New food trends for 2017 include purple foods, spiralised vegetables and coconut-based products.
Whole Foods, the US-based retailer, has predicted the top 10 food trends for 2017. The global food buyers anticipate a new love for purple cauliflowers, asparagus, sweet potatoes and corn. Other purple items include elderberries and acai according to Whole Foods.
They list Roots Purple Corn Cereal, Jackson’s Honest Purple Heirloom Potato Chips, Que Pasa Purple Corn Tortilla Chips, Love Beets and Stokes Purple Sweet Potatoes as examples of the fast-growing trend for purple food.
Other predicted food trends include an interest in Japanese food that extends beyond sushi and creative condiments including black garlic puree, beetroot salsa and pomegranate molasses.
The growth of products from by-products will find new uses for the whey-strained Greek yogurt and the spent grains from beer. Coconut is also expected to receive increased interest beyond coconut oil and water. Whole Foods predicts to see a rise in coconut flour tortillas and coconut sugar aminos, an alternative to soy sauce.
There will also be a change in attitudes towards food such as mindful meal prep. This trend will see consumers adopt a 'make some/buy some' approach - they will use pre-cooked ingredients from a hot counter of a supermarket and use this as the basis for their dinner.
