The Food & Drink Innovation Network (FDIN) believes that natural sweeteners and plant-based foods are among the food trends to watch out for in 2018.
In 2017, the organisation highlighted that healthy eating dominated food trends with a backlash against ‘clean eating’ fad diets that encourage consumers to exclude certain food groups from their diets, such as gluten and dairy.
According to FDIN, while 2017 saw an uplift in healthy eating, 2018 is going to take health to another level.
Gut reaction
Fermented foods and gut health have been bubbling along for the last few years with the rising popularity of kombucha and kimchi, however these foods will become more mainstream in 2018.
FDIN predicts that the focus will turn to prebiotics and probiotics to develop foods that will help with gut health, essential to overall health and well-being.
As a result, eating raw ingredients could become more popular next year, including garlic, leeks, and jicama, also known as yam bean in Asian cooking and a healthier alternative to tortilla chips with dip.
Natural sweeteners
Inulin is a fibrous carbohydrate, increasingly being used as a sugar and flour replacement. Found in chicory root, inulin can be added to smoothies, our favourite baked, sweet treats such as cake, and even sticky rib glazes.
Inulin is not only a natural sweetener, but has a range of benefits making it better than maple syrup and coconut sugar, including reducing constipation, improving gut health by acting as a prebiotic, filling you for longer, boosting heart health and lowering metabolic syndrome risk factors, and increasing calcium absorption.
Plant-based food
Next year, vegan and gluten-free products will become mainstream and aimed at everyone rather than just the few, says FDIN. Due to a growing understanding of health and sustainable production methods, more consumers are reducing the amount of meat they are eating. As a result, next year vegan products will likely resemble meat in texture and appearance to appeal to this growing market.
Snack nation
Already making its mark on the food industry, the food-to-go trend will continue to grow in popularity due to ease of eating, not needing to be chilled, portable, and nutritional. Originally targeted at a younger age group, in 2018 more products for adults will come to the market, from pouches, meals-on-the-go, and sweet and savoury foods in squeezy tubes.
The rise of food-to-go can be attributed to families sharing smaller dishes while spending time together, and a move towards healthier snacks, as consumers increasingly balance their fast lifestyles with good nutrition.
Waste not, want not
In 2018, we’ll see more clever ways to reduce food waste, which will prevent food producers from throwing away food classed as rubbish during production, for example mushroom stalks, and damaged food.
As a result, FDIN predicts that next year consumers will likely see the whole ingredient being used, rather than just the “good parts”. Additionally, more restaurants and eateries will pop-up cooking with food that is nearing the end of its shelf life.
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