SEATTLE -- As American lifestyles becomes ever more mobile, foods will go along for the ride, according to industry experts on the Food & Beverage Specialty Team of MSLGROUP North America. In an annual list of 10 top food predictions, the MSLGROUP food experts expect that favorite foods will be made handy, portioned and personalized to mobile life in North America.
"Products like single-serve coffee pods, one-liter boxed wine and high-protein snack packs will come on stronger to add more portability and accommodate our snacking mania," said Steve Bryant, director of food and beverage for MSLGROUP North America. "In many cases, these innovations will also prove more sustainable, thanks to less food spoilage and lower energy demands for transportation."
Experts on MSLGROUP North America's specialized food PR and marketing team watch trends, follow industry research, and counsel America's food industry from farm to fork. They also lead the industry in tracking how social media influences food and beverage choices.
According to Joy Blakeslee , a registered dietitian who directs the MSLGROUP North America Culinary & Nutrition Center, the agency's Clicks & Cravings study earlier this year showed just how dramatically social media is shifting the food landscape. "We see social media as a food trend accelerator, permitting new foods and food ideas or issues to be quickly popularized," said Blakeslee.
MSLGROUP's top 10 food trend predictions for 2013:
1.) Coffee: Stronger Than Ever. As the No. 1 source of antioxidants in the U.S. diet, coffee is still buzz-worthy. Coffee is noteworthy for a wealth of recent positive health research, near ubiquitous demographic appeal and greater than 100% recent growth in the single-serve coffee category.
2.) Trendy Preservation. Cured, brined, pickled and fermented items are popping up on restaurant menus and in upscale groceries. Look for Korean kimchi, brined Moroccan lemons, citrus cured Peruvian ceviche and pickled Mexican carrots. Turns out "fresh" isn't the "be all, end all." Can a revival of frozen foods be far behind?
3.) Stealthy Healthy. Food scientists and chefs are stirring up palate pleasing salt alternatives, healthier types of fats and new natural no-calorie sweeteners like monk fruit. These ingredients will create better-for-you packaged foods that taste-sensitive consumers won't even notice.
4.) Wine-In-A-Box Gone Wild. Boxed wine offers savings thanks to lower shipping costs, and it eliminates the risk of oxidation found in "corked" wine. Expect higher-quality wine producers to join the pack and single-serve options to multiply in order to cater to Millennials and the vast solo household market.
5.) Fantasy Food Sharing. "Here, have a bite" once meant sharing food. Now we're sharing bytes by the billions as food photo sharing skyrockets on social media sites like Pinterest (where food pins trump all other categories), Taste Spotting and Food Gawker. The "connected table" trend of 2012 continues to grow in 2013.
6.) No-Facts-Barred Food Labeling. Food and politics will continue to collide as consumers advocate for right-to-know food labeling transparency and ingredient disclosure around issues such as biotechnology and origin.
7.) Protein on the Go. With snacks now accounting for half of all meal occasions, look for an explosion of protein-fortified bars, beverages and salty snacks (such as bean chips). Next up: High-protein products specially formulated for men and women.
8.) Bitter Flavors. Bitterness adds balance, complexity and sophistication to foods and beverages. It's a grown-up taste that's often a mark of antioxidants. Find it naturally present in whole foods such as endive and salad greens or in beverages such as coffee, cocktail bitters or liquors. A bellwether: Sales of famously bitter Campari liquor are already up by 16% since last year.
9.) Off with the White Table Cloth! The casualization of dining will expand as gourmet street food and food truck fare influence sit-down dining menus. People want more casual experiences, even at higher price points.
10.) Coconut Crazy. Workout junkies love the natural electrolytes found in coconut water, while dairy avoiders are taking to creamy coconut milk beverages. Natural foods retailers are now even stocking up on coconut oil--it's highly saturated, but proponents claim it somehow "burns fat." And that's why we call it a craze.
MSLGROUP, Seattle, is Publicis Groupe's strategic communications and engagement group, advisors in all aspects of communication strategy: from consumer PR to financial communications, from public affairs to reputation management and from crisis communications to event management.
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