01.13.22
Flavor and ingredients supplier Kerry, has released the 2022 edition of its global taste charts for the U.S., as well as other regions including Canada, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Now more than a decade old, the company’s annual review of the food and beverage landscape relies on sales performance, consumer trends, foodservice influences, and internal culinary and mixology expertise to predict tastes for the coming year.
“Consumers remain the driving force behind a lot of the food and beverage innovation that will shape the industry in 2022,” Soumya Nair, global consumer research and insights director at Kerry, said. “There is no doubt that consumers will be seeking surprise and novelty in their food and drink choices. We are also witnessing an even greater consumer desire for sustainability, but to ensure that what they eat and drink is not only tasty, but better for the people and better for the planet.”
On a global level, the company has identified six key trends that will shape 2022 internationally:
Conventional Surprises
Challenging the norm, this is the consumer’s desire to seek comfort in food but with an added element of surprise from their classic favorites. As an example, Kerry said that chocolate milkshakes would gain added appeal with surprise flavors such as lavender.
License to Thrill
Consumers want to satiate their sense of adventure with food, Kerry said, as a result of the lack of spontaneity due to the pandemic. This could include international flavors such as zaatar, Aleppo pepper, or Sakura (Japanese cherry blossom).
Tasty, but Healthy
Consumers desire to be healthy, and are looking for health-forward foods and beverages for their focus on immune support, gut health, and probiotics. Taste remains at the core, and now people want the best of both worlds – sugar free, lower carb, plant based, vegan, and diet-specific foods like keto, all without compromises on taste.
Consumers want collagen, nootropics, and adaptogens from their food and beverages that come with indulgent, nostalgic, and comfort flavors that they crave. Botanicals such as sage, rosemary, lavender, and citrus blossoms are set to be popular in combination with classic flavors, especially in beverages linked to emotional wellness. “Think beyond beverages, but across salty and sweet food alike across the globe,” Kerry reports.
Authentic Memories
Consumers are experiencing nostalgia, and want comfort indulgence with authentic flavors and ingredients from the past. Flavors like custard, breakfast cereal, sultana, and fudge are on the rise in the sweet category as consumers return to old favorites, Kerry said.
Provenance with a Conscience
More than 50% of consumers focus on and prioritize sustainability in food and beverages, Kerry said. Building on long-term traction, there. Will be an increase in ingredients and flavors sustainably sourced from transparent origins. This means regional and seasonally-derived products that impact communities, environments, and the planet. And while consumers still want chocolate and extracts like vanilla, they want to know how and where they are sourced, and how this sourcing benefits communities.
Over the Top Indulgence
Consumers desire indulgence from everyday snacks and sweets during social occasions or when celebrating special moments, Kerry reports. Think flavors that invoke a deep sense of indulgence such as chocolates, caramel, sweet forward flavors, and cravings for meals from restaurants that consumers couldn’t visit mid-pandemic.
Stateside
On the U.S. flavor front, Kerry said that trends accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to develop further and become more sophisticated in 2022. The company leverages a mix of sources, such as product launch activity, restaurant/café menus, and research reports, alongside its proprietary insights engines including Trendspotter to peer into social media influencer content.
Overall wellness and health, combined with cravings for more novel flavors will continue to be led by consumers seeking fun and surprise from their foods and beverages in the U.S., the company projects. Global influences, such as furikake and sambal, will also continue to be important (furikake has grown by 103% on restaurant menus versus four years ago, for example).
Expect indulgence and comfort trends to also take hold in the U.S., through traditional flavors such as chocolate and other sweet tastes. As consumers begin to return to foodservice chains forced to close during the pandemic, tastes such as tahini, alcohol and cocktail-inspired, and saffron are emerging in sweet foods and treats. Tahini alone has grown 15.3% on restaurant menus, compared to four years ago, the company reports.
When it comes to the focus on gut health, immune support, and emotional well-being, consumers are looking to foods and beverages with flavors such as turmeric, which has seen a 129% increase on restaurant menus vs. four years ago.
“Emerging flavors and ingredients paint a picture of the proactive consumer, looking for functionally-forward food and beverages that help them achieve their overall health and wellness goals,” Nair said. “Additionally, in the current travel-deprived marketplace, people want to travel through their tastebuds—with authentic original Asian and Indian flavors set to make a bold comeback in emerging foods and drinks. While consumers turn to familiar favorites, this year we will see an increased hunger for new experiences and thrilling new flavors. We will see consumers seeking an element of surprise from traditional formats, as well as comfort. Brands can appeal to this desire for novelty by pairing emerging and up-and-coming flavors with old classics.”
Nair said that sustainable nutrition will also be an important driver in the U.S. for food and beverage products.
“Consumers are also actively seeking out sustainable food and beverage products that have a significantly positive impact on the planet as well as on their personal health and wellbeing, looking for products with consumer-friendly ingredients, clean label claims and locally and ethically sourced ingredients. In the charts, we see this demand through ingredients such as botanicals and spices ethically sourced from their country of origin (such as cloves, cardamom, tamarind, black pepper, lavender, etc.).
