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A new year calls for getting a pulse on upcoming trends in the food and beverage space. Let’s not write off everything we learned in the past year, because after all, it informs our understanding for growth in the new year and how trends are evolving over time.
While we’d like to leave the years of COVID in the dust, we can look back in the rear view to see how the trends are guiding what 2022 will look like for the food and beverage industry.
Health
Health is a re-occurring topic of discussion, no thanks to the impact of COVID-19 on discussions around personal wellness and how we approach it, especially in correlation with eating habits. We’re looking at you snacking!
In short, consumers are continuing to lean towards health-focused snacking and searching for a deeper understanding of the benefits food is providing while also looking to companies to provide a wholistic view of the benefits their products provide.
Social Media
We’re not saying goodbye to TikTok and Instagram Reel cooking tutorials. Social media continues to drive conversations around food and has become a digestible mode for teaching the not-so-savvy cooks how they can make delicious dishes in relatable, satisfying ways.
Experimenting with down home favorites like pastas, air fryers and Crockpots, and new flavors like Birria tacos will continue into 2022 as a key strategy for brands and influencers. With Americans continuing to cook at home, these inspirational and user-friendly tutorials allow consumers to join in viral movements guided by something everyone loves – food!
Grocery Shopping
Grocery shopping in 2022 presents unique challenges due to the ongoing labor and supply chain shortages experienced in 2021. According to findings from the grocery business Pop Up Grocer, “61.4% of people buy groceries mostly in store, 18.8% say they purchase groceries all in store, 15.7% say they mostly shop online and 4.1% report that they buy items all online.”
As consumers have become acquainted with the online grocery shopping experience during the pandemic, we don’t expect this to slow down. The grocery industry will continue to lean into the use of consumer data to integrate new digital offerings, online grocery opportunities and streamline the user experience.
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