- Food Industry Executive
- Posts
- 2021 Taste Trends Range From Nostalgic to Healthy
2021 Taste Trends Range From Nostalgic to Healthy
A new 2021 Taste Trends report from Kerry identifies seven global taste trends:
Nostalgic taste
Seasonal taste
Enticing eats
Taste exploration
Novel flavors
Acceptable sweetness
Healthy halo
These trends are playing out differently in various regions of the world. Here’s a look at how the trends are showing up in the United States.
Nostalgic taste
The pandemic has led consumers to want more familiar comfort food and beverages with nostalgic and classic flavors. The trend shows up in both nostalgic dessert-inspired flavors in beverages, yogurts, and sweet baked goods and in traditional-meal-inspired spice mixes and seasonings added to salty snacks. Flavor examples:
Apple
Brownie
Caramel
Cheddar cheese
Chocolate churro
Mac & cheese
Mixed berry
Peanut butter
Pizza
Pumpkin pie
S’mores
Strawberry
Seasonal taste
People like to get away from their day-to-day routines and pandemic stress with seasonal tastes. Examples:
Apple
Barbecue
Cherry blossom
Ginger
Hibiscus
Lavender
Mango
Maple
Orange
Peppermint
Pumpkin spice
Salted caramel
Smoke
Watermelon
Yuzu
Enticing eats
The online surge of visually stunning food and beverages has led to new innovation in flavors, textures, and ingredients that add to consumers’ overall taste experience. Examples:
Boba pearls
Chia seeds
Matcha
Miniature baked goods
Plant protein
Ruby chocolate
Sprinkles
Taro
Toasted glutinous rice powder
Turmeric
Whipped coffee
Taste exploration
Consumers want authentic yet accessible cuisines from distinct countries, regions, and localities. The level of adventure depends on the person — some crave authentic representations of international or local cuisine while others want to dabble with unfamiliar tastes in approachable and familiar formats. Examples:
Cajun
Calamansi
Cotija cheese
Curry
Dragon fruit
Harissa
Hatch Valley pepper
Irish cream
Korean BBQ
Lychee
Masala
Miso
Soursop
Yuzu
Za’atar
Novel flavors
Curiosity about novel, unknown, and unfamiliar flavors abounds. “Classic and new fantasy flavors, such as cotton candy, birthday cake, mermaid and unicorn, are popping up in sweet, beverage and salty snack product categories,” states the report. Examples:
Adobo
Birthday cake
Black garlic
Cardamom
Cotton candy
Ghost pepper
Hibiscus
Lavender
Lemongrass
Orange blossom
Rose
Salted egg
Takoyaki
Tamarind
Taro
Acceptable sweetness
Consumers increasingly look for products to help manage sugar consumption, including those that offer reduced perception of sweetness, less sugar, or clean-label sugar alternatives. The report also notes opportunities to use flavors and ingredients — including vanilla, cinnamon, chiles, cloves, and other spices — that affect perceived sweetness without adding sugar. Examples of alternatives:
Banana
Brown sugar
Coconut sugar
Dark chocolate
Date
Erythritol
Fig
Honey
Jaggery
Maple
Monk fruit
Healthy halo
Foods and beverages that both taste good and have health and functional benefits are in demand. Consumer focus on functional benefits has increased dramatically during the pandemic as people look to support their immediate and long-term health goals. Examples:
Collagen
Elderflower
Ginger
Ginseng
Green coffee bean extract
Lavender
Maca
MCT
Mint
Plant protein
Probiotics
Reishi
Turmeric
For more information, download the full report.