Food Trends 2024
While a new ingredient or cuisine can garner much attention, it is essential to note that specific "trends" persist for several years. According to the Specialty Food Association, expect to see "elevated convenience," using "upscale ingredients" daily and not just for special occasions, and brands and industries trying to address "sustainability, carbon footprint, and food waste concerns" and "regenerative agriculture."
Plant Foods With … Even More Plants!
Whole Foods' 2024 forecast predicts that the plant-based food trend is continuing. To achieve their protein intake needs, instead of increasingly complex meat substitutes, consumers are asking for shorter ingredient lists and the inclusion of protein-rich plants such as beans, mushrooms, walnuts, and tempeh.
Chickpeas have been in the news because of a production shortage caused by weather, a shift in production, and pandemic-related supply chain issues. However, as this is changing, they are returning to the trend list as a snack roasted, dipped in chocolate, puffed, and flour as an ingredient in baked goods.
Mushrooms are on a couple of top food trend lists, and as the Specialty Food Association puts it, "Mushrooms are mushrooming." While Pennsylvania is the biggest producer of the well-known white and brown button or Agaricus mushrooms in the US, other types of mushrooms are becoming more popular, such as common and king oyster, shiitake, maitake, and lion's mane, for their functional food properties, targeting health benefits, caffeine substitution, relaxation, and even skincare.
Food Industry Executive states that consumers go nuts for nuts, and not just walnuts, but all varieties of nuts, with 67% of nut consumers choosing roasted and flavored nuts. In 2024, the flavor trend will continue in this category with more spicy tastes (hot honey, sweet heat, mango habanero).
Peach
According to the Specialty Food Association, it is time for peaches to "cycle back into the spotlight." Peaches are a staple as fresh fruit, used in jams and baked goods. However, it is also increasingly used as a condiment and in combination with other plant flavors. For example, the Peach-Lavender Bundtlet by Lily Maude won the SFA award in the baked goods category in 2023. In Pennsylvania, peaches are mainly grown in Adams and Lancaster counties and harvested from July – September.
Lavender
More sources predict lavender to be a food and health trend in 2024. Edible flowers have been a niche trend for a while now. In addition, honey infused with lavender, teas, preserves, baked goods, seasonings, and chocolates can feature this unique ingredient. Lavender has been grown for centuries for its aesthetic, therapeutic, and culinary properties in the Mediterranean region. The lavender genus includes nearly 40 different species, with about 400 cultivars and a variety of hybrids; some of them can also be grown in colder climates. Extension has more information about how to grow lavender in the Northeast and how to incorporate it into your agritourism operation and on-farm store.
Buckwheat
Buckwheat has been a staple in European and Asian kitchens but has been named by Whole Foods Market as one of the Top 10 Food Trends for 2024. Despite its name, it is a pseudocereal, not a true wheat (other examples of pseudocereals are quinoa and amaranth). It is also gluten-free. Healthline states buckwheat contains fiber and resistant starch that can benefit colon health. Moreover, it provides small amounts of high-quality protein, has more minerals than corn, wheat, and rice, and is also rich in antioxidants.
In the stores, you can also find buckwheat as kasha, which is toasted and has a nutty taste compared to raw buckwheat groats. This form of processing is very popular in Eastern Europe and Russia. Buckwheat groats can be used in place of oatmeal and grain bowls. It can also be used as flour in muffins, breads, and pancakes. Consumers will also increasingly find buckwheat in processed foods such as noodles, desserts, and ice cream.
In Pennsylvania, buckwheat has been popular as a cover crop. However, according to Björkman, it can grow especially well in northern Pennsylvania. As a short-season cash crop, buckwheat can grow on land with low-fertility soil, requiring little input. Given that it can be grown with low input levels of fertilizer and pesticides, it also lends itself to being an organic crop.
Gen Alpha and Gen Z
While it is not advised to develop a marketing plan based solely on a consumer's generation, some characteristics describe how, as a group, someone who is a member of Gen Alpha (born after 2013) or a Gen Z consumer (born between 1997 and 2012) behaves, obtains information, and interacts with others.
With Gen Alpha consumers turning 10 in 2023, how are these youngsters impacting household food decisions? One source indicates that "up to 30% of Gen Alpha parents…involve their children in their grocery purchasing decisions" and that "about 80%" of Gen Alpha "often or sometimes request a specific snack or food brand." Despite this, 66% of their parents responded to the Morning Consult survey, as reported by The Food Institute, that "it's essential to them that they purchase fruits and vegetables for their kids."
