Whole Foods Releases Top 10 Trends to Watch in 2018

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Whole Foods Market, one of leading natural grocery retailers, teamed up with experts to forecast what they believe will be the top 10 trends food in 2018. The seasoned-trend spotters were purchased by Amazon earlier this year, and now have over 100 years of combined experience in product sourcing and studying consumer preferences.

Whole Foods Top Ten Trends in 2018

1. Super Powders

The superfood powders have been gaining traction and will reach new heights next year. They gained market share because they are easy to incorporate into smoothies, nutrition bars, soups, and baked goods. Popular superfood powders include maca root, cacao, ground turmeric, kale, herbs, collagen, and more. Even nutritionally dense powders like GrandFusion are being used to add natural vitamins and minerals to new products.

2. Floral Flavors

Infusing botanical flavors into drinks and snacks will be a huge trend to watch this year. Look for things like lavender lattes and rose-flavored everything. Teas will continue to be huge category using botanicals but be on the lookout for granolas, cocktails, frozen pops, and mineral water.

3. Functional Mushrooms

This could be the hottest trend in 2018, but only time will tell with shoppers. Typically found in dietary supplements, mushrooms use is growing amongst a variety of food and beverage categories. Bottled drinks, coffees, smoothies, teas, and broths will lead the way in 2018.

4. Transparency 2.0

Product transparency is not going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, in 2018, consumers only expect more. They want to know the story of their food from the source to the store. Responsible production and animal welfare will continue to drive a lot of purchases with GMO transparency being important as well.

5. All Plant-Based Everything

The tech world has now met the plant-based world and they have some cool ideas brewing. They are using science to manipulate ingredients and proteins to create crazy dishes like “bleeding” vegan burgers and sushi-grade “not-tuna” from tomatoes. Dairy-free desserts will be a huge trend in 2018 with vegan frosting, brownies, and ice cream making their way to the shelf.

6. Puffed and Popped Snacks

New extrusion methods are paving the way for unique crunch and popped snacks like popped cassava chips and puffed pasta bow ties. Better-for-you snacks will get an upgrade with snacks like lentil crisps, unique veggie straws, and rice crisps joining the snack aisle.

7. Middle East Feast

It’s interesting to see Middle Eastern culinary influences start to catch fire in 2018. Hummus and Pita were taste entry points, but consumers are hungry for more like shakshuka, grilled halloumi, and lamb. Pomegranate, eggplant, chickpeas, and tomato jam will start to pick up more steam in 2018 as well.

8. Tacos Leave Their Shell

Tacos are not only meant for lunch and dinner. In 2018, you will start to see them more at breakfast and in desserts. New kinds of wrappers are showing up like seaweed and grain free options. But don’t worry, classic tacos aren’t going anywhere.

9. Root-to-Stem

Root-to-stem cooking will be one of the leading trends in 2018 as reducing food waste drives the style. The cooking style uses the entire fruit or vegetable including the steams and leaves which are less commonly eating. Recipes including beet-green pesto, broccoli-stem slaw, and pickled watermelon rinds.

10. Cheers to the Other Bubbly

Sparkling beverages are the hot drinks on the block with LaCroix leading the way. But, please don’t call them SODA! New sparkling waters are going plant-based with maple and birch as well as mocktail flavors of grapefruit, lemon, lime, and orange.

Check out Whole Foods in 2018 to try a variety of products hitting on these trends in 2018!

Inspired by media.wholefoodsmarket.com

Consumers are Confused about “non-GMO” and “organic” Labels

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The Meatingplace reported on a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. They found more results pointing to confusion amongst consumers when evaluating “non-GMO” and “organic” labels.

How the Study Worked

Researchers based their findings on a national survey of 1,132 respondents. These people were specifically asked about their willingness to pay more for food labeled as non-GMO or genetically modified. The two products that the researched focused on were a 12-pack of granola bars versus fresh apples. The evaluated how much more respondents would pay for either of these items labeled as “Non-GMO Project Verified” or “USDA Organic.”

