Dive Brief:
- Floral and savory flavors will dominate food and beverage innovations in 2019, representatives of ingredients companies told Food Business News. These flavor trends are coming from consumers looking for healthier lifestyles, multicultural food experiences and different tastes, they said.
- Comax Flavors told the publication it expects florals to dominate this year, particularly honeysuckle, jasmine, lavender, lilac and rose. Kerry seconded rose on the sweet list and added miso and rosemary to savory flavors.
- "You can expect to see the dramatic duality of sweet and savory appear across categories, predictable growing with experimental, such as maple and miso in sweet, or pink peppercorn and peppermint in salty snacks," Soumya Nair, director of market insights for Kerry North America, told Food Business News.
Dive Insight:
While yearly trend projections may change, consumers seem to be focused on better-for-you products that can bolster their health. They're also interested in cuisine from other countries and those authentic and unconventional flavors that make products stand out.
Manufacturers have already been incorporating some of these flavors and ingredients into their products, but the latest trend projections might give them added incentive to do more in the coming year. Such category investments are a solid indication that a trend is here to stay and not just a flash-in-the-pan fad.
Comax noted floral flavors are projected to increase, with a compound annual growth rate of nearly 10% from 2018 to 2022, according to Technavio research data. In response, the company debuted a Classic Floral collection. Honeysuckle flavoring is for fruit and dairy desserts and sweet sauces; jasmine flavoring is for tea and savory Asian dishes; and lavender is for beverages, cream desserts and seafood.
For Kerry, savory flavors such as ashwagandha, turmeric and holy basil made the 2019 trends list. The company also expects to see nostalgic sweet flavors, including snickerdoodle, cookie dough and s’mores showing up in more applications this year. The cookie dough flavor has already been popping up in ice cream products from Target and Nightfood, while s'mores flavors are being featured in cereals from both Post and Kellogg.
Ethnic fare carried over from being a major trend last year, with Asian and Middle Eastern flavors especially appealing to millennials, Hispanics and Asian consumers. According to Technomic's 2018 Ethnic Food & Beverage Consumer Trend Report, a third of consumers eat ethnic cuisine at least once each week, and 32% are willing to pay more if it's authentic.
Some of the flavor profiles are a sure bet with a broad range of consumers, while others may be more likely to appeal to the growing number of those interested in exotic culinary experiences. But consumers can expect to see more snacks and frozen entrées featuring garam masala or individual spices such as rosemary or pink peppercorn.