10 Things You Should Know: May
May 30, 2017Click here to get the full 10 Things report!
1. Global Sandwiches
Are on the rise! The Banh Mi sandwich has seen over 390% growth since 2012 followed by the Spanish/Italian inspired Torta sandwich which has seen 126% growth since 2012. | Datassential
2. Charcoal
Charcoal as an ingredient is making its way from the beauty aisle into beverages and even ice cream. Several restaurant cocktail menus in NY have featured charcoal such as Mission Chinese Food, the Wayland, and Goodnight Sonny. | Bloomberg
3. Kanafeh
Is what happens when Baklava meets mozzarella sticks. A dessert popular across the Middle East that is a base of gooey, stretchy, and slightly salty cheese topped with generously buttered kataifi (golden shreds of phyllo), spritzed with spiced syrup, and baked until the cheese starts to ooze and the phyllo topping browns into a mass of irresistible crunch. | Saveur
4. Canned Cocktails
They are as easy as chilling your favorite beverage and can be shaken without any special bar tools. They offer the complexity of a mixed drink without the long grocery list. There are now over a dozen varieties available, from spiked lemonade to tonics to Cuba libres. Put one in your beach bag today! | Bon Appetit
5. Seaweed
Move over kale, seaweed seems to be taking your spot. This nutrient-rich, gluten-free and dairy-free food option is becoming more and more popular as consumers are become increasingly health-conscious. Since January 2012, seaweed products have increased 76% in North America and 147% in Europe. | Mic Network
6. The New Fruit Salad
Forget the days of cubed, mushy melon. Take some inspiration from these innovative fruit salads that Bon Appetit recommends. Pickled strawberries with beets & pistachios are tossed over burrata at Southbound in VA and apple and fennel over yogurt with crushed hazelnuts at Café Marie-Jeanne in Chicago.
7. Dragonfruit
Dragonfruit is showing growth in new product introductions with 350% growth from 2015-2016 in North America. We are spotting this tropical cactus fruit in energy drinks, teas and sparkling cocktails. | Mintel GNPD
8. Snacking
50% of all eating occasions are snacking! Modern eating styles are characterized by frequent snacking—so much so that 37% of the time, a snack provides one of the three most substantial eatings of the day for American consumers. As more individualized and customized occasions, snacks are more commonly consumed alone than meals are. | The Hartman Group
9. Poptails
Made by FrutaPop, small-batch cocktails (the brand cutely nicknamed them "poptails") are frozen into ice pops with about 5 percent alcohol each. They're available in 13 flavors, including coconut rosé sangria, watermelon margarita, rum and cherry coke, mimosa, and more. They’ve also got plain sparkling prosecco pops, too. | Delish
10. Kombucha has Competition
In just a few years kombucha went from slightly strange health food store potion to the corner store—ubiquitous beverage it is today. It already has plenty of competition, including tepache, which is a beloved as a hot weather thirst quencher in its native Mexico, tepache is made from pineapple peels that have been steeped in water along with brown sugar and spiced and is fermented for days. It has a funky sour flavor and probiotic health benefits. | Bon Appetit
FONA Can Help!
Let FONA’s market insight and research experts translate these trends into product category ideas for your brand. They can help you with concept and flavor pipeline development, ideation, consumer studies and white space analysis to pinpoint opportunities in the market.
Our flavor and product development experts are also at your service to help meet the labeling and flavor profile needs for your products to capitalize on this consumer trend. We understand how to mesh the complexities of flavor with your brand development, technical requirements and regulatory needs to deliver a complete taste solution. From concept to manufacturing, we’re here every step of the way.
Contact our Sales Service Department at 630.578.8600 to request a flavor sample or visit www.fona.com.