Series: Top Food Trends That Influenced The Past Decade

August 22, 2023

The food industry is constantly evolving with the ongoing introduction of new products, services, and technologies. It’s both an exciting and, at times, unpredictable industry. Yet, if you’re a food manufacturer, analyzing and understanding past product successes and failures from a historical, industry-wide trend perspective can help guide product ideation in the future. As food fads come and go – serving a purpose or need for a short period of time – there are tried-and-true trends that have lasted decades and/or progressed to meet the needs of the ever-changing times and consumer preferences.

Utilizing industry insights provides vital, relevant data that helps inform and tailor strategies to align with the fluidity of the marketplace and targeted audiences. In this first blog of our latest series, Top Food Trends That Influenced The Past Decade, we’ll examine how trends from the past ten years have influenced the food industry, meeting fluctuating consumer or market needs, and how these trends may help shape the future of food.

Avocado Toast:

With growth led by Millennials, Avocado Toast had quickly risen in popularity year over year within the past decade, becoming both a menu staple and an at-home go-to meal. Minimal ingredients and easy prep combined with avocado’s inherent status as a superfood, has given Avocado Toast indefinite staying power. It is both a meal and a snack and allows chefs and culinary enthusiasts to layer on flavor by incorporating simple twists with unique ingredients, and toppings, or by swapping out traditional toasted bread for other carriers.

Takeaway: There is still plenty of potential to leverage this trend. Help your restaurant customers plan their menus by providing Avocado Toast recipes that integrate fresh ingredients with your products to add a signature twist to this menu staple.

CBD:

According to Grand View Research, the global cannabidiol (CBD) market size was valued at USD 6.4 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.2% from 2023 to 2030. CBD-based products’ growth initially came from the pharmaceutical industry which touted CBD’s inherent health benefits such as reducing pain, inflammation, and anxiety. Over the past couple of years, the food and beverage industry has taken a share in its growth and its medicinal qualities with the introduction of CBD-based baked goods, candy, gum, chocolate, and coffee products.

Takeaway: The possibilities are endless for both B2B and B2C segments. As more consumers learn about the benefits CBD oils deliver, you can meet this growing consumer demand with the development of CBD-infused products for both restaurant and retail sectors and look to forming partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and wholesalers alike.

Nashville Hot/Fried Chicken:

As a result of the battle of the QSR fried chicken sandwich, Nashville Hot Chicken emerged and instantly became a hot menu item, both literally and figuratively. By the end of 2022, Datassential reported that Nashville Hot had a +297% menu penetration over the prior four years. As its popularity increased, so did its movement into casual dining restaurants and its presence in other menu categories such as Nashville Hot-style burritos, wraps, halal, cauliflower, burgers, cheese curds, and more.

Takeaway: Consumer acceptance of spicy foods shows no sign of slowing down. While Nashville Hot appeals to a wide range of taste buds, Gen Z and millennial consumers have the highest awareness. Future product innovation that complements this trend and caters to these demographics can help boost the success of new Nashville Hot-style products in the marketplace.

Poke/Poke Bowls:

In 2016, a new “bowl” surfaced on the food scene – Poke Bowls. This traditional Hawaiian cuisine quickly made its way onto mainstream menus passing previous trends like grain, açaí, and smoothie bowls. Poke-specific QSR and fast-casual spots materialized rapidly to meet growing demand. Technomic data shows that poke appears within the mainstream stage as an ingredient and the mature stage as a bowl in terms of menu penetration and is predicted to have flat penetration growth by 2025.

Takeaway: While this trend grew swiftly in the past few years, Poke and its portable bowl counterpart may be reaching their peak. Still, its healthy halo perception could keep this trend steady for the time being as consumers seek foods that align with their health and wellness lifestyles.

Desserts:

Americans are sweet on dessert. In fact, the global frozen desserts market is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 100.1 Billion by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2022 to 2032, according to FMI data. Within the past decade, a few dessert innovations have risen to the top in popularity, indulging dessert lovers beyond traditional, beloved mainstays such as pies and cakes.

• Fro-Yo, while first popular in the 1980s, made a comeback in the mid-2010s as consumers started seeking healthier indulgent options on the go. An abundance of retail stores opened with patrons flocking to build their own yogurt-based desserts. However, in 2020, according to the USDA, frozen yogurt production was down 47%. Popularity is cyclical – every 10 years frozen yogurt has a resurgence.

Takeaway: Yogurt and its frozen cousin will continue to be craved by consumers. With new flavors, ingredients, and product innovation, we can expect this category to reign in the dessert industry once again within the next 10 years.

