Nine emerging food trends ready to impact the foodscape reflect 2018’s core food values

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Dec. 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CCD Innovation, celebrating its 25^th year as a strategic food and beverage innovation agency in the San Francisco Bay Area, presents 2018 Food Trends That Matter, its outlook on the trends that will be attracting eaters’ attention and influencing new product innovation in 2018.

“These nine trends matter because they reflect 2018’s core food values grouped into three areas—Culinary Culture, The Source and Nutrition,” says Kara Nielsen, CCD Innovation’s Vice President, Trends & Marketing. “They also reveal what foods, beverages and ingredients are emerging to impact our foodscape in 2018. In each area, trends are mapped by maturity, ranging from those appearing on the horizon to others closer in view. This allows our clients to see ahead of the curve.”

2018 Food Trends That Matter

• Culinary Culture – Connecting to kitchen arts and practices here, there, everywhere
  • Cannabis Cuisine – Ready or not, modern and artisan THC- and CBD-enhanced cuisine goes beyond brownies in 2018 thanks to “potrepreneurs” at all levels.
  • Inspired Mexican Menus – Mexican-American and Mexican chefs alike are creating stunning and unique dishes inspired by tradition, local ingredients and personal visions.
  • Asian Treats & Sweets – Beloved dumplings and sweets like black sesame ice cream and pandan-scented desserts proliferate to delight modern palates.
   
• The Source – Where food is from, how it’s grown or produced
  • Biodynamically Grown – Beyond-organically grown ingredients emerge in plain sight and raise wine, cereal, tea and kids’ food to higher levels of earth-focused sustainability.
  • Ever Expanding Grains – Traditional, heritage and new varieties of grains are being cultivated with purpose, expanding choices, applications and flavor in baked goods, beer and plant milks.
  • Chicken Conundrum – Poultry-production questions and new raw bird choices puzzle diners also tempted with a plethora of delectable chicken dishes on the menu.
   
• Nutrition – Nutritive benefits for functional, dietary, medicinal and well-being needs
  • Amazing Algae – Food innovation abounds with all kinds of algae, a sustainable ingredient packed with nutrients and now being turned into everything from butter to “shrimp.”
  • Brain Fuel – To keep up with Big Data, robots and the 24/7 news cycle, consumers seek out potent energy sources to power their brains.
  • Alt-Sweet – Sugar is top of mind, whether added, natural or artificial; sweet alternatives include dates, monk fruit and new styles of stevia.

To learn more about these trends and examples of products dishes, restaurants and companies that reflect them, contact Kara Nielsen at kara@ccdinnovation.com; download our poster at http://ccdinnovation.news/2018-Food-Trends-That-Matter.

About CCD Innovation:
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, CCD Innovation is a strategic food and beverage innovation agency that blends culinary creativity with strategic marketing expertise. Our strength in identifying the latest food trends, from both culinary and consumer-behavior perspectives, makes us uniquely qualified to help our clients create food product solutions that satisfy consumer expectations. Follow @CCDInnovation on Twitter.