2021 Food and Beverage Trends

The Top 10 Sources of Inspiration for Food & Beverage Product Developers in 2021

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 07:00:00 -0500

From news to new products, to trends and research, our audience found itself engaged with specific pieces of content throughout 2021. Here is a look what you, our audience, found most useful and inspirational in 2021.

Fi Europe Innovation Awards: Honoring Innovation by Food Ingredients Companies

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 09:00:00 -0500

During the Fi Europe Innovation Award Ceremony, which took place on the first day of the world's leading ingredients trade show Fi Europe, co-located with Hi Europe, in Frankfurt, six companies received a coveted award recognizing their achievements.

Nightfood Wins Real California Milk Excelerator Competition

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0500

Nightfood claimed a sweet victory as grand prize winner of the Real California Milk Excelerator dairy innovation competition during a live pitch event. The competition, created in 2019 by the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) and VentureFuel to fuel innovation in new dairy product development, is a global search for the best emerging products to bring to market using California milk and dairy ingredients.

Tate & Lyle Reveals Key Global Consumer Trends Driving Food, Beverage Product Innovation

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 12:00:00 -0500

Top Honors at FoodBytes! Pitch 2021: 3Bar Biologics Inc., Paragon Pure and Great Wrap Take

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 12:00:00 -0500

Each winner was selected based on their validated business model, track record of commercial viability, collaborative mindset, and a robust and diverse team to drive meaningful change in their respective sectors - AgTech, Food Tech and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG).

Funding the Future of Food

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 14:30:00 -0400

Formulators Find Innovative Spirit in Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Market

federd@bnpmedia.com (David Feder , RDN) — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 18:00:00 -0400

While the alcohol-free cocktail trend started a good half-decade or more before the 2020 onset of social disruption, lockdowns, and domino-like closings of clubs, pubs, and restaurants, those upheavals certainly contributed to the rapid rise in consumers choosing to teetotal. Somewhat. Throughout the past two years, consumption of alcohol beverages also rose markedly.

Sugar Concerns US Consumers More Than Sodium

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 11:00:00 -0400

When it comes to the Nutrition Facts label on the back of food packaging, sugar ranks at the top of what adult consumers look for on the label. Consumers look for calories after sugar on the label; 45% look for calories. Sodium ranks third, with 38% of adult consumers searching for sodium content.

Trends in Premium Coffee Innovation

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 10:00:00 -0400

Flavorchem, a key supplier of coffee extracts including cold brew concentrates, released some of the top trends fueling premium coffee innovation.

Q&A with Chef Eric Nakata

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 05:00:00 -0400

Prepared Foods talks coffee ingredient and beverage trends with Chef Eric Nakata, a 20-year food and beverage industry culinary expert.

What Will Retail Stores Look Like in 2040?

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 13:00:00 -0400

eCommerce drove 75% of the $3 trillion growth in global retail sales over the past decade, according to Euromonitor. This digital transformation is forcing retailers to redefine the use of traditional stores to enable immersive, personalized and optimized shopping environments.

Demand for Fresh Food Shows No Signs of Slowing Down

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 05:00:00 -0400

For 90% of consumers, price continues to be the top purchase driver for fresh. The combination of recent inflation and the perception that frozen food costs less (held by 62% of consumers) is attracting more consumers to frozen alternatives.

Taking Food Concepts to the Next Level

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 14:30:00 -0400

By using behavioral insights and co-creation at this crucial stage, you can avoid wasting time and money, and build a concept from which you can measure the potential to impact people's lives.

IRI, NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business Partner to Expand New Research

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 12:30:00 -0400

“Despite significant price premiums, sustainability-marketed products grew far faster than conventionally branded players and had lower price sensitivity in two-thirds of categories examined,” said Randi Kronthal-Sacco, senior scholar, marketing and corporate outreach, NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business.

Beverage Market Outlook 2021: Retail Beverage Trends & Consumption Preferences

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 09:00:00 -0400

Beverage retail sales spiked in 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus as consumers ate and drank virtually everything at home.

Frito-Lay Launches Industrially Compostable Bags for Off The Eaten Path Brand

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 14:00:00 -0400

The compostable bags are currently available at Whole Foods Market and select retailers starting this month and are an example of PepsiCo's investments in breakthrough food packaging technology and the overall pep+ transformation.

