We talked about how trends move through stages on their way to mainstream adoption. Dubai Chocolate has already gone mass — the big chocolate bar makers and food companies now have versions of the flavor in the market. You probably noticed Dubai Chocolate this past holiday season. Will it be around next year? Probably not in the same quantity.

With a flavor trend like this — rich, decadent, complex — a little can go a long way. It’s also expensive to produce and relies on pistachios, which are experiencing a shortage at the moment due to the explosion of this popular trend.

However, as delicious and indulgent as it may be, Dubai Chocolate is bound to be replaced by something new — the novelty factor is what places like Starbucks and chocolate shops rely on to drive business. It will be around for a while and may become a new regular flavor for chocolate companies, but it will lose its appeal to treat lovers, who are always in pursuit of the next new bite.

For years now, innovative and sustainable-minded entrepreneurs have been preparing for the end of chocolate. They hope that end never arrives, but they want to be ready with versatile and satisfying chocolate alternatives that don’t rely on cacao beans to make the confections, desserts, and treats that the world loves and demands. These startups are tapping into science and food technology to create ingredients that taste, smell, and behave like chocolate.

Some are fermenting and roasting seeds and beans from locally grown crops to replicate cacao’s flavor profile with fewer carbon emissions and less water use (Voyage Foods, Plantet A Foods, Nukoko). Others cultivate cacao in labs and grow it cell-by-cell in sterile environments to produce actual cocoa in a whole new way (California Cultured, Celleste Bio…). And, yes, even carob is back in the picture in updated formats (Foreverland, Win-Win, Compound Foods).

I’m encouraged by this ingenuity and vision and invite you to discover these groundbreaking companies in this article.

🥔 Potato chips have become a canvas for trends. Today's "health-centric" beef tallow trend led to delectable chips from Beefy's Own. For those of us who recall those McDonald's fries cooked in tallow -- this chip is for you! But another stand-out innovation was Folds, a folded potato chip created by two women who dug into the chip bag for the folded ones and created a brand featuring only folded chips - they intensify the taste and the eating experience. Keya's Snacks Indian Spiced Chips in Black Salt and Bombay Spice showed how global flavor profiles can elevate the chip experience.

🌵 More meaningful dips are coming to market. Thanks to our snacking culture and a desire to have positive nutrition, flavor adventure and amazing textures with every food item, entrepreneurs keep creating more creative and varied dips. Señor Cactus features nopales in its Mexican-flavored goat milk dips. Bezi Labneh dips use high-protein fresh cheese with fewer calories and less lactose than cottage cheese. Little Sesame uses high-pressure processing for its hummus made with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and no preservatives for an outstanding flavor and beyond-creamy texture. Waza Waza Bean Dips deliver global flavors like Thai Tom Yum and Mexican Spicy Pepita through its smooth bean dips that are also high in protein. 

🍫 Conscientious chocolate is where new brands are headed.  UpUp Chocolate from the UK is 100% Verified Child Labour Free and B Corp Certified, and made from single-estate cacao from Colombia. Oso Cocoa, a single-origin, Mexican chocolate, shows off unique Mexican flavor profiles: Sweet Potato & Amaranth and Mango Chle-Lime. Figa Foods uses the seeds of Brazilian cupuaçu fruit, a cousin of cacao, to craft chocolate-style bars sweetened with dates and enhanced with cocoa butter. This practice supports crop diversity and rainforest health. The caffeine-free bars come in Pure, Salty, and Fruity versions. 

For a gallery of photos, visit my post on at LinkedIn.

I explore where the industry and chocolate makers, small and large, are today. Cacao bean prices have increased tremendously recently, forcing manufacturers to adopt new practices, reducing the amount of chocolate in confections, shrinking product sizes, and eliminating the priciest products.

Learn more about how craft chocolate makers Askinoisie Chocolate, Christopher Elbow Chocolates, and Susana Cárdenas are managing their product production and how retailers, including Oakland’s Market Hall Foods, are gearing up for shifts. Will consumers stay loyal customers and support their favorite brands, or are we nearing a breaking point? Read on to discover what I learned while reporting this article for The Chocolate Professor: Is Chocolate Still Recession Proof?

