Without a doubt, people’s taste in food and drink changes – sometimes quite drastically. What was once hot, might now be not. Multiple factors contribute to culinary trends that shape the way we think about what we eat, where it comes from, how we prepare it, and how we ultimately consume it.
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Meal Kits
Blue Apron, Home Chef, Hello Fresh and others have grown exponentially in popularity over the past several years. The trend is now headed to mainstream grocery stores and less toward the traditional subscription delivery service. This market likely will continue to evolve and grow in 2020. – Laura Acosta, UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition
Collagen is a protein commonly used in many anti-aging cosmetic products. But now the food industry is expanding its application to various drink products. Scientific studies on the effectiveness of collagen consumption on human skin improvement are limited. With consumers’ growing interest in health and anti-aging, this trend seems to grow with more creative products to come. – Soo Ahn, UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition
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Alcohol in Tea
You’ll see more tea containing alcohol or tasting like alcoholic drinks. Craft beer, kombucha, and hard seltzer all have rapidly increased in popularity in recent years. Tea might be brewed with malt to create an alcoholic seltzer-type drink or with hops to incorporate a craft beer-type taste. – Matt Krug, UF/IFAS Extension agent in Food Science
Organic products will occupy more shelf space in grocery stores, and new products will be added. Total sales of USDA-certified organic food including grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts have more than doubled between 2012-2017. – Danielle Treadwell, UF/IFAS Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
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Extreme Weather Impacts
Because of climate disruptions and extreme weather events, look for higher prices at the grocery store. Items like coffee, bananas, and avocado production are at risk due to insects and diseases. – Danielle Treadwell, UF/IFAS Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
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Nutrition – at a Convenience
Our busy lifestyles continue to create demand for nutrient-dense convenience foods, so expect new products on the market and increased sales of these products that are already on the shelf. – Danielle Treadwell, UF/IFAS Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
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Grocery Shopping on the Go
Most major grocery retailers are now offering some sort of online ordering system. Personal shoppers fill orders, and customers conveniently pick up their groceries in a “drive-through” style – often without even leaving their cars. Some supermarkets are now also offering delivery services. – Laura Acosta, UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition
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Millennials Making an Impact
At 27%, Millennials comprise the largest sector of the population. They are well-connected, and their buying habits reflect that. Many Millennials buy local (e.g., buying via local farm-finder apps and Internet orders directly from farms). Expect an increasingly dynamic market that attempts to respond to consumer demands via e-trade. – Danielle Treadwell, UF/IFAS Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
For the last several years, food and resource economics experts from the University of Florida have put their predictions in food trends where their mouth is. UF/IFAS staffers Laura Acosta, Soo Ahn, Matt Krug, and Danielle Treadwell are stepping up to the plate this go-round.
Scan the slideshow above for their latest dishing — 8 food trends to be on the lookout for in 2020.
Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
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Paul Rusnak is the Senior Online Editor of American Vegetable Grower, American Fruit Grower, and Greenhouse Grower magazines, all Meister Media Worldwide brands. He is based in Northeast Florida. See all author stories here.
November 25, 2019 
