We’re excited to announce a new blog series here at AWG Sales Services. Each month a member of our social media team will publish a “Trending Now” blog post, highlighting the food trends we are seeing online that month.
What better way to start than with a quick overview of 2019 food trend predictions! After researching multiple sites and articles, I found a few major themes for the food trends you are likely to see in 2019.
Plants: Meatless Monday is more than a hashtag. More consumers are turning to plant-based foods or even plant-based meat alternatives, even if they aren’t strictly vegan or vegetarian. Whether it stems from a personal choice to not eat meat or reduce the meat in their diet due to environmental impacts, customers are adding more plant-based foods to their shopping carts.
Protein: Despite the growing interest in meat alternatives, protein is still a high priority for consumers as paleo and keto diets continue to grow in popularity. Higher protein and lower-carb are the main focus of these two diets and customers will be looking for different options to help them stick to their goals.
Probiotics: As more research comes out about the importance of gut health, consumers continue to look for products that include probiotics (good bacteria), as well as probiotic capsules. Fermented food and drinks like kimchi and kombucha are a popular source of probiotics, but more manufacturers are adding them to items like granola, oatmeal, soups and nutrition bars.
Low Sugar: Another diet-related trend is the growing trend to reduce or eliminate sugar. To do this, customers are turning to natural sweeteners like honey and agave. One article even mentioned that some products will be using monk fruit extract to replace sugar.
Cactus Water: I only saw this trend mentioned in one article but it sounded interesting! Cactus water is high in betalains, a type of antioxidant that is good for your skin. Move over coconut water!
We hope you enjoy this new blog series. If you have any suggestions for topics or you think we missed something on this list, let us know!
