What we will eat, drink and the ingredients to watch
What will we eat and drink in the coming 18 months ?
The previous years were marked with sparkling waters, some with low alcohol, foods with benefits, and an increasing product variety of alternative foods like oat milk and soybean burger patties. I am taking a closer look at what we will eat and drink in 2020/2021, and thereafter.
Foods
Allulose, the sweetener that will not be listed as sugar. Regular sugar is split into glucose und fructose. Then enzymes are deployed to seperate allulose from fructose. Two main reasons are justifying the use and an increasing market share of it in the coming years. The FDA will not require manufacturers to list allulose as an ingredient but instead leave its listing at their discretion. It will only be included in the total amount of carbohydrates on the Nutrition Facts label with a caloric value of 0.4 per gram, compared to sugar which is given a caloric value of 4 per gram (technically 3.87kcal/g). This will give it a signifcant advantage to market products with less calories while maintaining the same level of perceived sweetness among consumers.
Carob, part of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is naturally sweet, free from gluten, high in fiber, calcium, iron, protein and the amino acid hydroxyproline / HYP. This amino acid is important for collagen production. It is said to have the potential to decrease fine lines and wrinkles when used topically. Also, hydroxyproline binds water and therefore can be easily added to ready to drink beverages, baked goods and much more.
CBD will continue to be added across more products, not just as edibles and cookies. That said, there are still perceived regulatory issues and the majority of consumers have reservations towards it.
Chickpea, and no, it is not about hummus. Driving the demand for chickpea will be chickpea flour and aquafaba. The flour will be present in products such as flatbread and pizza like products and ride on the Mediterranean / middle eastern food craze. Aquafaba can be used as a base similar to milk and applied to plant-based variants of ice cream and cream.
Copaiba, it is a stimulant oleoresin from pinnate-leaved South American leguminous trees. Copaiba is used in making varnishes and lacquers. It is linked to various benefits such as being anti-inflammatory, pain relief and is used to treat a wide variety of infections, gonorrhea, and strep throat. Along with no regulatory issues as of today, it is safe to say that it will go mainstream as an added benefit ingredient with its sweet and what some describe as woodsy.
Virgin olive oil is making a come back. Yes, the thousands of year old oil that has been very popular in the 90s and 00s gets back on the table and will be used more frequently. Thank scientists for it. They have discovered the parts of olive oil that make it so beneficial for consumers and in today’s media landscape, scientific claims drive consumer purchases. In this case, it is due to two compounds. One is elenolide, a compound that has (potential) antihypertensive properties. The second is tyrosol, a phenylethanoid and natural phenol, which as an antioxidant in olive oil is not the most potent, but among the highest concentrated ones that has shown to have cardiovascular benefits in a randomized, controlled trial.
Beverages
Alcohol-free spirits and liquors. I have extensively written about the increasing demand for non-alcoholic drinks that provide the same pleasure in taste and drinking to consumers. From Diageo’s Seedlip acquisition to Xachoh’s latest №5 and №7 spirits. Both contain no alcohol, sugar, sweeteners, calories, extracts, carbohydrates, gluten, or fat.
Functional beverages such as EauLab’s water products. Their four products are marketed to have specific consumer benefits, from added proteins to ingredients associated with well being.
Wine, well not the wine you and I know. O.Vine upcycles grape skins and seeds from the winemaking process and according to the company’s website “captures their hidden taste, aroma, color and antioxidants”. The result is an alcohol-free liquid that gets blended with still / sparkling water to produce Red/White Wine Essence Water and grape specific Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay variants. O.Vine’s products are also labeled as sulfite-free.
There is more
The demand for plant-based alternatives will continue to increase, on both the demand and supply side. Mindful consumption of food and beverages from alcohol, to meat, to in the future, fruits, and vegetables. I have not yet seen the indicators scrutiny on produce, but given the fact that avocados require immense amounts of water, fruits are shipped around the globe to provide the consumer with more choice even if said fruits are not only not in season but in some cases could even ever be produced in the consumer’s region. The global consciousness for increasing temperatures and higher awareness of the importance of food for our well being will be primarily driving what we eat and how we produce it in the coming years with occasional cultural events such as the Latin music movement and free trade agreements promoting Mezcal, as well as the Tokyo Olympics 2020 giving indicated trends such as sake / Japanese whiskey a push.
I will in an upcoming piece illustrate where this might lead us and why food as a service is not just a pitch that might sound enticing to venture capitalists but could be the actual future of food in the coming decades. Thank you for reading this piece and if you liked it follow me here and on Twitter to stay up to date and subscribe to my weekly newsletter.