• Doughnuts became the “new cupcake” in the 2010s bringing doughnut shops like Krispy Kreme to national attention. Alternative formats such as the Cronut, invented by Pastry Chef Dominique Ansel, and the VooDoo Donut emerged, inspiring manufacturers, restaurants, and retailers to offer new innovative variations of this beloved consumer favorite. Today, IBISWorld estimates a slow growth rate of 0.8% in 2023.

Takeaway: Tough competition among doughnut shops will force manufacturers and operators to reinvent their offerings and differentiate themselves. New flavors and formats could ignite future category growth.

• Cookies, due to their nostalgic qualities, portability, value, and simplicity, cookies have had a long history as one of the most sought-after desserts and snacks. In the past 6 years, chains like Crumbl Cookie have stirred up the cookie industry. Crumbl first opened in 2017 in Logan, Utah, and has grown to a franchise with over 700 locations in 45+ states. Menu rotation with new recipes each week, along with a couple of fan-favorite staples, keeps consumers coming back. Celebrity endorsements and live TikTok taste tests have further engaged patrons and helped encourage weekly in-store traffic. In addition, 3rd party delivery services add even greater convenience when placing orders online.

Takeaway: The Cookies Market size is expected to grow from USD 11.13 billion in 2023 to USD 17.20 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 9.10% during the forecast period (2023-2028). Bakeries that focus on innovation such as fortifying cookies with functional, low-fat, and sugar-free ingredients will reach a larger consumer base, based on predictions from Mordor Intelligence.

Industry Takeaways: Plant-based desserts, dessert boards, coffee and tea-infused desserts, and themed 3D cakes are expected to dominate the category in 2023 and beyond. Consider these future trends during new product ideation or when helping your restaurant partners with menu planning.

In summary, considering the growth or stagnation of past food trends can influence future food innovations and from a market threshold perspective, help identify which categories have staying power and room for growth versus momentary fads that fit current times. As your dedicated full-service agency, we immerse ourselves in every facet of the food and beverage industry, taking an insights-driven, market-relevant approach to help guide our clients’ marketing strategies and new product development. Connect with us today to discover how we can bring progressive and practical solutions to your business.

Be sure to stop back every Friday to read our Weekly Roundup blog and watch for the next blog in this series, Top Food Trends That Influenced The Past Decade – Beverages, coming next month.

Related Blogs: 2023 Restaurant Leadership Conference: 10 Key Learnings

Sources:

• The 45 Biggest Food Trends of the Past 45 Years, Food and Wine, 12/22/2022 https://www.foodandwine.com/news/40-biggest-food-trends

• Keep or Toss? The 25 Food Trends That Defined the Past 25 Years, All Recipes, 10/19/2022 https://www.allrecipes.com/longform/25-years-of-food-trends/

• Top Food Trends For Every Decade Of The Last 100 Years, TastingTable, Updated 5/24/23 https://www.tastingtable.com/1294647/top-food-trends-every-decade-last-hundred-years/

• Top 20 Flavor Trends of the Past Decade, In-Sight by Symrise https://in-sight.symrise.com/article/top-20-flavor-trends-of-the-past-decade

• The 30 biggest food trends of the last decade, Insider, 12/5/2019 https://www.insider.com/biggest-food-industry-trends-of-the-last-decade-2019-11

• MENU, NATIONAL FOOD TRENDS, POKE; Technomic data, August 14, 2023

• Cannabidiol Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Source Type (Hemp, Marijuana), By Sales Type (B2B, B2C), By End-use (Medical, Personal Use), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 – 2030 https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/cannabidiol-cbd-market#:~:text=Report%20Overview,16.2%25%20from%202023%20to%202030

• Nashville Hot converges two big food trends, NRN staff, Datassential. | Dec 12, 2022 https://www.nrn.com/consumer-trends/nashville-hot-converges-two-big-food-trends/gallery?slide=4

• ON THE LINE / INDUSTRY NEWS / TOP 10 DESSERT TRENDS AND STATISTICS FOR 2023. https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/dessert-trends-and-statistics

• The global frozen desserts market is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 100.1 Billion by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2022 to 2032 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/frozen-desserts-market#:~:text=The%20global%20frozen%20desserts%20market,US%24%20138%20Billion%20in%202021

• Doughnut Stores Industry in the US – Market Research Report, updated: April 24, 2023. https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/doughnut-stores-industry/

• COOKIES MARKET SIZE & SHARE ANALYSIS – GROWTH TRENDS & FORECASTS (2023 – 2028) https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/cookies-market

• Crumbl Cookies expand across the nation, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery https://www.snackandbakery.com/articles/108967-crumbl-cookies-expands-across-the-nation