Up-And-Coming Ingredient Trends in Foodservice

Trends in the food industry are evolving at a rapid pace. Consumers are restless, getting increasingly bored with more of the same. With inflation limiting their budgets and how they can afford to spend their time, they’re looking to food brands to help them bring excitement and adventure to their daily lives.

Staying on top of the latest trends and trying to innovate to get ahead of the curve can be a challenge. One of the best ways that food brands can determine which trends are going to be worth innovating around is by paying close attention to the trends that are showing growth in foodservice. In general, what starts trending in foodservice typically makes its way into retail. As consumers become acquainted with emerging trends in foodservice, they tend to expect that retail brands will innovate with these trends too.

So, what trends in foodservice should retail food brands be paying attention to right now? Keep reading for our experts’ insights into what’s trending in foodservice and how food brands can draw inspiration from up-and-coming foodservice trends.

It’s All About Greens

The plant-based food trend continues to be growing in popularity in both foodservice and retail. Foodservice is setting the trends, with many emerging plant-based ingredients first being introduced in menu items. Right now, greens, like spinach and kale, are picking up steam in foodservice, with operators finding innovative and different ways of incorporating them into menu items.

Green juices and smoothies are among the menu items that are winning favor with consumers. Health-conscious consumers have been eager to try new ways of incorporating more plants into their diets, and these beverages allow them to do just that.

How can retail food brands get in on this trend? One option is to innovate around kale and spinach. Think a kale and green apple seasoning for popcorn or a spinach and matcha milkshake mix. Another option is to get inspired by popular green juice menu items and translate them into flavors for snacks, dairy, desserts and more.

With consumers trying to incorporate more green foods into their diets, it comes as no surprise that green herbs are also seeing a major uptick in popularity. According to Mintel, herbs like cilantro, basil, and dill are seeing substantial increases in menu item mentions. Retail food brands should consider incorporating these herbs into their products to appeal to health-conscious consumers.

One option? Add herbs to an already better-for-you product to help it stand out on grocery store shelves. Think a cilantro lime cauliflower rice or a lemon dill vinaigrette for salads. Another option would be to feature herbs in products traditionally not perceived to be healthy to give them the much-coveted health halo. Think tomato basil cheese puffs or dill and feta potato chips.

Spicy Global Ingredients

Two of the most influential trends influencing the food industry right now are the global cuisine trend and the hot and spicy flavor trend. These days food items that embrace multiple trends are winning big with consumers, so it’s no surprise that spicy flavors from trendy international cuisines are showing growth in foodservice.

You could say this trend started with sriracha, which helped introduce consumers to spicy global condiments, pushed Asian cuisine into the spotlight, and paved the way for other hot and spicy international condiments like harissa and gochujang to hit the mainstream. Recently, in foodservice, we’ve been seeing the emergence of more exotic spicy global condiments, such Yemeni zhug, Chinese chili oil, and Syrian muhammara. Chili oil, for example, grew 50% in menu item mentions between Q4 2019 and Q4 2022, according to Mintel.

Exotic peppers that are commonly featured in global cuisines are also showing growth in foodservice. Brands should consider bringing the flavors of trending global spicy condiments and exotic hot peppers to everything from snacks and sauces to proteins and prepared meals to deliver the heat that consumers are craving.

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