Their Findings Showcase Confused Consumers

The team of researchers found that consumers will pay $0.35 more for a 12-pack of granola bars with the “Non-GMO Project Verified” label on the packaging. However, the “USDA Organic” label did not hold as much weight, as consumers would only pay $0.09 more for the granola bars.

When consumers looked at fresh apples, things changed. Consumers were willing to pay $0.35 more for a pound of fresh apples labeled as “Non-GMO Project Verified” while they were willing to pay $0.40 more for the same pound of fresh apples labeled as “USDA Organic.” It seems that the “USDA Organic” label carries more weight in fresh produce than processed foods based on this study.

Why are Consumers Confused?

Consumers have almost done this to themselves as they have demanded more product transparency from brands over the past few years. Food companies are scrambling to add claims that stick out and show their food is “real.” Label Insight showcased last year that consumers find it difficult to understand if a product meets their needs by looking at the package.

What’s interesting about this new study from the University of Florida is how consumers are confused about “organic” and “non-GMO.” According to the USDA, the use of GMOs is prohibited in “organic” foods. So in reality, all organic foods are “non-GMO.” However, not all “non-GMO” foods are organic. Which makes it even more interesting that consumers are willing to pay more for packaged products with the non-GMO project verified logo.

The bottom line is education is needed on this subject. As food manufacturers invest in more organic foods and certifications, they expect consumers to be willing to pay more. This could spell trouble for brand betting big on organic in 2018 and beyond.

Inspired by www.fooddive.com

Kroger Looks to Natural Brands for Innovation

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Project Nosh reported on Kroger’s first natural innovation summit last month. The U.S.’s largest grocery retailer with 2,778 locations is looking to growing natural brands for innovation. The summit brought 50 of the best up and coming natural brands to their headquarters in Cinncinati, Ohio.

Kroger Natural Innovation Summit

The summit was held during the first week of October with a presentation from Jill McIntosh, VP of Merchanding for Natural Foods at Kroger, to kick off the first day.

“I thought of the idea because I wanted to bring a Natural Foods show to our Kroger category managers and invite some new and innovative brands to Cincinnati…Bringing the mountain to Mohammed, I guess.”
– Jill McIntosh

After Jill’s presentation, the summit featured 50 of the natural brands in a mini-trade show format. The natural brands were hand picked by VMG Partners, Harlow, and 84.51 degrees. For this first summit, Kroger wanted to focus on brands in water, fitness, yogurt, and packaged snacks.

“The brand selection committee prioritized high growth emerging wellness brands that have a proven sales velocity track record outside of Kroger, that were under-indexing in sales at Kroger. The event wasn’t focused on brands that don’t yet have a track record of sales velocity success elsewhere. The goal is help Kroger maximize their batting average as it relates to wellness emerging brands.”
– Wayne Wu, Managing Partner of VMG Partners

Key Takeaways From the Summit

The summit’s goal is the benefit both the brands and Kroger’s category managers. By bringing the brands to one place, this enables all of their buyers to be able to meet with the top brands and have more one on one discussions. The brands love the opportunity to connect with a specific retail customer in a more calm environment that trade shows like Expo West, Fancy Food Show, etc.

Kroger knows its business is moving towards more organic and natural foods, so the summit is an excellent fit in helping them push their “Restock Kroger” initiative. Kroger is leading the way in integrating their natural aisle with the conventional aisles so that both types of buyers become one.

“We have basically combined our natural with our conventional category management. Which makes sense as we want our category managers, when it comes to looking at a category, to know everything about it, not just the natural side or the conventional side but to be the subject matter expert over the total category. The customers are shopping that way more and more and we want to make it easy for our customer. So we’re mixing it up… As we integrate teams we’re able to integrate sales planning, ad, display and store formats.”
– Jill McIntosh

It will be interesting to see how the summit impacts the growth of innovative brands into Kroger’s massive retail chain.

