A Fresh Look at the Food Frontier

February 5, 2020
12:00 pm

Posted by DMA Solutions Team

If you thought it was hard to believe that it’s already 2020, it’s even more unfathomable that we’re already a full month in. While we aren’t sure yet if this ‘20s will be as iconic as the last, we are certain that the food scene is off to a decade-defining start!

“How can you be so sure,” you may ask. It’s simple: in case you missed us shouting it from the rooftops, our 2020 edition of the Food Trends magazine was just released, and between our team’s extensive research and the insights we gained from leaders across the food industry, it’s clear that the food space is changing in ways that will shape the way people will grow, shop for, cook, and talk about food.

Following the lead of last year’s publication, we have organized the 2020 edition of Food Trends into four sections: In the Field, At the Store, In the Kitchen, and On the Table. New this year, we also included insights from a diverse group of innovators and leaders from across the food frontier who dove a little deeper into what’s happening on the (sometimes controversial) foodie “front lines.” Our intention behind creating this expanded resource is that—unlike with traditional food trends reports that typically solely only on flavor and ingredient trends—we want this magazine to serve as an all-in-one resource to provide useful knowledge about the complex and expansive journey from “field to fork.”

Food Trends 2020: What to Expect

Whether you’re a professional in the food industry or simply a full-fledged food enthusiast, we think you’ll find the following aspects of particular interest:

Four Unique Sections

Each of these sections marks a pivotal part of food’s journey from seedling in the field to a source of nourishment on our tables (or “eye candy” in our Instagram feeds, for that matter). These sections not only cover emerging brands and key terms relevant to professionals throughout the food supply chain, but they also dive deep into research that gets to the heart of food-related movements—which helps you determine what’s simply “trending” and which trends actually have staying power.

These are examples of the types of information you can expect to find:

In the Field: The number of farmers under 35 years old is increasing—for only the second time in the last century.

At the Store: 84% of Vegetarians and Vegans Return to Meat.

Leader and Innovator Insights

However, we don’t just want you to take our word for it! From innovative tech startups to mavens in the ranching industry and trending chefs and influencers, we’ve interviewed them all to provide robust insider perspectives on everything from food waste to recent trends in entertaining.

In the Field: Spotlight on leaders Are Traasdahl and Dag Liodden from innovative food waste startup Crisp.
At the Store: A contrasting view of the plant-based meat movement from ranching advocates, Natalie Kovarik and JaTanna Williams, of Ranch Wives Beef Company
In the Kitchen: Insights on emerging flavors and kitchen preparations from Chef Todd Fisher and Chef Joe Schaber
On the Table: The latest trends in food photography and eating occasions from social media influencers like Ginger Harper, Ashley Walterhouse, and Nichole Crews

Our hope is that the information contained in this publication will help your team determine what might be worth investing in, whether that simply be a revamped marketing plan and updated social media approach (possibly with new brand partnerships!) or even greater company initiatives and potential product innovation. If you’re here visiting from a role outside the fresh produce industry—say an editor or influencer, or even just all-around lover of food—we hope Food Trends helps inform you about emerging innovation and stories as well as prompts you to think a little deeper about where the food world is headed.

Have something to add? Leave us a comment below, or tweet to us at @TheCoreBlog!