By Melanie Jackson, FAPC Communications Graduate Assistant

(Stillwater, Okla. – Nov. 28, 2017) Photo-friendly food, Middle Eastern cuisine and mushroom-infused coffee are on the menu for 2018, as Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center selects the hottest food trends for the upcoming year.

Andrea Graves, FAPC business planning and marketing specialist, said change is inevitable and trends help indicate what is coming next.

“Businesses need to pay attention to trends in order to find new growth opportunities and their target audiences,” Graves said. “Understanding these trends help businesses stay ahead of upcoming change, whether it is regulatory or a new flavor profile. Also, in most cases, consumers drive the trends and are looking for products and companies that are meeting their needs and lifestyles.”

Take a look at the top 10 trends for 2018, according to FAPC.

1. Photo-friendly Food

The more Instagram-worthy your food is, the better. Consumers do not just want to eat their food. They want to share it with friends and show off where they have been. The result is a demand for colorful, textured and unique food items to gain more likes, comments and shares online. Prepare to see more purple vegetables, black ice cream and blue algae lattes.

2. Transparency

This trend continues to gain popularity. Consumers want to know how their food got from the source to the store. They want to know what their food is made of, how it was cared for and if it is a healthy option. This increased interest in food forces producers and manufacturers to enhance transparency with consumers.

3. Middle Eastern Cuisine

Food from the Middle East isn’t a new concept. With hummus, pita and falafels on the market, Americans are ready to dive deeper into the culinary novelties Israeli, Moroccan and Persian cultures have to offer. Some examples include shakshuka and sumac-spiced foods.

4. Innovative Food Waste Reduction

Reducing food waste is a reoccurring trend, but manufacturers are taking it to the next level. Pickling watermelon rinds, using beet trimmings and leftover fruit in cocktails, and chopping broccoli stems for coleslaw are a few of the innovative ways to reduce food waste and are expected to take off in the upcoming year.

5. Fourth Meal

Whether it is a second breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack, many consumers are adding a fourth, smaller meal to their daily menu. The fourth meal includes anything from an energy-boosting salad before an evening workout to peanut butter on toast before bed. This trend is not about trying to eat more food in a day, but rather adapting eating schedules to fit busy lifestyles.

6. Mushroom Mania

Mushrooms are found in a variety of dishes and have earned their place at the healthy ingredients table. In 2018, mushrooms are predicted to gain popularity and be found in coffee, cocoa, ice cream and even soap and shampoo.

7. Plant Power

Plant-based protein was popular in 2017, and the trend is predicted to gain more prominence in 2018. Expect more vegetable entrées as consumers continue to embrace a flexitarian lifestyle.

8. All-day Breakfast

More restaurants are joining the all-day breakfast bandwagon. Consumers love to eat breakfast foods at any time of the day. This is sparking creativity and leading to the development of interesting breakfast ideas perfect for morning, noon and night.

9. Taco ‘bout Options

The #TacoTuesday trend is far from over. Instead, the variety of tacos is increasing with breakfast and dessert tacos available to consumers. In addition, tacos are shedding their shell and fillings to create new, healthier varieties such as seaweed-wrapped, poke-filled tacos. But, traditional tacos aren’t going anywhere.

10. Floral Flavors

We know flowers are pretty and fragrant, but they’re tasty, too. From floral-infused drinks and snacks, to adding whole flowers and petals to dishes, the floral trend is in full bloom. Items such as lavender lattes and pink hibiscus teas are predicted to gain popularity in 2018.

FAPC, a part of OSU’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, helps to discover, develop, and deliver technical and business information that stimulates and supports the growth of value-added food and agricultural products and processing in Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant university that prepares students for success. OSU has more than 36,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 25,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and around 120 nations. Established in 1890, Oklahoma State has graduated more than 260,000 students who have been serving Oklahoma and the world for 125 years.