2022 Food and Beverage Trends

RSS

The "crunch" factor was on top as an important component of the perfect snack in the latest Frito-Lay US Trend Index. The index polled consumers on their snacking preferences and found that more than 70% of snackers would reach for a food with a crunch when considering their perfect snack.

Insights from a two-and-a-half-year series of consumer sentiment tracking surveys by Rich Products (Rich’s) chart a clear course for retailers to capitalize on this momentum through more healthy options among their fresh bakery offerings, greater variety, and smaller, more affordable portion sizes. 

More than seven in 10 (71%) adult consumers, ages 18 and over, say they discover new products and brands in c-stores. Nearly four in 10 (38%) say they shop at c-stores two or more times a week, while overall, nearly two-thirds (62%) visit c-stores at least once a week.

Replacing sugar is more complex than simply replacing sweetness. Sugar carries flavor, enhances mouthfeel, provides bulk, is essential for browning through the Maillard reaction with amino acids, and attracts and retains moisture. In cookies and biscuits, for example, sugar interfaces with flour and fat to affect texture, firmness and spread. Without sugar, products may not crystallize properly, aerate, or set. 

Walmart’s Sam's Choice™ oatmilk chocolate bar; Albertsons’ Signature Reserve™ ravioli with porcini mushrooms and truffle; and biodegradable household cleaner from Sprouts Farmers Market are among PLMA’s 2022 Salute to Excellence award winners for store brand innovation. 

The company opened the world's first cultivated meat production line in Israel in 2021, becoming the first company to immortalize animal cells without any genetic modification and has pioneered a culture medium recycling technology that can reduce production costs and waste. 

Walmart is an early pioneer in the social commerce space and is always testing and learning in new channels, including shoppable livestreams, with the goal of better serving customers by meeting them when and how they want to shop. 

In its fourth year, the 2022 Real California Milk Excelerator advances innovation in its truest state: open. As one of the biggest dairy competitions in the world, the program sought early-stage applicants with high-growth potential that create a 50% cow’s milk-based product or working prototype.

The early stages of the pandemic disrupted this rhythm, and just as eating patterns were returning to pre-pandemic normalcy, food inflation set them on end again, reports The NPD Group in its recently released 2022 edition of Eating Patterns in America. 

Operators report that frozen foods offer solutions to many of the operational challenges they face in light of the ongoing supply chain and labor market disruptions.