Mushrooms, seaweed and floral infusions are all gaining popularity and will be very on trend with specialty foods for the coming year. The Specialty Food Association (SFA) has listed 10 different trends to keep your eyes open for in the US food culture in 2016. Which one are you the most excited to see expanding?
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Vegetables Everywhere!
Vegetables are gaining new respect, and will be turning up in teas, yogurts, ice-cream and other new venues. Seaweed, as an example, is set to become the new kale!
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Fresh Florals
Flowers are making their way into your chocolates, cheeses, snacks, carbonated waters, teas and much more in the coming year. Be on the lookout for florals – especially lavender, rose and hibiscus.
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Food Waste Solutions
We will be seeing more creative solutions to the ever growing issue with food waste from retailers, food service outlets and food manufacturers. Check out this article on one our clients, We Grow Water, and how they are providing a solution to this problem with their delicious product, Watermelon Water.
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Eat Local
The “Eat Local” trend is about to get even bigger in the coming year! Locally-sourced meats, seafood and produce will continue to gain traction as consumers continue their quest for freshness and supporting their local economy.
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Mushroom Madness
Mushrooms are starting to show up in everything from blended burgers, to coffee and chocolate. Expect to see more and more fungi in the coming year. Our web designer/developer, Carrie, better watch out for this one (she has a nasty mushroom allergy).
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Snack Attack
As snacks and meals continue to blur into a single category, manufacturers are becoming more creative with developing healthy and substantial snacks that can also serve as meal replacements. In our constantly “on-the-go” society, the meal replacement and substantial snack trend is set to only grow from here.
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Bring back the Fat
Consumers are seeing the value in full-fat products and in the coming year we expect to see full-fat yogurt and butter to become increasingly popular.
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Convenient Foods
Our high paced lifestyles demand convenience when it comes to what we eat, and convenience foods are in turn gaining huge ground. In the coming year expect to see new formats from food retailers that appeal to consumers desire for freshness and convenience in one.
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Supermarkets offering more than just groceries
More and more we will begin to see supermarkets defining themselves as much more. More grocery retailers are becoming Wellness Centers, often with dietitians on hand, nutrition classes and blood sugar testing.
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Latin Cuisine
Renewed relations to Cuba have caused a surge in popularity with Latin American foods in both retail and in food service. Expect this to only continue to grow in the future.
The not-for-profit Specialty Food Association represents 3,000 food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs in the USA and overseas, and owns and operates the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Show. Did we mention that Source will be attending the upcoming Fancy Food Show in San Fransisco from January 17 – January 19, 2016. If you will be attending, drop us a line, we’d love to meet up and discuss the potential of bringing your product into the Canadian market.