Simply the latest refreshing beverage trend that allows for variation, customization, and a healthy dose of fun. We can thank Utah Mormons for today’s dirty sodas. Church rules prohibit the drinking of coffee, tea, and alcohol, leaving few options for refreshment or a caffeinated pick-me-up. Creating a flavored, creamy, icy soda is an acceptable way to enjoy the flavor adventure others find in coffee drinks and cocktails. 

Dive into the trend with my article for The Alcohol Professor: What are Dirty Sodas & Why Are They So Popular?

• Best New Plant-Milk: Maizly: Lots of premium plant-milks from pistachios but the one with the best mouthfeel and label was Maizly corn milk, made from non-GMO corn, fortified with chickpea protein and vitamin D2 to compete with dairy milk, but with a quarter of the sugar. 

• Best Alt-Bacon: MyForest Foods MyBacon: I wrote about this product in the past and finally tasted it. Very good! The chew, the flavor, the fact that it is made from oyster mushroom mycelium. MyForest also sampled its upcoming “pulled pork” – look out for that – very impressive! 

• Best Future Food: Onego Bio Egg Protein: With the avian flu and egg shortage in the US, this egg white protein made via precision fermentation could become a hero ingredient in baked foods, confections and more. 

• Best Feel-Good Snack: PurplesFul Snacking Popcorn: Made with ancient grain purple corn, this non-GMO popcorn was developed to support kids’ charities. The nearly kernel-free corn also tasted delicious - creamy, flavorful and satisfying, while being totally straightforward. 

• Best Use of a Trendy Flavor: Caulipower Dill Pizza: So, no, dill flavor is not breaking news but putting it on a gluten-free pizza was pretty brilliant. Way to go, Caulipower for I’m Kind of a Big Dill cauliflower-crust pizza. 

• Best No-Alcohol Sip: Cipriani Virgin Bellini:   Harry’s Bar in Venice is behind this satisfying single-serve bottle Bellini. Extra points to Cipriani for its fantastic panettone! 

To see a full gallery of photos, check out this post on my LinkedIn feed.

As part of the Specialty Food Association’s Trendspotter Panel, I had my turn to cast a few predictions based on my analysis of the Summer Fancy Food Show and a year’s worth of trend input. The SFA announced its robust trends list in early November and touts Girl Dinner 2.0, Instant Global Gratification and Gimme (Some) Sugar as some of the leaders for 2025.

My biggest take-away from the show was that convenient global meal products were branching out into new cuisines and truly delivering a restaurant-level eating experience. One of my favorite bites at the summer show was of an Indian dosa pancake made from a kit from a Vermont-based Indian food truck. Tasted just like those that I enjoy in South Indian restaurants in the Bay Area and the mix couldn’t be easier to make. Packaged Thai meals and frozen dumplings rounded out the global line-up now easily available, if at a bit of a premium price.

While the Show called out new sources of sweeteners – maple sugar, honey, really show staples – I expect to see more products add filling fiber to mimic how Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs work in the body, filling one up so one slows down eating and loses weight. Mintel’s Global Food and Drink Trends hit that topic with its Fundamentally Nutritious trend.

I’ll enjoy perusing the trend lists as they come out and watching next year to see what makes a mark.

My contribution was to note that this alluring and craveable flavor combo used to be called ‘sweet-heat’ back in the 1990s and early 200s when fusing cuisines had an earlier heyday. In fact. I keenly remember Sweet Heat, a San Francisco restaurant serving fast-causal Mexican long before Chipotles were all over. Launched by celebrity chef and Food Network contestant Jeff Saad in 1993, Sweet Heat set the stage for creative and fun flavor and food pairings but also reinforced the power of two basic tastes paired together into an potent whole. Mike’s Hot Honey is a descendant of this trend.

