Consumer Food Trends: Leverage These Trends into an Upward Growth Trend for Your Business

How do you stay relevant in a food industry where the consumer demand is constantly shifting regarding what it is they’re demanding? You stay on trend while staying within your niche. To help you stay on trend, here are six of the most recent food trends you can leverage into a growth trend for your business:

The Plant-Based Plan

Within the past year, U.S. retail sales of plant-based foods increased 17%. When it comes to claiming the plant-based diet as a trend, enough said. But, in case you’re not yet convinced, here are some more enlightening facts: in the past year U.S. sales of plant-based meat alternatives were up 23%, plant-based creamers were up 62%, plant-based yogurts were up 54%, plant-based cheeses were up 41% and plant-based ice creams were up 40%.

The Fat Fad

Thanks in part to the ketogenic diet, consumers are aware of the benefits healthy fats can have, driving their interest in fatty ingredients. So say goodbye to the “fat-frees” of the world and embrace the fat, freely.

The See-Through Seafood

Transparency is becoming a necessity for consumers when it comes to seafood. Consumers want to know where their fish-based products came from so they can choose more sustainable options. In fact, this demand is so great that it has caused rise to some companies providing traceability as far back as to the fishermen who harvested the fish.

The Fresh Freezer

Consumers, especially millennials, are becoming increasingly interested in frozen foods that are nutritious and flavorful. Convenience is key but not at the price of bland or unhealthy options to today’s consumers.

The Toxic-Free Trust

Toxic chemicals are at the forefront of consumers’ fears about what’s in their food. From this fear, the consumer scrutiny to test products for toxic chemicals will be on the rise and you need to be prepared to prove that your products are free of potential contaminants. Just ask McDonald’s, who is removing artificial ingredients from its hamburgers because of consumer demand for cleaner foods.

Don’t sit back idly expecting these trends to go away, capitalize on them because they’re here to stay. NorthScope can help you leverage these trends by providing the proof behind your promise of toxic-free food and the traceability of your product whether it’s from fisherman to consumer or from farm to table – because you can’t tell your customers about the source of your products unless you know where they came from.