With the arrival of the new year and the beginning of a new decade, food industry experts offer their predictions about what the trends will be and what products will influence consumer buying behavior.
The studies and analysis are as varied as the industry is. But in something that most experts agree, it is that in this new decade, Millennials will be the ones who will set the trends looking for healthier, more diverse products, demanding transparency and convenience.
According to the Pollock Communications and Today’s Dietitian “What’s Trending in Nutrition” annual survey, the nation’s leading Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) predict that ketogenic (keto) diet, intermittent fasting and healthy eating are here to stay. Very evidently, we will see a healthier revolution in 2020 and beyond.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists predict that the ten superfoods trends of 2020 will be: fermented foods, such as yogurt and kefir; avocado; seeds; exotic fruits, such as acai, golden berries; ancient grains; blueberries nuts; non-dairy kinds of milk; beets; green tea.
Millennials Rule
Besides, the survey revealed consistency among Millennials in the search for foods that fit their health and wellness lifestyles. When asked what motivates consumers’ food purchase decisions, respondents told what food manufacturers should focus on to win these customers.
Convenience, cost, and taste have always been vital, but for two years in a row, “healthy” is only surpassed by comfort and is above price and taste.
The top 10 consumer purchase drivers for 2020 are: convenience; healthy; cost; taste; natural; clean-label; organic; gluten-free; non-GMO; dairy-free.
Lisa Curtis, founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli, a leading brand pioneering a green superfood called moringa, agree that Millennials will have a significant influence, thanks to their purchasing power. In a column she wrote for Forbes, Curtis states that Millennials will drive the main trends of 2020.
Curtis wrote that Millennials, like her, “now constitute the majority of adults, and we’re a lot more egalitarian than the previous generation. Unlike previous generations, where women did all of the shopping, men now make up nearly half of primary shoppers. Last but not least, Millennials are the most diverse generation in U.S. history, with a particular rise in the Hispanic population.”
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Also, a group of professionals from diverse segments of the culinary world that make up the Specialty Food Association Trendspotter Panel anticipated the trends for 2020.
The consumption of plant-based meat alternatives will continue to grow. However, some Trendspotters predict a consumer return to real fruits and vegetables. Sustainability-Driven Product Development: Upcycled products, those using ingredients that are normally discarded, are becoming more prevalent.
The combined expanding interest in fermentation and Korean cuisine will converge to bring the fermented condiment gochujang to the forefront. Prebiotics gain ground: They are found in foods like bananas, asparagus, seaweed, and barley, among others.
Protein trend takes unexpected turns with anchovies and noodles. Convenient cocktails and mocktails: an expanding trend with more cocktails in cans and bottled mocktails that offer sophisticated alternatives for non-drinkers or curious consumers.
The new decade that begins with more demanding consumers will force grocery stores to work harder. They will have to offer a better variety of healthy products and more options, thinking of convenience for customers, providing home delivery service or online ordering with curbside grocery pickup.