Whole Foods Top 10 Food Trends for 2018
This morning, Whole Foods announced the most anticipated food trends of 2018 as determined by the grocery store chain’s group of buyers and experts, which includes doctors and sommeliers, among others. Tacos, sparkling water, Middle Eastern cuisine, and floral ingredients, like adding whole flowers to recipes, were all crowned 2018 favorites of the food world. Here is the full list of the Whole Food’s top ten food trends for the new year.
Flowers
Whole Foods predicts that more food will be rose-colored in the coming year, while lavender, elderflower, and hibiscus will all be appearing in coffee, cocktails, and tea.
Organic Lavender Flowers 4-ounce bag, $10 on amazon.com
Powders
You may have seen matcha and turmeric showing up on the menu at your local coffee shop in 2017, and that won’t change in the new year: Whole Foods found that turmeric would continue to be a popular ingredient in 2018, as would matcha, maca root, and cacao powders.
Rebbl Turmeric Golden Milk, $3 on amazon.com
Mushrooms
Mushrooms may already be a staple in plenty of people’s diets, but in 2018, the team at Whole Foods sees the fungus taking on a more “functional” role. Its report finds that reishi, chaga, cordyceps. and lion’s mane mushrooms will start to appear in more bottled drinks, soups, coffee, smoothies, and tea.
Kettle & Fire mushroom chicken bone broth, $22 on amazon.com
Middle Eastern cuisine
While most people are already familiar with pita bread and hummus, Whole Foods predicts that in 2018, more people will take a deep dive into cuisine from this region, trying out shakshuka, grilled halloumi and lamb, and adding spices such as harissa and cardamom to their dishes.
Saffron Road Crunchy Chickpeas, $7 on amazon.com
Tacos
Whole Foods also identifies tacos as a trendy food in 2018, although we have trouble believing the classic dish will ever go out of style. Experts at the company see more people giving tacos a creative makeover, however, incorporating seaweed, and creating breakfast and dessert versions.
365 Everyday Value organic taco shells, $6 on amazon.com
Sparkling water
LaCroix seems to have left its mark on the food world: According to the report, the popularity of the drink is only going to grow in 2018.
Sap! birch sparkling beverage case of 16, $35 on amazon.com
Transparent labeling
As more and more people question the presence of GMOs in their food and insist on sustainable farming practices on both land and sea, Whole Foods will be instituting policies that promote transparency in the labeling of their products. All canned tuna sold at Whole Foods will be caught using sustainable methods, and any product that contains GMOs will be labeled as such.
Perky Jerky animal-welfare rated beef jerky pack of ten, $42 on amazon.com
High-tech plant-based dishes
Vegan burgers that “bleed,” and vegan tuna, made with tomatoes, recently made its debut at Whole Foods. Need more evidence? Look no further than plant-based “milks” which now come in banana, pea, and macadamia nut varieties.
Milkadamia unsweetened macadamia nut milk pack of six, $25 on amazon.com
Popped and dried snacks
Not just for popcorn anymore, popped snacks now have a much greater variety: There are now parsnip and Brussel sprout crisps, seaweed chips, and popped cassava snacks.
365 Everyday Value ranch lentil crisps, $2 on amazon.com
Roots and stems
In 2018, you may stop throwing out the stems of your broccoli and actually incorporate these often trashed vegetable parts into new dishes. Whole Foods predicts more people will want to use watermelon rinds and beet greens in the kitchen.
One bunch of broccoli, $3 on amazon.com