It should come as no surprise that both Gen Alpha and Gen Z consumers are influenced by what they see online. Slightly more than half (55%) of Gen Z use social media, particularly TikTok, to "discover new foods and recipes." Pertaining to Gen Alpha, of those with access to the Internet, approximately half (51%) watch content on TikTok, with a majority (84%) watching YouTube videos, and 56% of their parents buy their children "new foods" that Gen Alphas see on TV and the Internet.
According to The Hartman Group, Inc., Gen Z has embraced a new set of principles regarding their food choices. They prioritize the importance of consuming fresh, minimally processed food and beverages, as 52% stated in a recent Hartman Group survey that they "want more meals with whole foods." However, despite Gen Z's strong beliefs and intentions regarding healthier eating, cost is a major obstacle. Unlike Millennials, this generation is less willing to spend extra on nutritious food and drinks. Surprisingly, almost half of Gen Z individuals often opt for less healthy choices due to the high prices of healthier alternatives.
Trending Ingredients and Cuisines
Several sources, ranging from restaurant review sites to professional chef associations, have published survey outcomes that describe food consumption behaviors and documented the growth of Korean cuisine and other Asian foods for several years. The increased interest in this cuisine is attributed to younger consumers who follow "Korean culture general," "diverse range" of foods and restaurants incorporating authentic flavors ranging from "fast-food fried chicken, communal cook-it-yourself barbecue, hot-pots, high-end steakhouses, casual bakeries, and luxurious fine dining."
Korean foods include ingredients, condiments, and meal items that fall within categories also garnering attention: fermented foods, like kimchi, that appeal to both gut health and taste; sauces, seasonings, and coatings that incorporate "global" flavors and heat; and fusion cuisine where two unrelated cuisines are merged.
In addition to Korean-centric options, fermented, spicy, and fusion cuisines have value across several food categories and cuisines and are popular with several generations. Other fermented foods expected to gain importance in the new year include those made with items " typically discarded foodstuffs, such as spent grains, fruit peels and other production leftovers."
Concerning younger consumers, lemon pepper and sriracha have surged in their presence on kids’ restaurant menus. It is suggested that these and other trending "global flavors" that can be "creatively" turned into a dipping sauce, especially one that "pairs with chicken," have a broad appeal amongst members of Gen Alpha. Expect to see specialty peppers like Scorpion Peppers, Guajillo, and Hungarian Goathorn Peppers in various forms: fresh, ground, pickled, incorporated into oils and sauces, and in cocktails and canned ready-to-drink beverages. Another pepper, Calabrian chili peppers, is used in products such as "pasta sauce, hot sauce, cured meats, snacks, relish, hot honey."
Fusion-cuisine options are only limited by the creator’s imagination. A Hartman Group, Inc. report states that "close to 38% of Gen Zers…like to mix different flavors to create new taste combinations."
Snacking
Several reports and sources of consumer data indicate that the once-clear line between “snacks" and "meals" will blur in 2024. In part, this is due to an increased need for convenience and "lack of time to prepare, eat and enjoy meals," with one-third of consumers having "less than 30 minutes" daily to "prepare, eat and enjoy meals." Thus, snacking is displacing "traditional mealtimes," with Baby boomers snacking, on average, 1.8 times a day, and younger consumers even more often. One source indicates that snacks account for “53% of Gen Z’s total eating occasions". Aside from convenience, the primary motivator that encouraged Gen Z to eat a snack was to "treat" themselves or "indulge." At the same time, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomer consumers were primarily motivated to snack "to satisfy a craving."
While 35% of consumers who participated in a Datassential survey reported eating "more" fruit "in the past year," the next most popular snack category they ate "more often" included salty, crunch snacks (28%), and nuts (25%). Twenty-two percent and fewer participants indicated they ate more of the following in the past year: vegetables, snack bars, cheese, ice cream, and salads.
With an overall increased interest in "specialty foods" that have unique, quality, and authentic ingredients and flavors, consumers are not only reaching for traditional to prepare meals but also seeking specialty snacks with these characteristics. Pertaining to sales, specialty chips, pretzels, and snacks ranked first among the top 10 specialty food categories in 2022, up from 3rd place in 2020 and 2021. Within the category, compared to 2021, sales in 2022 of ready-to-eat popcorn and pretzels both increased by 18%, potato chips increased by 19%, and “other” snacks, which include "beans/lentil snacks, pork rinds, meat snacks, soy nuts," and similar, increased by 27%.
"Little Luxuries"
Another trend that Whole Foods Market predicts is "little luxuries." Companies are taking advantage of current trends by considering both price and presentation. They offer single-serving packages that bring joy without breaking the bank. Websites like The Kitchn often share affordable 'Little Luxuries' lists under $10. They mention treats like enjoying a beverage on the way home or an impromptu indulgence like adding a bath bomb to grocery shopping.
