In the Cards: Specialty Stakeholders Forecast the Coming Year
Specialty food retailers should get used to the term “plant-based eating.” It isn’t going away anytime soon.
That’s among the trends that retail prognosticators expect will prevail in 2019 and beyond, as consumers’ concerns about eating healthier remain strong, along with their interests in both locally sourced foods and flavors and ingredients from around the world. Other predicted trends include ongoing interest in bone broths, the expansion of barrel-aged beverages, and a resurgence of Lambrusco.
While consumers overall are seeking to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diets, plant-based alternatives to animal proteins particularly are showing momentum, retailers say.
Tony Stallone, vice president of merchandising, Peapod, the
e-commerce division of retailer Ahold Delhaize, says that in addition to the now-ubiquitous Beyond Meat, several second-tier companies are emerging in the space.“We’re seeing innovation in products that can address health, and one of them is vegetable-based proteins,” says Stallone. “That’s a very, very big trend where we’re seeing accelerated growth.”
Wendy Robinson, grocery manager and buyer for Market Hall Foods, a two-unit retailer with locations in Oakland and Berkeley, Calif., cites the appearance of mushroom jerky at the Specialty Food Association’s 2018 Fancy Food Shows as an indicator that new products are emerging to meet consumer demands for plant-based alternative products.
“We’re seeing a lot of socially conscious and lifestyle-focused foods on the market now,” she says.
Rachel Shemirani, vice president of marketing at Barons Markets in Poway, Calif., notes that consumers are also showing interest in using plant-based proteins in their home cooking. The seven-unit chain’s “meatless Monday” recipe demos have been a big hit with customers, she says.
“It definitely is a trend that we don’t see going away,” relates Shemirani.
Dairy Alternatives Diversify
Robinson of Market Hall Foods sees the market for dairy alternatives expanding beyond almond, soy, and coconut milks, and including more offerings made from peanuts, cashews, and macadamia nuts.
Shemirani says that both macadamia and oat milk alternatives have been doing well at that seven-store chain, as has a pea-based dairy alternative from Ripple Foods.
It’s not all going to be about plant-based foods in 2019, however. In addition to the proliferation of plant-based items as healthy alternatives, other healthful foods that are expected to be in demand in 2019 include bone broths, according to several of the retailers interviewed.
Robin McNamara, director of specialty foods at
Wellesley, Mass.-based Roche Bros., says that, like plant-based foods, bone broths appeal to consumers seeking healthful products to incorporate into their diets.
“We want to be kind to our bodies and try to repair some of the damage that’s been caused by environmental and poor processing practices,” she says.
Along those lines, McNamara also predicts that cannabindiol (CBD) oils and hemp-based beverages will become increasingly popular in 2019.
“This is one category that has endless potential, and we are just at the tip of the iceberg,” she says.
Better-For-You Beverages
Retailers expect other health-focused beverages to continue to gain momentum in the year ahead.
Beverages from Rebbl are “flying off the shelves” at Barons, Shemirani says, citing the appeal of the brand’s packaging as well as the healthful attributes of its products. These elixirs contain “superfood” ingredients such as turmeric, maca—a Peruvian root vegetable—matcha, and reishi mushroom extract. Barons merchandises the products alongside its kombucha and cold-brew coffee assortment.
Shemirani also cites demand for probiotic products as a trend that she expects to continue—exemplified by kombucha, but encompassing an increasing variety of products that tout their probiotic claims. Alcoholic kombucha is one of the newest varieties of kombucha to gain traction, such as products from Boochcraft, which touts itself as “California’s very first hard kombucha.”
Cathy Strange, global cheese buyer at Whole Foods Market, predicts several other trends in alcoholic beverages that appear poised to gain traction in 2019, including “barrel-aged anything,” such as wine in bourbon barrels.
Strange also notes the addition of lactose to beers—especially IPAs—as a strong trend to watch in the coming year. The lactose imbues beer with a creamier texture, she explains, citing one recent variety she sampled in Pittsburgh from the Hitchhiker Brewing Co.
In addition, rosé wine will continue to be a hot alcoholic beverage trend in 2019, as will wine available in cans, sparkling adult beverages, and lower-alcohol drinks, Strange predicts. She also calls out Lambrusco—an Italian red wine historically known for its sweetness—as a variety she expects to gain traction in 2019.
“Lambrusco is kind of your grandfather or grandmother’s wine, but it’s coming back,” says Strange, who notes that in its newest incarnations, Lambrusco is becoming less sweet and fruity.