Stacy's Pita Chips Partners with Hello Sunshine To Amplify Female Founders

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 07:00:00 -0400

Stacy's Pita Chips is continuing its commitment to helping female founders be found by partnering with Oscar winning actress and producer Reese Witherspoon and the media company she founded, Hello Sunshine, to spotlight the 10 inspiring winners of the 2021 Stacy's Rise Project.

FoodBytes! Names 45 Standout Startups Selected for Pitch 2021

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 11:00:00 -0400

Since originally launching in 2015, FoodBytes! Pitch has become a go-to experience for startups looking to validate and grow their businesses, generate global industry exposure, and access invaluable mentorship, as well as corporate and investor connections.

Fundamental Changes for the Future of Food Innovation

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 15:00:00 -0400

Listen to a discussion with Anne Greven, global head of food and agribusiness innovation, Rabobank, in advance of her presentation at Prepared Foods New Products Conference, Sept. 13-14 in Dallas.

Active Consumers Seek Food as Fuel

luann.williams@innovami.com (Lu Ann Williams) — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 14:00:00 -0400

Snacks represent a huge and diverse market as eating patterns have become less formal. Consumer demand for physical and mental energy boosts through the day continues to increase. In combination, these trends leads to growing demands for snacks with energizing properties.

A Home-Centric Lifestyle for US Consumers to Continue Long-term

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 09:00:00 -0400

Most analyses during the pandemic have focused on discerning its impact on consumer behavior and forecasting how this might change going forward. However, before the pandemic structural changes in the workforce and the aging population already contributed to a home-centric lifestyle, and COVID accelerated it, reports The NPD Group.

Vroom Delivery, Tortoise Partner with Urban Value Corner

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 10:00:00 -0400

Convenience industry e-commerce provider, Vroom Delivery has partnered with last-mile delivery robot operator, Tortoise—founded by a former Uber executive—and Dallas convenience retailer Urban Value Corner Store to bring on-demand delivery of thousands of products to consumers' doors in the coming months.

SEPT. 14 Opening Keynote Speaker: Marianne O’Shea, VP-Global Nutrition Science, PepsiCo

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 10:00:00 -0400

In advance of New Products Conference, Sept. 13-14 in Dallas, Prepared Foods caught up with Marianne O’Shea to discuss a few key topics linking new product development and nutrition.

Soupergirl Wins Business Competition Run by Kroger

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0400

Soupergirl—the plant-based soup and gazpacho company based in Washington, DC—was one of five winning contestants of Kroger’s new "Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator," a national competition that ended with a Sharktank-like business presentation in front of a panel of judges in Cincinnati.

Sept. 14 Closing Keynote Panel: Novel Ingredients, Next-Gen Proteins And “Planting” The Flag For What’s Next

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 13:30:00 -0400

There’s probably no more dynamic food topic than protein and novel ingredients. Fast-paced technology gains already have ushered in protein revolution across virtually all plant-based sources. Likewise, new novel and cell-based protein technologies are edging even closer to marketplace prototypes.

Consumers Weigh Product “Storytelling” Attributes with Each Purchase

luann.williams@innovami.com (Lu Ann Williams) — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0400

Transparency has become increasingly important to consumers and this has only been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, consumer packaged goods manufacturers are working harder to convey trust and communicate more stories behind their products and brands. This messaging—found everywhere from product packaging to social media and websites—involves topics of ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship and “clean” healthy ingredients.

Kroger Announces 2021 Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator Cohort

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 06:30:00 -0400

Earlier this year, Kroger invited growers and producers to join the retailer's first Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator. In collaboration with Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing and RangeMe, Kroger reviewed more than 1,000 applications, selecting 15 finalists to participate in a pitch competition.

A Naturally Sweeter Approach to Reducing Sugar in Food & Beverages

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 05:00:00 -0400

Innova Market Insights’ latest Ingredient Insider report analyzes trends in sugar reduction and the use of sweeteners in food and beverages. The report includes market and consumer research, new product activity and the use of sugar-related claims in food and beverages.

SKU Selects Later-Stage Startups for Dallas 2021 Cohort

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 11:00:00 -0400

SKU, an accelerator for consumer packaged goods (CPGs), has selected six companies for the second cohort of SKU Dallas. The startups represent a range of categories, including a cashew vegan queso, inventive mocktails and a subscription company that provides unique games for couples to connect.

Listen & Learn: Innovation Insights at New Products Conference

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 17:00:00 -0400

The nation’s COVID pandemic dramatically slowed new food and beverage product development across all channels. Yet the past 12 to 16 months also have brought dramatic and disruptive new technology advances (alternative proteins, cell-based meat, fermentation, algae).