Inspired by www.projectnosh.com

Infographic: How Much Food Do Humans Waste?

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It’s a sad subject, but something that we need to talk about. An estimated 1/3 of the world’s food is wasted throughout the food supply from farm to kitchen. Below is an infographic published by InvestmentZen that details some of the most shocking facts about food waste in today’s society.

food waste ugly fruits ugly vegetables food supply nutrifusion

The Evolution of Nutrition Facts Labeling

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According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the nutrition facts panel is one of the most widely recognized graphics in the world. Food Dive recently published an article on the origins and evolution of nutrition facts labeling. Our post hopes to detail some of the key points from their report.

The History of the Nutrition Facts Label

FDA Historian, Suzanne Junod, told Food Dive that the nutrition panel has been appearing on food packages since 1994, but mandatory labeling dates back more than 100 years. Junod says,”The modern U.S. food-package label has evolved steadily throughout the 20th century, and its content and format are regularly revised to reflect and apply new knowledge in the fields of medical, nutritional and regulatory science.”

However, minimal changes have taken place within the past 20 years except for the addition of Trans Fat in 2006. If you looked back 100+ years ago, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 established the FDA and was the first significant consumer protection law passed in the 20th century. The law intended to stop adultered and mislabeled products to improve consumer trust in the food and drug industries. Packaged foods started to grow at the turn of the 20th century as these goods were more convenient that bulk or boxed products.

 

From there, low-cost competitors jumped in to sell short-weight packaging meaning they put less food in packages and sold them for less. In 1913, Congress passed the first mandatory food labeling law with the Gould Net Weight Amendment. The amendment required all packaged foods to have the quantity of their contents marked on the package regarding weight, measure or numerical count.

The next significant change took place in 1938 in the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act which required all artificial flavoring, coloring, or chemical preservatives to be listed on the product label.

“We didn’t know that much about vitamins until the ’20s. A lot of them weren’t even discovered until then. And no one was really clear about the role they played in human nutrition,” Junod said. “But scientific studies began. That was pretty much when [the FDA] started getting into the nutrition business and taking a really hard scientific look at nutrients and what role they play in the diet.”
Suzanne Junod
FDA Historian

In 1940, the FDA accepted a standard for enriched flour that established the levels for enrichment with vitamins and minerals. The formula was adopted for white bread and later standardized for other food products. Nutrition facts labels would not change for decades.

Nutrition Labeling Activity From the 1970s to the 1990s

In 1973, the FDA published the first regulations that required nutrition labeling for foods. The foods included those with added nutrients for which a claim was made on the package or in advertising.

“Then in 1977, a Senate committee came out with a report called Dietary Goals for the United States. That was a landmark report. [It] said that Americans should be cutting down dramatically on sugar, salt, and saturated fat, and eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, and healthful foods”
Michael Jacobson
Sr. Scientist at CSPI

The Department of Agriculture, would soon after published the first Dietary Guidelines for American which agreed with Senate findings: eat more fruits and veggies, eat less salt and sugar.

Mandatory nutrition labeling and the first nutrition facts label were introduced in the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990. The FDA spent a lot of time developing the nutrition facts label with an outside branding firm to be flexible for scientific advances in nutrition.

Where the Nutrition Facts Label is Going…

The new nutrition facts label is undergoing its first significant overhaul in almost 20 years. In the new version, the FDA requires added sugars, essential nutrients like vitamin D, potassium, calcium, and iron. The label was initially set to be active in 2018 but has now been pushed back to 2020. Many believe they are trying to line this up with the Department of Agriculture’s Non-GMO labeling law. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out over the next few years.

Inspired by www.fooddive.com/

Brussels Sprouts and Collard Greens Looking to Dethrone King Kale

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Packaged Facts recently released a new report, “Fresh Produce: U.S. Market Trends and Opportunities.” From 2011 to 2016, consumption of kale grew by 4.6% to a total of 200 million pounds a year. However, the new report says that Brussels sprouts and collard greens are gaining ground on the king of leafy vegetables.