“It’s going to be a little drier and more food-friendly,” she says.
McNamara of Roche Bros. says that craft cocktail mixers will continue to gain momentum in the year ahead, with a focus on clean ingredient labels.
“People want cleaner, better-for-you ingredients, even in their cocktails, without the added sugar,” she says.
Charcuterie and Cheese
Strange of Whole Foods singled out charcuterie as a meat category where “a lot of cool things are happening,” including a proliferation of local and hyper-local producers, as well as a focus on animal welfare.
“Charcuterie is super-hot,” she says.
Unique imported meats, including porchetta and culatello, are also increasingly in demand in the U.S., says Strange.
She also cites an evolution in the cheese category—aged cheeses have been popular for some time, but fresh cheeses are making a comeback, she says. In addition, more mixed-milk cheeses—made from a blend of sheep’s milk, cow’s milk, and/or goat’s milk—are expected to be popular in the year ahead.
“It’s very typical in Europe, and we’ll start to see a lot more of that here,” notes Strange.
She also expects to see more interest in stronger-flavored cheeses and aromatic cheeses, such as washed-rind varieties.
Cheeses meant for grilling are poised to gain in 2019. In addition to grilling halloumi cheese, which has long been popular, Strange predicts more grilling done of other varieties of cheese, such as Camembert, kasseri, and Manouri.
Middle Eastern Remains Hot
Consumers are also continuing to explore international flavors and ingredients, especially Middle Eastern, African, Latin American, and Mediterranean, retailers say.
Stallone of Peapod says Middle Eastern cuisines are probably generating the most buzz heading into 2019. He cites foods from Turkish, Lebanese, and Israeli cuisines as examples.
“People are interested in foods from that area, and it also lends itself to healthy eating habits,” he says.
He notes other cuisines—Indian, Philippine, Indonesian, Vietnamese—that are generating a lot of consumer interest, and particularly, Indian cuisine, which is contributing a range of sauces, flavors, and ingredients to the product mix.
McNamara of Roche Bros. says that the interest in Middle Eastern and African recipes will lead to more demand for spices from those regions in the year ahead.
Likewise, Robinson of Market Hall Foods says she’s seeing more international pantry items from non-European countries, such as high-end soy sauces and sesame pastes from Japan.
“Whereas 30 years ago you were traditionally seeing European pantry products coming into the U.S., now those specialty products are available in a lot more places,” she says. “Now you are seeing more of those types of staple pantry products from other countries.”
When it comes to imports, however, Robinson cautioned that new food safety rules for imports could impact some overseas producers. The Food Safety Modernization Act last year imposed new safety testing requirements for items imported into the U.S.
“You are going to see importers adapting to the new FSMA laws, and we might be missing out on some of our favorite products as the companies work on trying to get these products back into the U.S. and being compliant with FSMA,” says Robinson.
Retailers, foodservice operators, incubators, and industry disruptors share their take on food trends, product introductions, and the drivers behind them.
Foodservice’s Future
Specialty Food Magazine tapped the expertise of foodservice professionals. Following are their predictions for the coming year.
Compiled by Julie Gallagher
Q: What do you think will be the standout trends in foodservice in 2019?
“Globally-inspired breakfasts like traditional Japanese, Australian, or Indian breakfast, cell-based meat and vegan “meat,” and Pinsa, the new pizza.”
—Joanne Weir, chef, James Beard award-winning cookbook author, and television personality
“We see incredible opportunities to enrich corporate snack menus with sustainability as top of mind. First, upcycling has a lot of attention as we all look to reduce food waste towards the dream of eliminating it altogether. Taking product that might otherwise go to compost and reformulating using simple methods to access valuable nutrients is an amazing reminder to get back to basics. We love the energy from new companies looking to change the packaging industry by balancing shelf life, climate sturdiness, and the goal to reduce impact to the waste stream via hyper-compostability.”
—John Venegas, regional vice president, Best Vendors Management, the Canteen National Accounts arm within Compass Group.
“Cannabidiol, terpines, and other non-THC elements of marijuana.”
—Adam Moskowitz, president of Columbia Cheese and Larkin Cold Storage
New Concepts from Incubators
Food incubators are helping inventive startups bring their ideas to fruition. Following are descriptions of some of the most innovative concepts under development.
