NATIONAL REPORT — No outlook on the coming year can be complete without a rundown of the consumer trends that are expected to have the greatest impact on food and beverage retailing in 2019. Consumers these days are a demanding and discerning bunch, making it imperative for convenience store retailers to stay on top of the latest trends so they can meet the needs of their customers.

To help the c-store industry anticipate what’s next, Convenience Store News has combed through multiple forecasts from leading research firms, consulting firms, technology firms and convenience channel suppliers. Here is our curated list of the top nine trends for 2019:

CANNABIDIOL CRAZE

2019 will mark the year when the cannabis plant extract cannabidiol (CBD) spreads throughout the food and beverage industries, according to KIND Healthy Snacks’ forecast of the top 10 food and nutrition trends for 2019. CBD’s presence was seen in coffee, cocktails and even olive oil in 2018. This year, KIND anticipates that CBD will infiltrate other product categories including yogurts, soups, salad dressings and more. Imbibe, the beverage development company, also put CBD on its list of the top beverage trend predictions for 2019. CBD is said to aid with pain, nausea, seizures, anxiety and depression, which makes it an enticing functional ingredient. It’s also risqué in nature and that may add to its appeal, noted Imbibe.

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