10 Food and Beverage Industry Trends To Keep Your Eye On

Events are back! The Manna Tree investments team spent time in California in March, attending Expo West in Anaheim and Future Food Tech in San Francisco. Our team explored industry trends and discovered new brands. Sylvio Petto-Neto, Director at Manna, compiled his top ten of current trends we should keep an eye on…

1. Mushroom innovation- Fungi is the fun-guy… and it is everywhere. Mushrooms chips, mushroom jerky and functional mushroom drinks were a huge trend in many new product launches.
2. Plant-based alternatives- These mighty protein replacements still reign supreme. Replacing meat, poultry, fish and dairy with plants but offering similar texture and taste is the key to success here. Innovative products such as ice creams, pizzas, cookies, etc… are following the trend to be animal free.
3. Gluten-free alternatives- Brands continue to stick and expand in healthy snacks, breads, pizza, etc. Chickpea were among the top ingredients on a variety of gluten-free products.
4. Bye bye sugar- Huge focus on products with less or no sugar as well as the inclusion of functional ingredients in sweets and treats. Stevia is still dominant, but dates are being used as natural sweetener in several new food applications.
5. Ethnic food- There is buzz around ethnic food companies with the adoption of lesser-known staples such as jicama, cassava, jackfruit and sacha inchi.
6. Branded Water- Water but enhanced with natural flavors and bubbles. And no plastic. Big focus on reusable aluminum bottles and cans that were really eye catching.
7. Sustainable Packaging- Companies are focused on an eco-friendlier solution. There were several packaging companies with dedicated booths showing their innovation in sustainable packaging which is becoming top of mind for conscientious buyers.
8. Ingredient Consciousness- The promotion of functional ingredients was across the spectrum with several drinks and bars promoting immunity, gut health and other benefits.
9. Innovative Customer Targeting- Brands used creative branding and marketing tactics to attract specific buyers. Some companies had extremely innovative booths and were attracting lots of people to learn more about their products.
10. Responsible sourcing- Regenerative Agriculture is top of mind and continues its momentum with companies focusing on the origins of their ingredients and how they were sustainably sourced with focus on regenerative agriculture and soil conservation as well as animal welfare and social impact.