What Consumers Are Craving In 2015

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 2015.

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 2015 are:

1. Filipino Flavors. (Discovery) Filipino-American chefs are bringing the flavors of home to fine dining, pop-ups and food trucks. We’re spotting lumpia spring rolls, vinegar-based adobo sauces and calamansi juice on menus at restaurants from Los Angeles to New York City.
2. Bread Revival. (Introduction) Specialty bakeries across the U.S. are making advances in artisanal bread, with a focus on slow fermentation, rye flours and alternative grains, while restaurants and cafes are elevating it in their own way by adding breadbaskets and toast to the menu.
3. Seafood Awareness. (Introduction) Chefs concerned over depleted fish populations and inefficient trade practices are building renewed awareness around sustainability one plate at a time. The resulting sea-to-table mentality is inspiring a delicious take on non-traditional seafood.
4. Eating With Purpose. (Adoption) The desire to eat smarter—for peak wellness and energy—is influencing the way we cook, shop and order when dining out. As a result, healthy eating is being redefined through a new generation of power-packed products and menu items that deliver on nutrition and taste.
5. Food Is Fun. (Adoption) Many are approaching cooking and food shopping with a new agenda:
   enjoyment. We’re seeing mealtime responsibilities shift from chore to explore as fun venues like in-store supermarket cooking schools and inspiring food halls gain traction.
6. Midwestern Roots. (Adoption) The elemental connection between farm, table and community is alive and well in kitchens across the Heartland, and it’s this honest, homegrown approach to food that has many looking to the center states for culinary inspiration.
7. Fast-Casual Effect. (Mainstream) With its impressive growth and fresh appeal, the fast-casual segment continues to inspire restaurant innovations that better align brands and menus with the desires of today’s consumers.
8. Tea Time. (Mainstream) Whether it’s in a mug, on ice, in a latte or on the plate, tea is hot across the TrendScape in myriad permutations across all dayparts —and the trend shows no signs of cooling down.
9. Regional Barbecue. (Established) From the vinegary, whole-hog barbecue of Eastern North Carolina to the thinly sliced beef brisket of Central Texas, there’s an endless array of authentic, regional barbecue specialties that are capturing the imagination of an ever-widening audience.
10. Chile Peppers. (Expanded) Chile peppers and hot sauces continue trending upward at home and abroad, as enthusiastic palates everywhere look to faraway lands for spicy and flavorful accents that amp up everyday cuisine.