Industries are always looking for the big thing, and this year is no different. Whether it is about fitness, health, or fashion, everyone desires the cutting edge in the market and gets positive results. This is also not different when it is to the food industry. We can live without this season’s trending clothing line, but living life without proper nutrition could be damaging to more than just your self-image. Starting from charcoal-infused food to kefir and other varieties of new food trends, last year was about offering products having health benefits. Over the last decade, fast-food concepts, food delivery options, and takeaway services all of which led to the phase of unhealthy eating rising at an alarming rate. But, as it is the end of the year, it is getting more and more apparent that consumers are going back to the practice of mindful eating and health consciousness.
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Sustainable and Environmentally-friendly Nutrition
The experts have observed that consumers are increasingly making food choices based on criteria like environmental impact and sustainability. Furthermore, consumers prefer to buy food products with less packaging, ideally from social and local businesses. They also increasingly select seasonally and regionally grown vegetables and fruits some of those even grow vegetables and fruits themselves at home or in community spaces.
Vegan and Plant-based Nutrition
Nutrition experts have observed that plant-based and vegan nutrition is moving to the mass market with the increased demand for vegan convenience products, which are ideally packed with environmentally-sustainable packaging. Plant-based and vegan diets are also expanding to the fields of sports nutrition and clinical nutrition.
Still Crazy for Coconut
Coconut is going strong, and it is featured in snacks like Unreal dark chocolate coconut bars and new bars from Bob’s Red Mill and OHi Food Company from Hawaii. The coconut cream was the main ingredient in the new plant-based yogurts, but this is one great reminder that the dairy-free diet does not specifically mean more nutrition. A plant-based yogurt brand, for instance, has 50% of your daily saturated fat and only 2% of calcium per serving.
Allergen-free and Allergy Aware
It was usual to see products promoting the status as free from the eight most common allergens, with the symbols declaring dairy-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, and a lot more. This was particularly true for all the school-friendly snacks. MetaBall Energy Bites were one of many allergy-friendly snacks on the expo floor. These gluten-free, plant-based snacks were developed by a Ph.D. mom looking for safe, wholesome snacks for her kids who have severe food allergies.
Alternative Proteins
Consumers are increasingly looking for alternative proteins, especially convenient plant-based foods that replace meat, sausages, and cheese. According to the expert panel, the products can only succeed in the case that they are natural, low in preservatives, and contain a clear and clean ingredients list. Furthermore, the acceptance of clean meat can increase, which is when no fetal bovine serum is needed to grow the meat cells (apart from a competitive price, obviously).