What’s new about ‘swicy’ is the level of heat and the global cuisines offering it. Chile heat continues to rise in fast food, salty snacks and novelty products, testing palates but also increasing consumer understanding and appreciation for the wide world of chile peppers, each with its own Scoville heat rating. Instead of Mexican cuisine being a primary source of chile-enhanced fare, Korean, Thai and regional Chinese cuisines offer new avenues for flavor adventure. Over the last decades, we have also seen new generations of eaters embrace more varied tastes and flavors, including sour and bitter. Plus, we understand umami now; it’s often a taste component in fermented chile condiments that also have a sweet touch.

I celebrate the broadening of culinary sources in our annual ‘hot’ flavor trends and the expanding and sophisticated palates craving these flavors. It’s nice to be able to trace how far we have come as American eaters on the road from sweet-heat to swicy and to imagine what the next iteration will be, five or ten years down the line. Swe-at?

Hot Flavor: Guava: Tropical guava is one of the latest fruit flavors to break out in new places like Bonne Maman Guava Preserves and Lifeway Kefir 

Hot Color: Pink: Thanks to Barbie, pink was the color of the Show in dragon-fruit enhanced cookies, varietal pink pineapple, pink chai, and even frozen Korean rice cakes in a rosé wine sauce  

Dairy Innovation: We spotted new types of dairy with Strive Freemilk, made with animal free dairy protein; Smearcase’s FroCo high-protein cottage cheese frozen dessert; and Bellwether Farms A2 Organic Whole Milk Yogurt 

Alt-Dairy Steps Up: Innovative Stockeld Cultured Cheddar Melt made with cultured legumes and cultured-cashew Shire’s Dairy-Free Cheese Ravioli and Cream Cheese were new tasty non-dairy cheeses 

Alt-Protein Plays: We were intrigued with 50/Cut, a mycelium product to blend with meat in the vein of blended mushroom burger and with Kula’s Plant-Based Protein frozen meals in Caribbean styles, like G.O.A.T Curry and Ginger Beef, made with Canadian pea protein

Novel Ingredients & Forms: Blue corn flavors Monsoon Chocolate’s Desert Series Blue Corn Atole White Chocolate Bar. Dixie Grace’s Boiled Peanuts blended its legumes into a hummus-like dip, so new there wasn’t even a package. We were stopped in our tracks by the Food Crayon, a seasoning crayon in an agar-agar base that one ‘sharpens’ into food 

Aperitif Hour: With our Show coverage complete, we are headed outside to relax with Pleasant Elevation Zero Proof Sparkling Tea Elixir and the Italian Aperitivo Kit

My analysis points to the intense need for food companies and foodservice shops to embrace seasonality at all costs. It’s now imperative to join in and celebrate all kinds of holidays. Look to Pumpkin Spice Latte as an explanation.

Food brands have always used the LTO — limited-time-offer — to drive traffic and entice consumers to make a trip to get that special something that won’t be there forever. When I was a kid, McDonald’s Shamrock Shake for St. Patrick’s Day was the biggest standout, but then, there were so many fewer fast-food restaurants and food shops playing this game. Now, every food shop, pizza parlor and ice cream store develops or promotes a Valentine’s special. In fact, the National Retail Federation forecast that US consumers would spend $25.8 billion this year overall.

So, small indie businesses are joining in the fun, creating signature heart-shaped or indulgent food items to delight regular customers and hopefully lure in new ones. Otherwise, shoppers seeking to celebrate will do it elsewhere.

And, good news! McDonald’s rolled out that Shamrock Shake on February 5th this year. I suddenly have the urge to go have one!

Mycoprotein is fiber-rich protein generated from mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms and part of the fungi kingdom. Fungi ferment carbohydrates, transforming them into a biomass with a complete amino acid profile, unlike soy-, pea- and wheat plant-proteins. The mass can be compressed or formed into shapes that resemble “whole-cut” meat alternatives (cutlets, strips) or processed into versatile ingredient formats. 

While the term may seem unfamiliar, mycoprotein meat alternatives have been sold since the 1980s, primarily by UK’s Quorn. The brand uses fungi Fusarium venenatum which ferments a sugar solution from wheat and yields tons of mycoprotein in a matter of days, an incredible production rate. With the keen interest in plant protein foods today, the company is expanding its US footprint and being joined by startups attracting big investment dollars. 

