What Consumers Are Craving In 2014

Campbell’s Culinary & Baking Institute (CCBI), a global network of highly-trained chefs, bakers and culinary professionals at Campbell Soup Company released its third annual Culinary TrendScape – a report tracking the top 10 influential food themes for 2014.

The report is part of Campbell’s culinary tracking system that identifies and categorizes the most impactful food trends and follows them on their journey as they evolve through six distinct stages:

• Discovery (fine dining, cultural hotspots, trendsetting chefs)
• Introduction (independent restaurants, food magazines, upscale specialty grocers)
• Adoption (full-service restaurants, food TV and celebrity chefs, specialty stores, limited-service menu innovators)
• Mainstream (fast-casual restaurants, mainstream media, retail innovations)
• Established (quick-service restaurants, grocery retail products, packaged foods)
• Expanded (internationally available)

The top 10 trends in 2014 are:

1. Brazilian Cuisine. (Discovery) Rio de Janeiro will bring Brazil’s seafood stews, grilling techniques and unusual ingredients into the culinary spotlight when it hosts the upcoming 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.
2. Food Waste Awareness. (Discovery) Root-to-leaf cooking, repurposing, leftovers, shopping wisely and composting food scraps at home are gaining traction with consumers.
3. New Jewish Deli. (Introduction) A renaissance is afoot at the newest generation of Kosher-style delis, such as Wise Sons in San Francisco, where homestyle classics are being revived—and refreshed.
4. Fermentation. (Introduction) Cultured, cured and fermented foods continue trending upward. Consumer interest is moving beyond pickles and kimchi, toward umami-driven flavor profiles and tart beverages such as flavored drinking vinegars.
5. Yogurt Goes Savory. (Adoption) Greek-style yogurt is showing up in savory, non-spoonable applications like condiments, baked goods and snacks. At GRK in New York City, it’s served with basil, apples, figs, lentils and olive oil.
6. Fresh Juices. (Adoption) The latest craze in juicing is driven by rising consumer interest in farm-fresh produce, savory flavor profiles and enticing, better-for-you beverages.
7. Sophisticated Sweets. (Adoption) Spices, botanicals and fresh takes on fruit are hitting the dessert scene. We’ve spotted layered cake with black pepper icing at The Dutch in New York City and roasted strawberry- buttermilk ice cream at Jeni’s in Ohio.
8. Beverage-Inspired Flavors. (Mainstream) Barrel-aged hot sauces are the latest iteration of this trend, though that’s just the tip of the teapot when it comes to creative cooking inspired by craft beers, spirits, coffee and tea.
9. Regional Mexican. (Mainstream) Authenticity has become as important to consumers as it is to our chefs, and Mexico’s regional traditions continue to provide us with a fount of culinary inspiration.
10. Bolder Burgers. (Established) As the “Better Burgers” category continues to thrive, it’s evolving into a bigger, bolder trend than we ever imagined, redefining the “burger joint” with non-beef patties, sophisticated sauces and buns, and specialty fries.