made from water lily seeds, plant-based tuna alternatives with algae ingredients, crispy snackable salmon skins with omega-3s and kelp jerkies are just a few testing the waters. A salty sea fennel and olive blend will debut on Whole Foods Market olive bars in 2019, and brands like Ocean’s Halo include kelp as an ingredient in all their miso and ramen broths, condiments and sauces. [Photo: courtesy of Whole Foods]
Next-level hemp: While CBD oil is still technically taboo (prohibited in food, body care and dietary supplements under federal law), retailers, culinary experts and consumers can’t miss the cannabis craze when visiting food industry trade shows, food innovators conferences or even local farmers markets. But there’s more to this trend than CBD. Andalou Naturals has introduced hemp plant stem cells in their CannaCell body care collection. Non-cannabis-derived sources from the endocannabinoid system (which are named after the cannabis plant that inspired their discovery), like phytocannabinoids that exist in nature, are also becoming more visible and prevalent due to the growing trend. [Photo: courtesy of Whole Foods]
Pacific Rim flavors: Flavor inspiration from the Pacific Rim (think Asia, Oceania, and the western coasts of North and South America) are popping up in grocery stores and restaurants as people continue to explore more of the world through their palates. Ingredients like longganisa (a Filipino pork sausage), dried shrimp, cuttlefish and shrimp paste are on restaurant and home menus that span from breakfast to dinner, while vibrant tropical fruits such as guava, dragon fruit and passionfruit are making their way into colorful smoothie bowls and cocktails. Jackfruit is a popular meat alternative already being used in place of items like barbecue pulled pork, while an extract of monk fruit, an ultra-sweet-tasting fruit also known as luo han guo, can be used as a sweetener replacing added sugars. [Photo: courtesy of Whole Foods]
Phat fats: With the rising popularity of keto, paleo, grain-free, and even “pegan” (paleo + vegan) diets, plus a general shifting consumer mind-set, fats are starring ingredients in creative, convenient foods. Along with these phat fats, higher protein and lower-carb combos will continue to trend across simple and easy snacking categories. New integrations of fat sources—like keto-friendly nutrition bars crafted with MCT oil powder, coconut butter–filled chocolates, snacks affectionately called “fat bombs,” and a new wave of ready-to-drink vegan coffee beverages inspired by butter coffees—are busting on the scene allowing consumers to get their fat fill with convenient treats. Keep your eyes and taste buds open for popcorn made with grass-fed ghee, multiple flavors of ghee that range from sweet to savory, plus new variations on traditional meaty snacks like chicken chips and thin, crisped beef jerky. [Photo: courtesy of Whole Foods]
Purchases that empower: In 2019, thoughtful consideration behind purchases moves beyond (but doesn’t exclude!) environmental stewardship and animal welfare, and becomes more people-focused. Greyston Bakery practices an open hiring model—no questions asked—to practice what they call “radical inclusion,” which includes anyone who has faced barriers to employment. Kuli Kuli produces moringa powder that is often grown and processed by women, and has provided more than $1.5 million in income to women-led farming cooperatives, nonprofits and family farmers around the world through their organic moringa supply chain. Whole Planet Foundation partners with suppliers such as Chobani, Frontier Co-op, Naked Juice, Wallaby Organic, Papyrus-Recycled Greetings, and more to alleviate poverty through microcredit loans for the world’s poorest people—mostly women—who become empowered microentrepreneurs lifting themselves and their families out of poverty. [Photo: courtesy of Whole Foods]
Shelf-stable probiotics: In 2019, expect even more innovative probiotic integrations in food—and not just in the supplement or refrigerated aisles. New strains of probiotics such as Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 and Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 are making more shelf-stable applications possible. Wellness-focused brands are making it easier to get more probiotics in your day by adding functional probiotic ingredients to your pantry staples through products like granola, oatmeal, nut butters, soups, and nutrition bars. Another unexpected place shoppers can find probiotics is in the cleaning aisle with brands like Counter Culture Probiotic Cleaning Tonic, an all-purpose cleaner that utilizes probiotic cultures and essential oils. Even beauty brands are including pre- and probiotics through sunscreen and other topical body care. [Photo: courtesy of Whole Foods]
Snack time, upgraded: Snacking across the board will take a turn toward the fancy, and snacks, as they start to usurp the usual three-meals-a-day routine, are anything but ordinary. Snacking has become an occasion of its very own—think charcuterie or cheese boards for one, one-ounce portions of Cypress Grove cheeses paired with demi-baguettes as desk snacks, and more mini meals. More takes on snacking nod to the comforting treats of your second-grade lunchbox, with better ingredients. Portable snack packages will feature bites like prosciutto and aged mozzarella, and artisanal versions of classic snacks like cheese or peanut butter cracker sandwiches. Ingredient-conscious snack and treat makers are creating new packaged snacks that take us back to our treat-loving childhoods but with higher quality ingredients, some of which are updated to accommodate special diets. [Photo: courtesy of Whole Foods]
Trailblazing frozen treats: The new pints on the block are adding a fresh take on a timeless treat with innovative bases like avocado, hummus, tahini, and coconut water. Look down specialty frozen aisles and you might find plant-based frozen desserts like CocoWhip Soft Serve and ice creams with savory swirls of artisanal cheese (and don’t think you’ll stop seeing those low calorie, high protein players in the frozen aisle anytime soon). Globally inspired frozen desserts are taking the stage—possibly sparked by 2018’s mochi ice cream obsession and a Thai rolled ice cream craze—with icy indulgences like airy Taiwanese snow ice and Mexican nieves de garrafa , not to mention stretchy, chewy, Turkish ice creams that get their unique texture from mastic and other unique sources. [Photo: courtesy of Whole Foods]
Functional mushrooms? That’s so last year.
As the food industry increasingly adopts greater health and wellness trends, once wholly unknown categories are now becoming more mainstream. That means Kellogg’s now sells a probiotic cereal and Coca-Cola is potentially contemplating CBD beverages.
Whole Foods, a leading retailer in the healthy foods space, just announced the emerging trends creeping into your shopping cart. Some seem thoroughly expected (faux meat), while others sound rather novel (Pacific Rim flavors). Will these categories fare as well as predicted? In years past, Whole Foods pretty much hit the mark : In 2016, it was “coconut everything” and wellness tonics, while 2017 marked plant-based diets and sparkling water.
So, maybe get excited about seaweed snacks? Check out the slideshow above for the full list.
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