One exciting newcomer is Nature’s Fynd, expanding beyond mycoprotein-based breakfast sausage into yogurts. It uses Fusarium strain flavolapis, discovered in a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park, and grows its mycoprotein, dubbed Fy, in shallow trays on racks in heated chambers. 

MyForest Foods (formerly Atlast) is another emerging brand with a name that reflects its connection to the natural world. A division of Ecovative, which transforms mycelium into meal alts, packaging and vegan leather, it is partnering with Whitecrest Mushrooms in Ontario, Canada to mass produce mycoprotein for MyBacon®. Whitecrest plans to build a one-acre farm that can efficiently produce an eye-opening three million pounds of mycelium bacon.

Two other companies focus on whole-cut alts. Meati Foods creates steak- and chicken-inspired cutlets. In late May 2022, it sold out of its DTC steak drop in seven minutes, promoting the positive nutritional profile of its steak with less fat and cholesterol than beef. Today the company is explaining itself by using the term ‘mushroom roots’ which is clear and evocative. The Better Meat Co., with investment from Hormel, has a range of products from potato fermentation including steaks, alt-foie gras and a textured mycoprotein ingredient. 

Japan’s “national mold” koji, another type of fungi, is being harnessed to create protein-rich meat alternatives by Berkeley, California-based Prime Roots. Traditionally, koji (Aspergillus oryzae) transforms rice, barley or soy into edible products like miso paste, soy sauce and sake. Here, the startup forms koji’s meat muscle-like mycelium structure into bacon and cold-cut facsimiles that it is selling in retail deli counters.

Strategic implications: With interest growing from investors, food companies’ venture arms, and consumers, including vegans, mycoproteins are poised to become a promising meat alternative. Their many benefits – taste, texture, versatility, ties to the natural world and low-impact production methods – deserve more attention from retailers, food makers seeking protein-rich ingredients, and foodservice operators designing the next attention-grabbing fungi-based protein menu item. Choices include creating meals and sandwich builds using whole-cut mycoproteins or using mycroprotein ingredients, such as those from MycoTechnology, an ingredient solution company with bitter blockers, fermented protein and even sugar reduction products all from mushroom fermentation. 

This piece was originally published for CCD Innovation’s TrendBites series in summer 2022.

Key Trends for 2021 are:

• Make Room for Labriculture – The food-tech arena will surge, with lab-grown beef, seafood and dairy joining plant-based meat and dairy by the end of the year as alternatives to animal products.

• Craveable Vegan – Expect tastier vegan tacos, soul food and indulgent snacks from chefs and creators pairing exciting plant-based ingredients with favourite flavors.

• Coffee Convenience – Homebound coffee drinking is yielding more convenient coffee formats like concentrates, steeped, single-serve bags and edible coffee snacks.

• Canned Everything – Along with canned wine, cocktails and hard beverages, 2021 will welcome innovation in sustainable aluminum cans to support our passion for portable potables.

• Crazy for Cacao – Chocolate lovers will have more to enjoy thanks to resourceful new products being created from cacao pods, and increased attention to cacao’s heritage and preservation.

• Burnt Basque Cheesecake – This buzzy dessert’s oozing, creamy center and alluring charred top will move from Instagram comfort-food darling to menu and freezer-case treat.

• Brain Food – It’s been hard to focus this year. Brands will leverage the mental clarity benefits of L-Theanine, the amino acid that powers green tea and other nootropics, to help us think clearly.

• Sleepy Time Eats – Need some rest? Turn to new food and drink designed to promote a good night’s sleep, from natural botanicals, fruits and other nutritious ingredients.

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Meet Gen Z: Now buying at a grocery store near you….how the youngest generation is driving the future of eating.

Enough about the Millennial generation impacting food trends; it’s time to meet the next influential cohort, Generation Z. This large, multicultural group is already spurring the growth of positive trends in healthful snacks, bold flavors, and foods that reflect this generation’s values around the environment and sustainability. As we move into a new decade that already feels like the future has arrived, count on this savvy, can-do generation to lead the way.

