Less Sugar and Natural Sugar.
Tied to attention to health, consumers are
counterbalancing their desires to treat
themselves with products that offer low sugar
or natural sugar. "We will continue to see
a decline in the levels of sugar in foods and
drinks and an increase in the availability and
popularity of alternative sweeteners like monk
fruit, keto-friendly sugars, and coconut sugar,"
says Clara Park, corporate
chef of Culinary Innovation
for Chelten House Products.
Trendspotters noted hot sauces
sweetened with peaches; jams
that rely on natural sugars
from carrots and jaggery, a
cane sugar consumed in Asia;
and a proliferation of sauces
sweetened with dates.
Plant-Based Continuing
Revolution.
More a movement than a trend, plant-based
earns a spot on this year's list for its burgeoning
growth during COVID-19 and for new formats
that continue to transform the food and
beverage market. During surge shopping in the
spring, plant-based enjoyed a boost in most
categories, especially milk and other dairy and
meat alternatives. According to the SFA's State
of the Specialty Food Industry report, 2020-
2021 Edition, the segment has a huge runway
for growth, increasing 10-20 percent annually
through 2024. New products and applications
include meatless mixes for at-home cooking;
dairy-free queso made with aquafaba; plant-
based tzatziki; oat milk chocolate; and cactus-
based tortilla chips. Trendspotter Chris Styler,
culinary producer/product development chef
and head of Freelance Food, LLC, also observes
trends in "the rebranding of foods as 'plant-
based' including beverages; more options for
plant-based foods including plant-based protein
to use for chili, soups, tomato sauce."
Halva 'Bout It.
Following consumers' growing interest over
the past few years in tahini sauce, then
black sesame flavoring ice creams and
lattes, halva is re-emerging in the spotlight.
This 3000-year-old, sesame seed-based
Middle Eastern confection was touted in
2020 by Ruth Reichl as good-for-you candy,
thanks to its abundance of iron. Product
examples include halva butter made from
sesame paste to spread on toast, crackers,
or in ice cream, and shelf-stable halva slices
in flavors like toasted coconut and triple
chocolate. Naturally vegan, halva also has
plant-based appeal.
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