Manufacturers are plugging into ingredient trends and innovations they believe are scalable in order to address changing consumer tastes, as well as expand their bottom lines.
Consumers want to tell their own stories when it comes to food, experimenting with ingredients in categories such as sour flavors, fermented and preserved foods, and traditional fats.
Here's a glimpse as to how some of these developments are stacking up:
Preserved and fermented foods
In an effort to cut back on food waste, consumers are engaging in foraging expeditions for ingredients, and manufacturers are responding to this local sourcing of flavors, as well as the return to processes such as preserving, pickling and canning produce.
Manufacturers can expect fermented food products and the live food movement to soar this year as demand rages on for foods free from artificial colors and flavors, preservatives, and antibiotics.
Sour flavors
Drinking vinegars are also tied to consumers' tastes for sour flavors. Leading the quest for sour flavors are fermented foods such as pickles and kimchi.
Manufacturers are responding to the desire for sour as the flavor makes appearances in products ranging from candy to alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
"Sour is trending as a flavor in food because sour stretches over many food sensations, like an after burn," Ann Butler, founder of the kid's cooking company Edible Education, told Food Dive in an email statement. "And once you get hooked on it, it's tough to go back to bland."
Indulgent but good for you
Consumers crave indulgent flavors, but want to avoid feeling guilty. For products such as ice cream, companies including Sensient are creating healthier ingredient solutions, which reduce fat and sugar.
According to an IRI blog post by Sally Lyons Wyatt "with the various roles snacks play, consumers are looking for a balance between healthier and indulgent options. These roles and demand moments are instrumental in consumer choices and growth in several categories."
Wyatt also noted opportunities abound for innovations when reaching millennials and boomers in regard to snacks, where the industry is expected to reach at least $200 billion by 2020. 60% of the sales will come from these two segments.
Banana flavor alternatives
Banana flavored products are prevalent throughout the food processing sector. The threat of a disruption to the country's leading commercial banana supply, the Cavendish banana, has manufacturers exploring alternate sourcing plans.
A deadly fungus plaguing the Cavendish variety has affected crops in several parts of the world. Researchers based in the Netherlands have tested 200 different banana plants, where less than 10% are resistant to the fungus.
In pre-emptive measures, Dole has said it's looking at how to develop a disease-resistant banana, while Fresh Del Monte has turned its focus to keep contaminated material out of its farms and container yards.
Drinkable foods
In response to consumer tastes moving away from sugary juices, manufacturers are producing new flavor and ingredient combinations for vegetable juices and chilled soups.
According to the Canadean Group, drinkable meals have arrived, highlighted by drinkable peanut powder and drinkable soups. Sensient's marketing manager, Lauren Williams, told FoodIngredientsFirst: "We're seeing sweet soups and savory jellies [jams] and in the juice category that is facing increased scrutiny for its high and sometimes unhealthy sugar content, introducing vegetable juices has come at a good time. We’re also seeing chilled soups replacing juices as the on-the-go market continues to rise."
Traditional fats
A Mintel report, Global Food and Drink Trends 2016, states fats have shed their stigma as consumers better understand the differences between good and bad fats. Nuts, avocados, and coconut oil are being embraced for their health benefits.
The Canadean Group reports fat is being promoted as a healthier-type ingredient in surprising places. A bottled water product, FATwater, contains triglycerides from coconut oil.
Food industry experts and manufacturers expect these ingredient trends to remain strong throughout the year, and beyond. These categories are gaining traction and some are entering the mainstream.