The food, technology and ingredient trends producers should be watching out for this year.

From 3D printed plant-based meat alternatives and sea vegetables, to a taste for waste, here are some of the top food and ingredient trends predicted for the future by the experts at IFE - International Food & Drink Event this year.

First up, we’re looking at emerging and disruptive technologies.?According to thefoodpeople , globally since the 1930/40’s our total agricultural land has remained static but our population and the need to feed that population has increased exponentially and so our food system has intensified.

The need for disruptive technologies is summed up perfectly, and evidenced by Professor Cathie Martin, John Innes Centre, who said: “Now is the time to turn it around: invest in more resilient food systems that protect the hungry, address malnutrition, reduce GHG emissions, promote biodiversity, and generate decent work and livelihoods for all”.

In order to accelerate progress against targets and satisfy consumer demand for healthier, ethical, and environmentally positive food, the following disruptive technologies are expected to shape the future of the food industry...

1.??????Alternatives to animal proteins – cellular agriculture in meat and dairy, as well as micro algae and fungus

2.??????3D printed plant-based meat alternatives

3.??????Robotics in foodservice delivery

o??On a positive note, Naomi received a Kinder bar from a robot, which was very welcome at IFE!

o??On a less successful level, David spied at least 3 people get crashed into by the robots during a five minute period alone!

4.??????Personalised nutrition – goes further than general nutrition guidelines, by delivering dietary advice based on your DNA and health goals

5.??????Transforming food waste – via composting and upcycling organic waste

6.??????Making food packaging disappear – whether it’s edible or fully biodegradable

7.??????Eco & environmental labelling – including front of pack environmental scores

8.??????Regenerative animal agriculture and new crops for a regenerative future

The 4th Industrial Revolution of which these emerging and disruptive technologies form a part, will only accelerate the pace of change in food & drink into the future, with lots of exciting innovation ahead.

Meanwhile trend forecasting and analyst specialists Stylus , identified the key flavour drivers to appeal to consumers, who are looking for foods that deliver on taste and health. (It’s one of the reasons that the global functional food and beverage market is expected to be worth $500bn by 2028).

Amongst the key ingredients highlighted were:

·????????grapefruit for immunity

·????????nuts for relaxation

·????????and peach (for focus).

Other ingredients with health potential that we may soon be seeing more of include sage, thyme, and cumin. Meanwhile the number of products with fermented ingredients are already on the increase – with kaffir, kombucha and kimchi all gaining prominence.

And, of course, cost continues to play a part too.

Thriftiness has seen a rise in foraging, ?with acorns, stinging nettles and fungi all amongst the natural ingredients promoted by foraging experts. Meanwhile food waste has driven flavour discovery too, with top chefs developing recipes for banana peel bagels and curries.

But despite wellness and cost drivers, comforting flavours are still drawing us in during hard times too. Think birthday cake, sweet shop, cookies & cream, Mac & Cheese. But it is not just traditional British comfort food, more exotic comfort foods are gaining popularity as we become more diverse like pho, sushi and tacos.

This diversity has left to a new global palette according to Stylus with a richer global landscape as cities and communities become more inclusive.

Snacking is central to this, seen as a low risk route to flavour discovery, both flexible and spontaneous. And social media is playing its part too, influencing purchasing behaviour and piquing curiosity – a food video can go viral in South Korea, and within days UK consumers are seeking out the ingredients to make gyeran-jjim (Korean Steamed Eggs) or tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes).

A more diverse palate will see a rise in hot, sharp, punchy flavours (we’re already seeing a move towards this with hot sauce for coffee, and spice infused beer) as well as a fusion of cuisines. Restaurants are leading this trend, with Italian /Japanese, and Italian/Chinese combos popping up, and this will influence NPD in grocery.

And lastly, we’ll see a rise in planet first ingredients. Emerging foods will include bread fruit, Bambara ground nuts and sea vegetables, such as dulse, spirulina and sea grapes, all of which are commercially viable crops. And a taste for waste will see products developed from waste items with huge flavour potential, such as oils from pressed fruits.

But despite people’s changing palette and consumers’ desire to try something different or unique, Stylus’ advice to producers is to create comfortable flavour bridges and route something new in something familiar.

What trends do you think we’ll be seeing at next year’s IFE?