Your snacks are going to be so much cooler in the new year.
MIKE POMRANZ November 15, 2018
Thanksgiving is only a week away, which means that Christmas is right around the corner, which means New Year’s is in sight, which means that 2019 is practically here! Yes, it’s annoying to get ahead of ourselves that way, but unfortunately, that’s how quickly things move during the holiday season. Meanwhile, big name brands don’t want to be late to the 2019 party, so we’re already seeing a rollout of thoughts on the year ahead. For instance, today, Whole Foods revealed its “Top 10 Food Trends for 2019.” And good news: Since 2019 is still over six weeks away, you can still jump on these trends right now and be totally ahead of the curve!
So what is Whole Foods predicting? Well, as is often the case with these kinds of lists, the ten things range from the genuinely interesting to the slightly more obvious to the ambiguous-enough-where-you’re-guaranteed-to-be-right.
For example, in the obvious category, Whole Foods suggests the “Eco-Conscious Packaging” will be big in 2019 — but let’s hope by now plenty of people are already keeping the environment in mind when doing their shopping. Meanwhile, Whole Foods rounds out its list with “Purchases that Empower,” which yes, is a thing, but remains kind of vague. Again, hopefully you’re at least somewhat considering the ethics of a brand when buying things from them.
A more interesting takeaway is just how much snacking plays into Whole Food’s list. “Faux Meat Snacks,” “Marine Munchies, Beyond Seaweed,” and “Snack Time, Upgraded” all get shout outs. When it comes to plant-based meat snacks, Whole Foods suggests keeping an eye out for things like Snacklins Cracklins Without The Pork and Pig Øut Chipotle Pigless Bacon Chips. And when it comes to new marine-themed snacking ideas, Whole Foods writes, “Puffed snacks made from water lily seeds, plant-based tuna alternatives with algae ingredients, crispy snackable salmon skins with omega-3s and kelp jerkies are just a few testing the waters.” (Of course, it’s important to remember that one culture’s “trend” can be another culture’s longstanding snack. We’re looking at you salmon skins.)
While those two categories alone would seem to point towards “Snack Time, Upgraded,” but the grocery brand explains that upmarket snacks are also a growing trend. “Portable snack packages will feature bites like prosciutto and aged mozzarella, and artisanal versions of classic snacks like cheese or peanut butter cracker sandwiches,” Whole Foods opines.
Speaking of which, Whole Foods also waxes poetic (and extensively) about five other foreseen trends: Pacific Rim Flavors, Shelf-Stable Probiotics, Phat Fats, Next Level Hemp, and Trailblazing Frozen Treats. Clearly, I could sit here and give you a recap, but you might as well get the deeper info directly from Whole Foods itself. And as an added bonus, the chain also provides plenty of suggested products for each category that will allow you to “Try the Trend.” Like I said up top, you still have plenty of time to be super cool before 2019 even rolls around.