Some food trends leave a permanent impact on consumer buying habits. Other trends are fleeting. Our food scientists and industry experts are always looking ahead, and behind, to make sure we provide the tools food developers need to capture those significant, long-lasting consumer shifts. We believe the following will be the most impactful and continuing 2019 food trends.
Shifting to Plant-Based Foods
This isn’t a new trend, but one with a lot of momentum and room to expand. Consumers continue to eat more fruits and vegetables while limiting their meat consumption. According to a report from Innova, 40% of people across the world claim to be increasing their consumption of fruits and vegetables, and products with vegan claims are growing by 46% a year. A great example of creating a surprisingly-vegan product is our savory kale & artichoke dip which we featured this past year at New York IFT. This dairy-free delight layers natural Gruyere and Emmental cheese flavors from our European Cheese Flavor Collection.
Increasing Clean and Transparent Labeling
One of the most significant 2019 food trends will be the continued focus on transparent labelling. Consumers are growing more and more conscious of where their food is coming from. In 2019, companies will need to focus on using more transparent labeling and education. Per a recent Mintel report regarding 2019 food trends, “Premium, fresh, and healthy convenience food and drink are essential now that many people consider themselves to be foodies, which raises their expectations of food quality, flavors, and formats.” This also raises their expectations of the ingredients that are behind that quality and flavor.
Edlong is a great resource for clean labeling. The Edlong® Simply Dairy line for example, our line of all-natural flavors that includes butters, Cheddars, Italian styles and butter cream profiles, was specifically designed so that their source ingredients could be listed on product labels, providing full transparency to consumers.
Continuing Sugar Reduction
Sugar reduction isn’t a new trend, but the increased emphasis of sugar reduction, with more and more consumers looking to reduce their sugar intakes, makes this one of the biggest 2019 food trends. According to Mintel, 47% of consumers say they are working to minimize their sugar intake. Choosing and adding the right flavors will be critical in helping companies meet consumer demands for reduced sugar, while still providing consistent taste.
Growth of Regional and Global Flavors
Globalization has long been trending in restaurants, but is now expanding into meals at home. One of the most influential of the 2019 food trends will be an infusion of foods with culinary inspirations from Asia, Oceania and the western coasts of North and South America. Tropical fruits such as guava, dragon fruit, passionfruit and jackfruit will also be more prevalent. Beverage Daily reports that globally-inspired products will soon be reflected in indulgent beverages such as cocktails, coffee, tea, juice and RTDs.
Interestingly, the demand for global flavors is also impacting kid meals, which traditionally are more conservative in their outside-the-box thinking. According to food giant Tyson, “More than ever, parents are encouraging kids to experiment with unexpected food flavors. The impact of kid foodies is already hitting the school lunch room, where even menu items like spicy Korean BBQ, Thai lemongrass chicken and garlic buffalo chicken drumsticks are becoming more standard fare.” Globally-focused products on grocery store shelves, that test conventional thinking, will be one of the 2019 food trends we expect to see.
More Food for Health
One of the most significant 2019 food trends reflects the publics’ awareness of their need to consume functional foods that provide health benefits. Products like probiotics, that promote gut health, are among the most popular. A newer and growing entry into the “good gut bacteria” segment is “kombucha” (fermented tea). Beverages with ingredients like turmeric, activated charcoal, matcha and melatonin are also on the rise.
How Edlong Helps Satisfy 2019 Food Trends
By delivering the authentic taste of dairy, even in dairy-free or vegan formulations, Edlong provides chefs and product developers the versatility they need to meet many 2019 food trends. From the beginning of the process to the end, our dairy flavors provide the foundation and flavor chefs need to make their visions reality, even in healthier versions of foods that are indulgent and delicious. With over 250 dairy-free flavors, Edlong helps trend-forward global or regional profiles be met, plant-based food taste better, products with sugar maintain their sweetness, clean labelling products succeed, and the production of healthier foods become simplified and easier.
Topics: Clean labelDairy-freeHealthy ReductionSweet dairy flavorsSweet SpotVegan
Resource Type: ArticleDairyConnect