Let's talk 2020 food trends, and find out what new foods the experts think we're going
to be seeing in our social media feeds once the new year arrives and what current food
trends are going to get even bigger.
Seaweed has been a dietary staple for a long, long time, but according to analysts at NPD
Group, 2020 is going to be the year when seaweed becomes more than just a staple for certain
parts of the world.
They say not only is it one of the fastest-growing trends in restaurants, but you're going to
be seeing more and more seaweed-based snack foods, like chips, claiming valuable shelf
space in grocery stores across the country.
So first thing's first: Why?
Well, it's good for you.
Healthline says it's been linked with supporting thyroid function and gut health, as well as
being a good source of vitamins and antioxidants.
Mara Seaweed says it's also completely sustainable, grows without using resources needed by other
crops, grows very fast, and removes CO2 from the atmosphere.
It's no wonder that Prepared Foods is calling seaweed 2020's hot ingredient.
It's no secret that plant-based meat alternatives have been big, and it's likely they'll continue
to rise in popularity.
Jackfruit is among those, and if you haven't heard of it or tried it yet, it's pretty cool.
A single jackfruit can weigh up to 100 pounds, although 10 to 25 pounds is more average.
It's traditionally found in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and you can use the fruit,
leaves, and seeds.
It's incredibly versatile.
You can eat jackfruit raw, dry it, fry it, turn it into jam, or, when it's prepared the
right way, it's a strangely accurate substitute for pulled pork.
It's also pretty good when it comes to substituting for something like mutton, and in Bengali
households where it's been used as a staple for generations it's even known as "tree goat."
It gets better: jackfruit is low-calorie, low-carb, high in protein, fiber, and vitamins.
It's also a hardy crop that requires little irrigation.
Just think of all those super-creative jackfruit tacos, sliders, and bowls just waiting to
be made, photographed, and put on Instagram!
Go to any coffee shop worth its salt and you'll find at least a few non-dairy milk options.
Soy milk and almond milk are pretty popular, but according to Bloomberg, oat milk is poised
to be the next big thing in non-dairy milk for 2020.
The people making those predictions are basing a large part of that on Oatly, a massive Swedish
company who have recently invested $15 million in opening an oat processing plant in New Jersey.
Between 2017 and 2019, oat milk sales have jumped from $4.4 million to $29 million.
Given those numbers, it's no wonder Oatly decided to hop on this bandwagon and even
kick-start a program encouraging Midwestern farmers to grow oats as well as the more typical
corn and soy crops.
They're not the only game in town and other beverage manufacturers are gearing up to release
their oat milk offerings, which experts say is just another way plant-based foods are
moving into the more mainstream market.
In August 2019, Nielsen found that the previous years' retail sales figures for sparkling
water had reached $2.45 billion and they were still climbing.
If you think you've seen a lot of sparkling water on shelves in 2019, buckle up, because
there's going to be even more in 2020.
Coca-Cola is going to be officially entering the market with a flavored seltzer called Aha,
"Aha.
Aha."
and they're definitely not the only new players in the game.
You can also pick up bottles from smaller companies like Richard's Rainwater.
That's exactly what it sounds like: it's rainwater collected, carbonated, then sold in bottles.
"Rain...is that what you call this?
I like it."
There are fruit waters and flavored waters, sure, but companies are experimenting with
infusing their waters with everything from vitamin C and electrolytes to CBD oil.
They're marketing them as healthy — and they're definitely better than sugar- and
calorie-filled sodas.
For a long time, there were meat burgers and then there were veggie burgers.
Veggie burgers weren't just vegetarian, they had an inevitably weird texture and they were,
well, strange.
Things have started changing in recent years, with the creation of products like the Impossible
Burger and Beyond Burgers.
They've managed to do something most meat alternatives have failed at, which is, basically,
taste like something you'd actually want to eat.
"100 percent meatless.
Yes, please.
Another, please."
That's clearly important.
Like vegan activist Ed Winter told CNBC, it's not about getting people to become vegan,
it's about getting the options out there.
According to Vox, the meat-free burger industry is ending 2019 with a lot of people still
on the fence, and it's entirely possible this could go either way.
But according to The Washington Post, cattle ranchers are worried.
Meat-free burgers are turning into a very real threat.
Companies that have traditionally dealt in meat are working on their own meat alternatives.
And more restaurant chains — like Burger King, White Castle, and Carl's Jr. — have
either introduced meatless "meat" products or announced they're working on it.
Morningstar has also said they'll be completely vegan by 2021.
But there's still a lot of debate.
Are plant-based burgers healthier, or are they just more highly processed and, well,
not that great?
That's a conversation still to come, and as they continue to get more and more trendy,
we'll be hearing more about it in 2020.
It won't just be burgers and meat that will be changing in 2020 according to experts from
Boston, going entirely plant-based will be more and more trendy.
"Give me the damn veggies."
What does that mean?
We're going to see hashtags popping up in 2020 that describe dishes made with things
like nuts, legumes, and whole grains, and some grocery stores are already ahead of the game.
Think of options like Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi, and their pizza crusts made from veggies.
Making the switch to veganism is tough,
"Freeze! Vegan police.
Vegan Police.