Compiled by Julie Gallagher
“We’re excited to see how clean ingredients are disrupting high-potential food categories, like what Chobani was able to do in yogurt. Three areas that are especially interesting to us right now are better-for-you portable caffeinated energy, like products from Matchabar and TeaSquares; clean snacks that actually taste great, like hummus from Ithaca Cold-Crafted and allergy-friendly cookies from Partake Foods; and clean culinary innovations, which help home chefs who want to keep their kitchen free from anything artificial, such as sauce maker Haven’s Kitchen and baking products purveyor Supernatural.”
—Mitch Rubin, incubator program manager, Chobani
“We are currently working with a business called Oyna Natural Foods that specializes in making Kuku, a Persian dish that could be compared to a quiche or frittata. They sell it as a packed grab-and-go snack. It’s absolutely delicious and unique.”
—Emiliana Puyana, program coordinator, La Cocina
“Taste For Life, LLC, in collaboration with the Food Innovation Center, has developed an innovative snacking solution for people who have issues with swallowing or chewing. Liquid supplements and puddings are their current snacking options but do not resemble foods they used to enjoy. They are also high in sugar. Research and development has led to a product line called Savorease snacks that offers familiar flavors, nutrition, crispy texture options, and visual appeal with none of the added sugar. Our goal is to make people that suffer from this condition enjoy eating again.”
—Sarah Masoni, director, product and process development program, Food Innovation Center, Oregon State University
“An interesting mission has emerged from some entrepreneurs around making common ethnic ‘street foods’ more known and accessible to the American consumer. The goal in many cases is not just to diversify the food landscape but to evolve the historical association with certain types of ethnic foods. The Chaat is one of our businesses doing a great job of this through both its line of snacks as well as targeted corporate pop-ups. They make Indian Street snacks and want to expand consumers’ association with Indian food from just the heavy, curry-based buffets to include light healthy snacks. Mr. Bing is a graduate that is making Chinese Street Food. Egunsifoods, a current member, is making West African soups and other foods known to Africans more accessible and tailored to the American way of engaging foods.
—Koblah Asamoah, Hot Bread Kitchen
Young Disruptors Look to 2019
Compiled by Julie Gallagher
Q: What trend do you anticipate will have the greatest impact on the specialty food world in 2019?
“Traceability is the single trend transforming the way the food system works and the way consumers choose just about everything that they purchase. It is both producer- and consumer-facing and transcends categories. People are interested in knowing how their food was produced and what the social and environmental impact of a product is; in fact, they are beginning to demand this information. This trend has the power to dictate and disrupt global industries.”
—Nick Mendoza, founder and CEO, OneForNeptune
“Single-use plastic is the new food waste. Consumers are aware more than ever before about how their food choices impact the environment, and in addition to eliminating food waste in their purchasing decisions, consumers will increasingly seek to avoid single-use plastic.”
—Ariel Pasternak, co-founder, Pineapple Collective
“2019 is the year of soil. Say what? Regenerative agriculture and its farming and ranching principles better whole agrosystems, increase biodiversity, and improve soil health and watersheds to ultimately reverse carbon accumulation in the atmosphere. Many of the hardworking farmers and ranchers I have met want consumers to demand food products that play a major role in tackling the carbon footprint that industrialized food systems created. Regenerative agriculture is the secret weapon against the damages of factory farming practices that have vilified the whole industry in the battle against climate change. At the same time, as consumers we need to be careful not to let this trend be greenwashed. I look forward to witnessing the regenerative agriculture trend become common practice, similar to the consumer demands for organic and local produce.
—Mohammad Modarres, founding director, Interfaith Ventures, founder, Abe’s Meats
“There’s a mega trend—especially among younger people—around wellness, and the shift toward plant-based food is one of the key ways in which this trend manifests itself. This change is easily apparent in many cities these days: almond and oat milk have become available in most NYC coffee shops, hummus is turning into an American staple, the new breakfast sandwich is actually an avocado toast, and tahini-dressed falafel balls have become an incredibly popular lunch. This is particularly true for protein-rich food like nut-butters and tahini (made of sesame), which many view as a substitute for meat. The American consumer began embracing plant-based food as much more than a side dish, and we expect this trend to accelerate in 2019.
—Goni Light and Yonatan Sela, co-founders,
Seeds of Collaboration
“I expect to see things like turmeric, lion’s mane mushroom, ghee, kefir, seaweed, and the like end up on dishes at restaurants.”
—Kate Kavanaugh, founder and CEO, Western Daughters
Mark Hamstra is a regular contributor to Specialty Food News and Specialty Food Magazine.
from Trends and Statistics http://bit.ly/2Sw8IpP
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