With the continuing coronavirus pandemic keeping record numbers of people close to home, growing social awareness affecting purchasing decisions and a maturing Gen Z population, the growth of the $158.4 billion specialty food category is positioned to fill consumers needs. 

"COVID-19 has a massive impact on trend predictions heading into 2021, as consumers cook and eat at home more, turning to everyday meals and special treats to comfort and support their mental and physical well-being," says Denise Purcell, director of content for the Specialty Food Association. "Were seeing several trends around experimenting with flavors and ingredients, as well as turning to functional or plant-based foods and twists on classic products to avoid menu fatigue.”"

The Trendspotter Panel, composed of professionals representing diverse segments in the culinary world, have identified the following trends for 2021. Several members of the panel also trendspotted at the SFAs recent Specialty Food Live! virtual marketplace and identified food and beverage examples from that event for each trend. 

Eating and cooking at home 

The reality of at-home meal preparation and consumption will stay with us in 2021 but has also brought about several sub-trends. "At-home eating will be the name of the game in 2021," says Melanie Zanoza Bartelme, global food analyst at Mintel and member of the Trendspotter Panel. "We will see consumers looking to brighten and enliven the monotony of preparing so many meals in a row."

Restaurant food in the home kitchen

With economic concerns not easing and the potential for more lockdowns during the upcoming winter, consumers are looking to replicate restaurant experiences in the home kitchen. Well see more restaurant-quality condiments, cooking sauces and cocktail mixes, say the Trendspotters. Examples from the recent Specialty Food Live! event included smoked watermelon salt for use on fruits and vegetables; a sauce that combined the seven toppings of the classic Chicago Hot Dog into one condiment; sliced Calabrian chiles; and cocktail mixes like a smoked maple old-fashioned syrup for at-home bartending.     
Zanoza Bartelme also expects to see foodservice expanding more fully into the at-home eating routine, with restaurants creating more meal kits and other aids to  help consumers re-create an on-premise dining experience at home.

Twists on classics 

Reimagining traditional recipes and products will keep consumers from becoming bored with their meals and snacks in the coming year. At Specialty Food Live!, exhibitors were showcasing products like vodka and tomato ketchup, a twist on vodka sauce; aged cheddar granola; everything bagel broccoli bites; sheeps milk chocolate; mint-flavored pasta; and beetroot-flavored drinking chocolate powder. 

Eatertainment

The events of 2020 left no one unscathed. "These are serious times and with some areas still experiencing closures in theaters, stadiums, concert halls and other entertainment venues, we are looking to have fun at home," says Trendspotter Jonathan Deutsch of Drexel Food Core Lab at Drexel University. Novelty products are bringing some whimsy and entertainment to the home kitchen. At Specialty Food Live!, Trendspotters saw maple syrup with edible glitter; pretzel bread mix; a unicorn smores skillet kit; hot chocolate on a stick; edible spoons in sweet and savory flavors; and reusable lunch box packaging with llamas and unicorns. 

Values-based buying 

Consumers are becoming more conscious shoppers when choosing which brands to support with their food dollars. They are seeking out companies owned by women, Black people, people of color, B Corps, sustainability-focused brands and those with ethical labor practices. "For me, 2020 highlighted topics amongst all brands: cultural appropriation, community impact, ethical practices. More than ever, brands are focused on these three categories and trying to align their messaging with this," says Chef Tu David Phu, a Trendspotter Panel member. "Movements like #metoo and #blacklivesmatter have empowered consumers to voice their opinions on what they expect from their favorite brands. This pivot/shift is mainly due to Generation Z coming into the consumer marketplace as adults. Food brands need to shift now as this new demographic is taking over the marketplace."

Exhibitors at Specialty Food Live! highlighted women- and/or minority-owned businesses offering regional Asian chile pastes, plant-based cheese sauces, tangerine sriracha, lavender vanilla coffee bars, as well as a sustainability-minded producer of watermelon rind pickles that upcycle parts of the fruit that would otherwise be discarded. 

Global travels without leaving home

With consumers sticking closer to home, global flavors offer culinary adventure in lieu of traveling, especially from less-familiar countries and regions. "Im seeing more prominence and appreciation of regional ingredients from parts of the world often overlooked—specifically, an interest in West African ingredients and cuisine," says Dawn Padmore, vice president of culinary marketing and events, Karlitz and Company. At Specialty Food Live!, products and flavors from Scandinavia, Cambodia and Senegal were on display with ingredients like sea buckthorn; Cambodian chile pastes; fonio, an ancient grain from Senegal that continues to gain attention; Caribbean and Latin-American flavored pre-made beans; and spices that focus specifically on herbs or plants native to regions such as West Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. 

Functional ingredients

The pandemic also has put health concerns front and center and consumers will seek functional ingredients and benefits in their foods and beverages. Products that boost immunity and manage stress will be particularly in demand. At Specialty Food Live!, Trendspotters pointed to functional ghees to promote womens health, restful sleep and cardiovascular health; fermented honey sauce; and prebiotic-laced snacks for digestive health with reported immunity-boosting functionality.

"These have been huge for years, the difference is the hot functional ingredients change every couple of years. Right now mushroom powders (reishi, lions mane, etc.) are still rising, turmeric is already mainstream (golden lattes), CBD is huge and deserves its own category. Adaptogens are very interesting, MCT is emerging and we expect it to grow," say Andrew Freeman, founder of af&co. and co-founder of Carbonate and Leith Steel, account strategist and trendwatcher, Carbonate. 

Plant-based continuing revolution

More a movement than a trend, plant-based earns a spot on this years list for its burgeoning growth during COVID-19 and for new formats that continue to transform the food and beverage market. During surge shopping in the spring, plant-based enjoyed a boost in most categories, especially milk and other dairy and meat alternatives. According to the SFA State of the Specialty Food Industry report, 2020-2021 Edition, the segment has huge runway for growth, increasing 10-20 percent annually through 2024. New products and applications include the following seen at Specialty Food Live!: meatless mixes for at-home cooking; dairy-free queso made with aquafaba; cashew cheesy sauce; plant-based tzatziki; oat milk chocolate; and cactus-based tortilla chips. Trendspotter Chris Styler, culinary producer/product development chef and head of Freelance Food, LLC, also observes trends in "the rebranding of foods as plant-based including beverages; more options for plant-based foods including plant-based protein to use for chili, soups, tomato sauce." 

Less sugar and natural sugar

Tied to attention to health, consumers are counterbalancing their desires to treat themselves with products that offer low sugar or natural sugar. "Sugar as the devil will become a more prominent message in 2021. We will continue to see a decline in the levels of sugar in foods and drinks and an increase in the availability and popularity of alternative sweeteners like monk fruit, keto-friendly sugars and coconut sugar," says Clara Park, corporate chef of Culinary Innovation for Chelten House Products. At Specialty Food Live! Trendspotters noted hot sauces sweetened with peaches; jams that relied on natural sugars from carrots and jaggery, a cane sugar consumed in Asia; traditional Carolina BBQ sauce in a sugar-free variety; and a proliferation of sauces sweetened with dates. 

Halva bout it

Following consumers growing interest over the past few years in tahini sauce, then black sesame flavoring ice creams and lattes, halva is re-emerging in the spotlight. This 3000-year-old, sesame seed-based Middle Eastern confection was touted in 2020 by Ruth Reichl as good-for-you candy, thanks to its abundance of iron. Products on display at Specialty Food Live! included halva butter made from sesame paste to spread on toast, crackers, or in ice cream and shelf-stable halva slices in flavors like toasted coconut and triple chocolate. Naturally vegan, halva also has plant-based appeal.