AUSTIN, TX — The Whole Foods Market Trends Council — a coalition of more than 50 Whole Foods team members including local foragers, buyers and culinary experts — released its eighth-annual list of top 10 anticipated food trends for the upcoming year.
To create the list, the Trends Council bases the predictions on prior experience, product sourcing expertise, consumer preferences and workshops with new and established brands.
“Our trends predictions are an exciting look at where we believe both product innovation and customer preferences are headed in the coming year. We anticipate seeing these trends in the food industry at large, on dinner tables, in lunch boxes and on our store shelves,” said Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, CMO at Whole Foods Market. “We’re thrilled to see things like baked goods with upcycled pulp from plant-based milks and ingredients like farmed kelp continue to gain popularity. From product labels that include sustainability efforts to poultry and egg suppliers that are leading the way in animal welfare, many of this year’s trends predictions showcase brands on a mission to make a true impact.”
Among the trends identified for 2023, the utilization of milk alternatives continues to rise and in the wake of its production, brands have embraced the upcycled by-products, transforming what would be waste into something baked. Companies like Renewal Mill are transforming the by-product into items like Oat Milk Flour. In spring 2023, Whole Foods bakeries will hop on the trend with upcycled oatmeal chocolate chip cookies created using oats previously used in oat milk production.
Dates, dehydrated fruit descended from the Middle East, have been around for thousands of years and have reemerged as a natural alternative to added sugar. Baking companies such as Maxine’s Heavenly Cookies have embraced the stone fruit to add natural sweetness to its products including its Chocolate Chocolate Chunk and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip soft baked cookies.
As climate change becomes increasingly impactful, some companies are embracing unexpected ingredients to keep their practices climate conscious. Kelp has emerged as a climate-friendly ingredient for companies like 12 Tides. A Certified B Corp based in San Francisco, 12 Tides utilizes the carbon-absorbing, nutrient-rich plant in its Organic Puffed Kelp Chips which boast health claims such as vegan, gluten-free and non-GMO.
Moonshot Snacks, a Black woman-owned snack company also based in San Francisco, is another brand joining the “climate-friendly food movement” with its crackers. The brand notes its commitment to bettering the environmental toll of food production by sourcing ingredients from local farmers, shortening the distance of its supply chain and embracing regenerative agriculture.
The power of nostalgia remains prevalent and the Trends Council notes that this interest in the familiar is being reimagined with a health-focused twist. Products such as Simple Mills’ Nut Butter Stuffed Sandwich Cookies and Milk Bar’s Confetti Cookies and Fruity Cereal Cookies harken back to years past but showcase nutrient-dense and low sodium alternatives, respectively. Frozen snacks such as Annie’s Mini Pizza Bagels and Three Cheese Pizza Poppers offer organic alternatives made with whole ingredients free of artificial flavors and synthetic colors.
Stepping up to the plate, avocado oil has risen to the occasion as an alternative to oils like canola and sunflower in snacks. Companies such as Siete Foods have included the oil in its better-for-you products including Siete’s Grain Free Tortilla Chips.
The full list of trends can be found on the Whole Foods website. A curated box of 10 products that align to each prediction is also available for a limited time.
