42 SPECIALTY FOOD SPECIALTYFOOD.COM
TOP FOOD TRENDS FOR 2023
Products and Ingredients
to Look For
Here are some of the on-trend products
to expect to see more of in 2023:
1. Algae
2. Better-for-you snacks
3. Dehydrated vegetable or mushroom chips
4. Globally inspired condiments, sauces, oils,
and seasonings
5. Heat in honey, spreads, confections,
beverages, and snacks
6. Meal kits and shortcuts
7. More functional foods and beverages—
especially immunity, gut health, and
memory focused
8. Natural sugars from dates, maple syrup,
fruits, and honey
9. Packaging focused on sustainability and
creative ways to consume products
10. Pasta made from legumes, beans, squash,
and uncommon produce
11. Seaweed
12. Uncommon citrus, melons, and stone fruits
in beverages, sweets, snacks, and alone
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Convenience Is King
After honing their skills during the pandemic's stay-at-
home mandates, many consumers have ambitions of
continuing to cook, but collectively are tired. And people
still want restaurant-quality food but without the price
tag and the uncertainty associated with supply chain
disruption and the labor shortage. "Brands will focus on
helping consumers go simple in their preparation and
cooking routines and assure would-be cooks that taking
shortcuts is nothing to be ashamed of," says Melanie
Zanoza Bartelme, Mintel.
Meal kits will be one path to convenience. "The coming
year will pave the way for curated meal kits with specialty
foods that one can make and serve at home without
sacrificing authenticity, convenience, and taste," says
Kantha Shelke, Ph.D., CFS, IFT Fellow, Corvus Blue LLC.
Similarly, specialty food companies are making
it easier for those who want to cook from scratch by
cross promoting with the appropriate cooking tools
and recipes. "Authors and media personalities are
filling the education gap between ready-to-cook food
kits and ready-to-eat. They're helping create artisanal
products plus video tutorials, and cookbooks to go
along with it," says Jenn de la Vega, Put A Egg On It.
International Fruits
Amid the tightening pressures of a global recession
and a slowing economy, consumers want to elicit
feelings of escapism without travel or exorbitant
cost. "Enter international fruits—alternative citrus,
melons, and fruits that are wildly colorful and
in extraordinary shapes and flavors—to invoke
a sense of faraway destinations, new flavors,
textures, colors, and possibilities," says Mikel Cirkus,
Firmenich. Expect to see more as ingredients in
beverages, sweets, snacks, and on their own.
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