“Consumers remain the driving force behind a lot of the food and beverage innovation that will shape the industry in 2022,” Soumya Nair, global consumer research and insights director at Kerry, said. “There is no doubt that consumers will be seeking surprise and novelty in their food and drink choices. We are also witnessing an even greater consumer desire for sustainability, but to ensure that what they eat and drink is not only tasty, but better for the people and better for the planet.”
On a global level, the company has identified six key trends that will shape 2022 internationally:
Conventional Surprises
Challenging the norm, this is the consumer’s desire to seek comfort in food but with an added element of surprise from their classic favorites. As an example, Kerry said that chocolate milkshakes would gain added appeal with surprise flavors such as lavender.
License to Thrill
Consumers want to satiate their sense of adventure with food, Kerry said, as a result of the lack of spontaneity due to the pandemic. This could include international flavors such as zaatar, Aleppo pepper, or Sakura (Japanese cherry blossom).
Tasty, but Healthy
Consumers desire to be healthy, and are looking for health-forward foods and beverages for their focus on immune support, gut health, and probiotics. Taste remains at the core, and now people want the best of both worlds – sugar free, lower carb, plant based, vegan, and diet-specific foods like keto, all without compromises on taste.
Consumers want collagen, nootropics, and adaptogens from their food and beverages that come with indulgent, nostalgic, and comfort flavors that they crave. Botanicals such as sage, rosemary, lavender, and citrus blossoms are set to be popular in combination with classic flavors, especially in beverages linked to emotional wellness. “Think beyond beverages, but across salty and sweet food alike across the globe,” Kerry reports.
Authentic Memories
Consumers are experiencing nostalgia, and want comfort indulgence with authentic flavors and ingredients from the past. Flavors like custard, breakfast cereal, sultana, and fudge are on the rise in the sweet category as consumers return to old favorites, Kerry said.
Provenance with a Conscience
More than 50% of consumers focus on and prioritize sustainability in food and beverages, Kerry said. Building on long-term traction, there. Will be an increase in ingredients and flavors sustainably sourced from transparent origins. This means regional and seasonally-derived products that impact communities, environments, and the planet. And while consumers still want chocolate and extracts like vanilla, they want to know how and where they are sourced, and how this sourcing benefits communities.
Over the Top Indulgence
Consumers desire indulgence from everyday snacks and sweets during social occasions or when celebrating special moments, Kerry reports. Think flavors that invoke a deep sense of indulgence such as chocolates, caramel, sweet forward flavors, and cravings for meals from restaurants that consumers couldn’t visit mid-pandemic.
Stateside
On the U.S. flavor front, Kerry said that trends accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to develop further and become more sophisticated in 2022. The company leverages a mix of sources, such as product launch activity, restaurant/café menus, and research reports, alongside its proprietary insights engines including Trendspotter to peer into social media influencer content.
Overall wellness and health, combined with cravings for more novel flavors will continue to be led by consumers seeking fun and surprise from their foods and beverages in the U.S., the company projects. Global influences, such as furikake and sambal, will also continue to be important (furikake has grown by 103% on restaurant menus versus four years ago, for example).
Expect indulgence and comfort trends to also take hold in the U.S., through traditional flavors such as chocolate and other sweet tastes. As consumers begin to return to foodservice chains forced to close during the pandemic, tastes such as tahini, alcohol and cocktail-inspired, and saffron are emerging in sweet foods and treats. Tahini alone has grown 15.3% on restaurant menus, compared to four years ago, the company reports.
When it comes to the focus on gut health, immune support, and emotional well-being, consumers are looking to foods and beverages with flavors such as turmeric, which has seen a 129% increase on restaurant menus vs. four years ago.
“Emerging flavors and ingredients paint a picture of the proactive consumer, looking for functionally-forward food and beverages that help them achieve their overall health and wellness goals,” Nair said. “Additionally, in the current travel-deprived marketplace, people want to travel through their tastebuds—with authentic original Asian and Indian flavors set to make a bold comeback in emerging foods and drinks. While consumers turn to familiar favorites, this year we will see an increased hunger for new experiences and thrilling new flavors. We will see consumers seeking an element of surprise from traditional formats, as well as comfort. Brands can appeal to this desire for novelty by pairing emerging and up-and-coming flavors with old classics.”
Nair said that sustainable nutrition will also be an important driver in the U.S. for food and beverage products.
“Consumers are also actively seeking out sustainable food and beverage products that have a significantly positive impact on the planet as well as on their personal health and wellbeing, looking for products with consumer-friendly ingredients, clean label claims and locally and ethically sourced ingredients. In the charts, we see this demand through ingredients such as botanicals and spices ethically sourced from their country of origin (such as cloves, cardamom, tamarind, black pepper, lavender, etc.).
