Top Ten Food Trends 2021

Transparency emerges as a clear winner in the Top Ten Trends for 2021, states the annual Top Ten Trends report from Innova Market Insights. The report provides an in-depth delve into how the food and beverage industry has progressively evolved. As COVID-19 transforms our shopping and eating habits, staying ahead of the curve is op paramount importance.

Innova Market Insights’ top trends for 2021 are in response to the ever-evolving and consumer-centric food and beverage industry. Innova Market Insights anticipates leading trends and provides rich data to support brands with prompting revival or acceleration post-COVID-19. The new trends for 2021 are:

1. Transparency Triumphs

The Innova Consumer Survey 2020 reveals that six in ten global consumers are interested in learning more about where foods come from. Increasing transparency to meet evolving ethical, environmental and clean label consumer demands is key.  Aspects include human/animal welfare, supply chain transparency, plant-based nutrition and sustainable sourcing.

2. Plant-Forward

As plant-based trends reach global phenomenon status, the “plant-based” definition is ever-evolving. Its rising mainstream appeal will drive expansion to different regions and categories in 2021, including accelerated demand for new formats, plant proteins and more sophisticated alternatives.  The Innova Consumer Survey 2020 indicated that the top four reasons for considering plant-based alternatives were health, diet variety, sustainability and taste.

3. Tailored to Fit

Personalized nutrition is in the spotlight as consumers look for food options that fit their unique lifestyles. Consumers expect a tailored approach to eating, with technological breakthroughs, constant new launches and exciting sensorial experiences providing the opportunity for customized lifestyles to extend to food consumption. The Innova Consumer Survey 2020 showed that 64% of global consumers have found more ways to tailor their life and products to their individual style, beliefs and needs. 

4. New Omnichannel Eating

As foodservice and retail domains increasingly overlap, consumers can eat what they want, when and where they want it. Consumers are seeking convenience, richer experiences and accessible indulgence. Increased home cooking is driving the use of convenient meal kits/starters and more sophisticated ingredients, resulting in new food experiences. The Innova Consumer Survey 2020 found 46% of consumers believe restaurant-branded products are a convenient way to attain the restaurant experience and flavors at home.

5. In Tune with Immune

Ongoing anxiety stemming from COVID-19 will encourage consumers to prioritize their immune health into 2021. According to the Innova Consumer Survey 2020, six out of ten global consumers are increasingly looking for food products that support their health, with one in three saying that concerns about health increased in 2020 over 2019. Health-boosting ingredients will play a significant role in the coming year.

The other trends are: Nutrition Hacking, Mood: The Next Occasion, Product Mashups: When Trends Collide, Modern Nostalgia and Age of the Influencer.

On Wednesday, 11 November 2020 at 4pm CET/ 10am EST, Lu Ann Williams, Director of Insights and Innovation at Innova Market Insights, will present the Top Ten Trends for 2021 that will impact the food and beverage industry over the coming year and beyond.

innovamarketinsights.com