NPD: 'Organic' top food trend with 41% predicted growth during the next decade

In its new report,A Look into The Future of Eating, The NPD Group, a leadingmarket research company, forecasts that “better for you” foods, such as organic and light or low-calorie foods and beverages, will be among the fastest growing food trends over the next decade. Restaurant meals eaten at home and appetizers eaten as in-home main meals are also expected to be among the fastest growing food trends, according to the report.

A Look into The Future of Eatingprovides a ten-year forecast of eating trends based on generational influences, population, and trend momentum gathered from NPD’s 30-years of tracking America’s eating patterns. The report covers a broad spectrum of food and beverage categories, preparation methods, meal situations, and other food-related behaviors.

Top Food Trends Expected to Grow More Important During the Next Decade
Organic	41%
Restaurant meals eaten in-home	20%
Light/lite/diet/low calorie labels	18%
Salty/savory snack foods	16%
Easy meals, e.g. fruit, snacks as meals, yogurt, bars, etc.	16%
Appetizers eaten as in-home main meals	16%
Leftovers as end dish foods	15%
Fresh as end dish foods	14%
Source: The NPD Group,A Look into The Future of Eating,National Eating Trends®

“As the population ages, levels of concern regarding food and nutrition are expected to rise,” says Ann Hanson, author ofA Look into The Future of Eatingand director of product development at NPD. “For this reason, ‘better for you’ food options are forecasted to grow strongly over the next ten years.”

The NPD report also identifies the foods that will be declining over the next ten years. Among the foods forecasted to decline are quick assembly lunch/dinner foods, which are dominated by sandwiches;certain breakfast foods;and side dish breads.

“NPD has been continuously tracking eating habits in the U.S. since 1980, and now we’ve taken the next step and looked at what Americans will be eating in the future,” says Hanson. “The study’s findings have major implications for food companies in terms of long-term product and packaging innovation, distribution, and recipe development.”