How will they grow past the king of leafy greens?

 

Packaged Facts predicts that consumption of Brussels sprouts and collard greens will increase by 10.1% over the next five years. They will have to follow some of kale’s superfood factors to overtake the lead in fresh produce.

Kale’s availability, versatility, and cultural significance made it the must-have superfood of the past five years according to David Sax, author of “The Tastemakers.” From an availability standpoint, kale has a long growing season, because it can be grown in a variety of climates throughout the year. From a versatility standpoint, it can be eaten raw or cooked. And finally, when looking at its cultural significance, it is being used by a variety of restaurants and food manufacturers making it a household name. The leafy green became a symbol of the health food movement, which will make it very difficult to beat.

 

Not so soon…

While the research is pointing to these growing vegetables to dethrone kale as the king of fresh produce, don’t fall for it so quick. It has a much more favored position than brussels sprouts and collard greens. It will be interesting to see how food companies put kale and other vegetables as ingredients into their finished products.

Inspired by www.fooddive.com

Better-For-You Snacks on the Rise as the Rest of the Category Levels Off

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Convenience Store News is reporting that despite all the news stories about growth in the snacks category, it appears things are finally starting to slow down. Based on IRI data, midyear sales dropped in subcategories such as popcorn, snack bars, and pretzels. Kristen Hamby of Mclane had this to say about the recent sales data in snacking.

There are a couple of segments within salty that are flatlining, such as nuts, which is surprising due to the healthy halo that surrounds them, telling us that these consumers may have transferred over to a different segment looking for other means of attributes such as protein. – Kristen Hamby

However, industry trend spotters are not discouraged and believe healthy innovations launching this year will push new growth.

The Healthy Snacking Category is Still Very Much Alive and Well

Susan Viamari, VP of Thought Leadership at IRI, believes snacking is still a huge opportunity for brands. She sees the better-for-you options as the biggest opportunity for C-Stores. New products with functional benefits like vitamins, proteins, and other valuable nutrition are catching consumers’ attention. As you can see below, snack products like jerky and sweet snacks saw the biggest growth over the past 24 weeks ending June 11, 2017.

 

 

How will companies rebound? Will better-for-you snacks take over the aisle? We look forward to looking at the year-end numbers and seeing how healthy snacks benefit from consumer trends.

Inspired by www.cspdailynews.com

McCormick’s Sales Increase From Demand For Healthy Food

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McCormick just announced its first earnings report since completing the acquisition of Reckitt Benckiser’s food division. The transaction added iconic brands like French’s mustard, Cattlemen’s, and Frank’s RedHot to their extensive portfolio of spices and condiments.

The company is repositioning itself to be more than just spices. This fall, they plan to add new trending products like bone broth, slow-cooker seasonings, and Asian noodles. All of their new products are targeting busy people who are looking for flavorful, healthy convenience.

Quality Ingredients Talk to Health-Conscious Consumers

McCormick posted $1.19 billion in revenue during its third quarter, which is up by 9% from this time last year. The company credits the increase to pricing, volume, product mix, and the recent acquisition of Reckitt Benckiser. However, net profits were down from $127.7 million to $108.2 million this year.

 

The CEO, Lawrence Kurzius, is motivated by the growth. In a statement, he said, “We are continuing to capitalize on the global and growing consumer interest in healthy, flavorful eating, the source and quality of ingredients, and sustainable and socially responsible practices. We are aligned with the increased demand for great taste and healthy eating and are confident in our plans to drive growth.”

McCormick Plans to Capitalize on Millennials

The company plans to take advantage of millennials’ interest in ethnic flavors and home cooking. Home cooking and using spices to reduce the consumption of sugar and salt have led to an increase in sales of spices.

Innovative products and active repositioning seem to be steering McCormick in the right direction. It will be interesting to see how their leadership team continues to capitalize on consumer’s interest in healthy eating without losing the taste and flavor they crave.

Inspired by www.fooddive.com