Plant protein and health-enhancing fat lead 2016 food trends

Health, wellness, technology, convenience, and indulgence were all projected to directly influence the top trends in the year ahead.

‘Storm clouds’ are gathering over animal-based protein, and some of the strongest support for plant protein is coming from vegetarian athletes – a group that could help link plant protein with athletic prowess, Canadean said.

Things were also looking up for fat, one of the industry’s biggest villains in recent decades, it claimed.

Health-enhancing​

Fat was being promoted as a health-enhancing ingredient in categories you would not expect, like bottled water, Canadean added.

It cited the example of FATwater functional water, a recent US launch that contains medium-chain triglycerides derived from coconut oil.

Soft drinks, or ‘hard sodas’ are predicted to fill a gap between overly sweet ‘alcopops’ and more sophisticated drinks like beer, wine, or spirits.

Look out for the rise of food you can drink as well. Recent developments like drinkable peanut powder and drinkable soups that are positioned between soup and smoothies suggest that the drinkable meal concept is on the rise, Canadean said.

Another expected trend is a growing consumer desire for smaller brands and products from smaller companies.

Greener GM food​

There is also likely to be a new generation of greener and waste-reducing food made with genetically-modified (GM) organisms.

Sour flavours were predicted to be on the rise as well – in everything from candy and beer to vegetables.

A further trend will be permissive indulgence through the addition of ‘better for you’ health ingredients to indulgent foods.

Trends in new personal care routines and in anti-pollution skincare and haircare products are also expected.