Whole Foods Market Predicts 10 Food Trends We’ll See in 2021: What are They?

Earlier this year, the American multinational supermarket chain company, Whole Foods, released their food trend predictions for 2021. These predictions include flavors, products, and ingredients ready to take over pantries and fridges across the nation. This gives us more anticipation for the 2020 year-end). Some unique snacks and twists on classics have made the list. What will you try?

1. Food Focusing on Health

With 2020 being the year of a major health crisis, it’s super important to keep your body healthy and happy. You can expect superfoods, probiotics, broths and sauerkrauts with nutritious ingredients like vitamin C, mushrooms, and adaptogens. These superfoods will help boost immune support, gut health, and maintain your stress a bit more.

2. The Most Important Meal of the Day, Every Day

With more and more people working from home, a hearty breakfast will be making a comeback. Instead of the typical coffee for a meal, or a grab-and-go bar, workers can focus on a well-balanced breakfast. Delicious and filling items like egg bites, protein pancakes, smoked salmon, meat-free sausages, and breakfast pizza.

Related: What Foods Can You Store for Months or Even Years? Stock Up!

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3. Take the Basics, Spice Them Up!

Now that a lot of people are unleashing their inner chef at home, they are looking for ways to put a twist on pantry staples. You’ll be trying foods and seasoning you probably would never think of; pasta made from hearts of palm, applewood-smoked salt, RightRice Risotto, creamy cracked pepper, and even vegan soup that’ll make you question if there’s meat in it.

4. Coffee Perks Like Never Before

This caffeinated favorite is waking you up like never before with these new coffee-infused flavors! Store shelves will be stocked with coffee-flavored granola, protein bars, smoothie boosters, and even booze (talk about the right kick). There’s also going to be coffee yogurt, just in case your morning cup wasn’t enough! 

5. Not So Baby Food

Baby food is no longer a small array of smushed vegetables and fruits in a jar like peas and carrots. Due to some inspired culinary innovation, there will now be a large variety of portable, on-the-go squeeze pouches full of unique and healthy foods like rhubarb, rosemary, purple carrots and omega-3-rich flaxseeds.

6. New and Improved Upcycled Food

Waste is no longer wasted. Whole Foods has been seeing a rise in packaged products using neglected and underused parts of an ingredient as a path to reducing food waste. These upcycled foods are made from ingredients that would have been food waste, helping to maximize the energy used to produce, transport, and prepare that ingredient. Good for you, and for the environment.

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7. Get an Oil Change

As classic as the olive oil can be, there are new and exciting types of oil making its way to the cooking industry. Walnut and pumpkin seed oil delivers a nutty flavor to your dishes and can be purchased on its own. On the other hand, sunflower seed oil is being used to create tons of new products, such as dressings, flour tortillas, and a lot of Whole Foods Market in-store venues. This is the new innovative way to have delicious foods and ingredients.

8. Kombucha, but Make it Alcoholic

Whole Foods predicted the hard seltzer trend, so we can only follow those footsteps again for their prediction of hard kombucha. With similarities to the seltzer, it’s gluten-free, super bubbly, and can be filled with probiotic cultures. They even come in delicious flavors like blueberry basil mango ginger, grapefruit hibiscus, and acai berry.

9. Chickpea? Yes Please!

Like Whole Foods said, “chickpeas are the new cauliflower”, as they’re popping up in new products. We’ve seen the chickpea make its way to pasta, but now say hello to new trends like chickpea tofu, flour, and even cereal. If that’s not enough, the chickpea has made its way to Greek frozen dessert (chickpea aquafaba) and pizza! You’ll be cutting carbs without losing taste. 

10. “Meat” and Greet the New Jerky

Jerky has the stigma of being just for meat lovers. However, all kinds of produce have made its way to the food so anyone can enjoy it. New jerky like jackfruit and mushrooms have created a shelf-stable way to enjoy fruits and vegetables longer, and the produce is dried at the peak freshness to preserve nutrients and flavor. You’ll also be able to taste ingredients like chili, salt, ginger, and even cacao drizzle to enhance flavors.