You may remember our article on 2017 Food and Beverage trends to watch for. Since it’s been months since we published that, we decided to check in on our trends and put together a list of companies and brands that we’ve learned about this year. Below are our findings that demonstrate how these trends have manifested in the marketplace this year:

Sustainability: Sometimes it’s through compostable packaging, reducing waste from their manufacturing facilities or finding resourceful ways to re-purpose previously discarded ingredients.

• Trash Tiki – this London based online platform shows bartenders how to leverage near end of shelf life ingredients into their cocktails, to minimize food waste.
• Salvage supper club – a dining club that gathers in a retrofitted dumpster to inspire the rethinking of food. Past dishes include “bruised beet tartare,” and “office coffee butter & recycled rice bread.”
• Wasteless – a mobile platform dedicated to re-capturing lost grocery revenue by automating pricing processes based on expiration dates.

Clean Ingredients: Shorter ingredient statements, less artificial ingredients, and pronounceable ingredients.

• Starbuck’s Teavana Shaken Iced Pina Colada Tea Infusion – sweetened with liquid cane sugar and incorporates clean ingredients like black tea that is infused with a blend of chamomile pollen, licorice roots, orange peels and apples.
• Lunchables Organic – this nostalgic lunchtime kit now lists “no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors” on its front package.

No Sugar Added: In response to the Nutrition Facts Panel change (even though it’s been postposed), brands are reformulating and innovating so they don’t have to claim added sugars on their labels.

• Coca Cola Zero Sugar – It’s sweetened with aspartame and ace-K and is being marketed as an improved Coke Zero
• Waterloo Sparkling Water – Austin-based brand launching in Whole Foods in September 2017
• Smoothie King launched three smoothies – Lemon Green Tea, Watermelon Hibiscus and Dragon Fruit that contain no added sugars or artificial sweeteners.

Sugar Substitutes: Added sugar vs naturally occurring sugar vs ingredients that accentuate sweetness continues to be a hot topic.

• SweetSense – proprietary natural flavor that accentuates the inherent sweetness in beverage applications
• PepsiCo’s application for a patent on a technique for producing a stevia-based sweetener that delivers “higher purity at a lower cost” made headlines
• Lavender Pond Farm Lavender Lemonade is sweetened with organic raw honey

Savory Snack Attack: The savory snack market is expected to reach $138 billion by 2020. On-the-go packs that combine sweet and savory taste profiles also remain popular.

• Ready Egg go! – protein rich snacks that combine hard-boiled eggs, cheese and nuts
• Good & Go – Horizon Organic’s USDA Organic cheese and pretzel snack packs
• Hormel Natural Choice – snacks that combine traditional lunch meat cubes, cheese and dark chocolate covered fruit, pretzels or nuts

Plant-Based: Veggies and plant-based products remain in the spotlight, pushed forward by health and socially conscious vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians.

• Impossible Foods – most known for their burger made entirely from plants. Not a product of 2017, but the $75 million raised in an August 2017 investment round is promising for growth.
• Quaker Overnight Oats – these cups are rich in nutritious plants, including flaxseed, quinoa and oats.
• Green Giant veggie noodles – made from carrot, beet, butternut squash, sweet potato, and zucchini

Flavor Mash-ups: Nostalgic flavors are integrated into seasonal classics, breakfast flavors extend beyond traditional breakfast foods, and exotic flavor combinations are all ways we see flavor mash ups in the marketplace.

• Krystal launched an Oreo Milkshake, putting a twist on the iconic classic
• Upruit combined sparkling cold brew coffee and fruit juices like tart cherry and meyer lemonade.
• Halo Top gained attention for its low calorie and high protein claims. Mash up flavors include pancake & waffles, caramel macchiato and chocolate covered banana. (We’re partial to Birthday Cake but will get back to you when we try these new flavors).
• Sonic released a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Custard Concrete
• Whataburger combined sweet and savory with their Spicy Strawberry Chicken Biscuit