Generation Zs are 7 to 22 year old and make up 26% of the population. The youngest are noshing on nutritious kids’ food and bold snacks from big food brands (think Epic Crunch Goldfish) while the oldest are launching independent lives, learning to shop and cook on their own (hello, frozen snacks). Being digital natives, they turn to online videos to learn how to make just about anything in the kitchen. However, these convenience seekers rely heavily on snack foods, assembling pantry, fridge and freezer favorites to make a meal.

This is an empowered generation, taught from an early age to define themselves and demand foods that meet their dietary needs, flavor preferences or match their values. Food companies are tapping into this power: Kashi invited a team of Gen Zs to co-create a new snack, Kashi With Kids Organic Super Food Bites. These whole-grain, bite-sized crunchy nuggets feature coconut flour, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, berries, and chocolate and come in portable snack packs, a plus for on-the-go eating.

 Speaking of on-the-go, portable yogurt drinks, instant hot cereal cups, and snack-packs of all kinds suit this crew. They grew up with parents plying them with snack-sized everything, in school, at play dates, and after sports practice. They are used to nibbling and sipping a variety of foods and beverages throughout the day to get the nutrition their still-growing bodies need. Protein-rich snack kits, pouches of protein-fortified nut butter, and flavorful fruit cups work well for them. If there is added flavor adventure, such as in Del Monte’s Fruit & Chia Cups with Dragon Fruit, all the better!

 More than others, Generation Z is looking for non-dairy and meat-free foods in an effort to prioritize animal welfare and environmental sustainability in their diets. Plant-based versions of favorite foods get their attention. Oat milk yogurt and ice cream, mushroom jerky, and “chicken” nuggets fit right in as do brands touting eco-conscious packaging. Generation Z-member Jaden Smith created JUST Waters, a brand of responsibly sourced spring water in recyclable paper containers, as an alternative to plastic bottles of water. See, this generation really does have the power and the smarts to drive food trends toward positive change. 

• Top Ten Trends 2020 by Flavor & The Menu, January 2020 - Once again, I have the privilege of joining many culinary and trend insights colleagues in sharing thoughts in Flavor & the Menu’s annual Top Ten Trends issue. This year, my comments support three trends: Aussie Invasion, Balkan Bounty and Brunch’s Next Frontier.

• What’s Hot, What’s Not: 13 Food Trends for 2020 by Amanda Balthazar, Full Service Restaurant Magazine, December 2019 - My contributions to this slide show collection are Syrian Cuisine, coming from immigrants and refugees finding ways to cook their native cuisine for their community and others; and more vegetables at the center of the plate on the menus instead of just branded plant-based burgers. Cook something for the non-meat eaters this year!

• Six Trends That Will Shape The Food & Beverage Industry in 2020, Food Dive, January 8, 2020 - Read my thoughts about CBD while contemplating more plant-based meat, cultured (or cell-based) meat, more functional foods and pea protein.

Don’t miss the extra feature on What’s Hot & What’s Not at the end of the piece.

• Six trends that will shape the food and beverage industry in 2020 - Food Dive, Jan. 8, 2020

  • This year we’ll learn more and talk more about the sourcing, quality and kind of CBD that appears in products while we wait for the regulatory landscape to settle. I also hope to see more scientific and medical studies appear that help consumers better understand what this compound can really do. We’ll also learn about other cannabinoids and how they work together for a bigger impact, the “entourage effect” found in full-spectrum CBD products.

• These predicted 2025 food trends prove the future’s looking…interesting? Delish.com, James Lynch, January 28, 2020

  • Looking further into the future, we see…nutrient-rich produce, personalized diets, Ayurvedic lifestyles and more global foods. Considering climate change, I forecast a shift towards more fiber- and protein-rich plants that will be more practical to grow than animals, as is much discussed today. We will also keep digging into global cuisines to learn about them and celebrate regional specialities. Expect to also see cuisines in the U.S. from places around the world under conflict as immigrants and refugees create the dishes of their homelands for their own communities and as a way to make a living, a traditional practice and way that food culture is exchanged around the world.