Todd Ingram, you're under arrest for Vegany violation"
but the Association of UK Dieticians says there are other options lacto-ovo vegetarians,
for example, don't eat meat, poultry, or seafood, but they do eat eggs and dairy.
There are a ton of options out there, and if there's anything that people love to do,
it's hop on board with this diet or that one.
Fitt says there are more and more people doing just that.
Between 2016 and 2019, there's been a 600 percent increase in the number of Americans
who identify as vegans.
With a wider availability of plant-based meal options from breakfast sandwiches to gnocchi,
you'd better believe it that more and more people are going to be sharing photos of their
plant-based meals on Instagram.
"Why are you eating stem first?
This is a new food for me.
How else should I eat it.
The other way."
It's becoming more and more well known just how bad plastics are for the environment,
and one of the easiest ways to make a difference is to skip on the plastic straws.
According to The New York Times, it's no longer a matter of just skipping straws.
While many restaurants and fast food chains have made the switch to paper straws, well,
they're kind of terrible, too, aren't they?
Enter the reusable straw.
Everyone's making them, from brand new, grassroots companies on Kickstarter to Tiffany & Company.
Their bendy straws will set you back a few hundred bucks, but they're gold and silver,
so there's that.
There are a ton of other options, though, and some of them are surprisingly neat.
Many come with their own carrying cases, they come in a myriad of colors and patterns, and
there are even heat-resistant ones for the coffee lover.
They come with cleaning kits and brushes, they come straight or bendy, and some are
big enough to handle the most stubborn milkshake.
"I drink it up!"
There are even disposable but plastic-free straws made to be biodegradable and compostable,
says CNet, so whatever you prefer, there's an option out there.
And that's a good thing.
Straw shaming is actually a thing on social media, so it's only a matter of time before
these trendy, eco-friendly straws go super trendy as 2020's answer to reusable water bottles.
Few grocery stores are trendier than Whole Foods, and they get that reputation by having
their finger on the pulse of social media.
What do they see as being ultra-trendy in 2020?
Alternative flours.
And what on earth does that mean?
They say bakers are going to start seeing way more than just a few types of flour.
2020 is going to bring tigernut flour to shelves and bulk bins, and some of the trendiest of
stores are already offering things like tortillas made with these kinds of alternative flours.
"The tortillas are made with micro-financed flour."
You'll see more pastries and cookies made with seed flours, for example, but you'll
also have the chance to experiment and make your own.
Always wish you could make your own pizza crust with cauliflower flour or maybe even
cookies with banana flour?
Whole Foods says it's going to be not just trendy but it'll almost certainly become widely
available in 2020.
That's pretty exciting for bakers, and it's going to fill your social media with protein-
and fiber-boosted treats made with exotic flours from around the world.
Who can't get on board with that one?
Whole Foods also says that 2020 might just be the best thing to happen to breakfast and
snacking in a long, long time.
Why?
Butters and spreads are poised to not just take over grocery store shelves, but to get
really, really wild.
We're used to peanut butter and even almond butter, but how about pumpkin butter?
Chickpea butter?
Watermelon seed butter?
Heck yes.
"You shall receive butter's luxurious comfort in your mouth, without adding to the luxury
of your waistline."
It's going to up our bagel game, make toast way more interesting, and you know that one
person that always brings a veggie platter to a cookout or a football game?
They're going to be bringing along some fun butters and spreads that are going to make
even the most stalwart carnivore reach for the celery.
Beer's stranglehold on the canned booze market is set to loosen in 2020, with a huge variety
of pop-top spritzers, wines, and cocktails starting to gain traction.
According to Global NewsWire, we might not just be on the cusp of a trend for the year
— they're looking at a decades-long trend that's going to see canned cocktails increase
exponentially in popularity.
The front-runners are expected to be canned cocktails with fruit additives, which will
be neck-and-neck with canned cocktails that come with caffeine.
And according to The Atlantic, canned cocktails are pretty much the perfect fit for millennials.
They're convenient, recyclable, and they're much cheaper than getting a drink at a bar.
That's also going to be the case with spiked seltzers.
According to Business Insider, the spiked seltzer market was worth around $550 million
by the end of 2019, and that's not too shabby at all.
But analysts say that's just the start of things, and by the time 2021 rolls around,
they're estimating it's going to be worth a whopping $2.5 billion.
That's a lot of growth in a relatively short time, and that means a lot of Instagram photos.
White Claw is leading the way, and at the end of 2019 they clocked an impressive 223
percent growth.
They're not the only ones in the game, Anheuser-Busch [AN-hy-zer BUSH] is jumping into the - um…
water?
With their own clear sparkling alcohol, creatively called: Bud Light Seltzer.
But here's the hilarious thing spiked seltzer is not new.
If you're of a certain age, you might remember Zima.
"Are those free range burgers?
Who cares.
Have a Zima."
It was essentially spiked seltzer, but it was never cool or trendy.
It disappeared in 2008, but it's made a few modern appearances in limited release thanks
to the rising trend of alcoholic seltzer.
We're still not entirely sure that's a good thing.
"Can't I have a cool, refreshing Zima?
No Zima.
Shut your face about the Zima."
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