2017 Food Trends Report

We have a universal love of food here at ULTRA, with a somewhat obsessive attitude about being the first to know about a new food. We attend all of the big food shows and conferences, read blogs and magazines, shop the aisles and spend our commutes listening to food podcasts. It’s a passion point for us that pays off for the food brands we work on, but we know there is nothing better than being in-the-know yourself. For the past five years, ULTRA has collected and curated each years’ worth of learning to share with our clients and the public. It’s information that is useful for us, but want to share with everyone. If anything, we hope it’s inspiring. You can read this year's report here.

Many food trend reports, including some of ours in years past, have focused more on a specific flavor or ingredient trend – coconut, veggie chips, and bacon, for example. But many new products this year utilized established flavors or ingredients, which pushed us to take a look at more macro trends. The three macro trends we identified are Ethical Products, Sustainable Foods and Health & Wellness. You’ll see a variety of flavors, textures, and ingredients within each of these areas, but what is really compelling is the brand narrative – what is the brand doing, and what is their motive? For the outlier products that didn’t fit a theme but we simply had to share, are featured in our Products section. And last, food is all about flavor for our consumers, so the new or much-hyped flavors of this year are in the Flavors section. We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we did in making it. If you have any questions or would like to talk food, you can connect with me at Julia [at] ultracreative [dot] com. Bon appetit!