Trendspotter Panel
Melanie Zanoza Bartelme,
global food analyst, Mintel,
Chicago
Monifa Dayo, consultant,
chef, The SupperClub
Jonathan Deutsch, Ph.D.,
professor, Department of Food
and Hospitality Management
and founding director, Drexel
Food Core Lab
Andrew Freeman, founder
of af&co./co-founder of
Carbonate
Illyanna Maisonet, first
Puerto Rican food columnist in
the country
Clara Park, corporate chef of
Culinary Innovation for Chelten
House Products, head of the
Chefs' Council for C-CAP,
member of the Advisory Board
for Drexel Food Core Lab
Chef Tu David Phu, Top Chef
alumni, TDP Enterprises LLC,
founder, Tumami Spices
Wendy Robinson, buyer,
Market Hall Foods
Leith Steel, account strategist
and trendwatcher, Carbonate
Chris Styler, culinary
producer/product development
chef, Freelance Food, LLC
Bryant Terry, author,
educator, and chef-in-
residence at the Museum of the
African Diaspora SF (MoAD)
BY DENISE PURCELL
The continuing coronavirus
pandemic keeping a record number of
people close to home, growing social awareness
aecting purchasing decisions, and a maturing
Gen Z population, are driving the food trends
that will dominate this year, says the Specialty
Food Association Trendspotter Panel. This group
of retailers, chefs, food writers and educators,
and market analysts, has weighed in on the top
trends for the next 12 months.
T P FOOD
TRENDS
FOR
2021
Values-Based Buying.
Consumers are becoming more conscious shoppers
when choosing which brands to support with their
food dollars. They are seeking out companies
owned by women, Black people, people of color,
B Corps, sustainability-focused brands, and
those with ethical labor practices. "For me, 2020
highlighted topics amongst all brands: cultural
appropriation, community impact, ethical practices.
More than ever, brands are focused on these three
categories and trying to align their messaging with this,"
says Chef Tu David Phu, a Trendspotter Panel member.
"Movements like #metoo and #blacklivesmatter have empowered
consumers to voice their opinions on what they expect from their favorite brands. This
pivot/shift is mainly due to Generation Z coming into the consumer marketplace as adults.
Food brands need to shift now as this new demographic is taking over the marketplace."
Examples include women- and/or minority-owned businesses offering regional Asian
chile pastes, plant-based cheese sauces, tangerine sriracha, lavender vanilla coffee bars,
as well as a sustainability-minded producer of watermelon rind pickles that upcycles parts
of the fruit that would otherwise be discarded.
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