Plant-Based is Top Trend to Watch in 2018

In its recent year-end report, food industry media outlet Foodnavigator USA named several plant-based innovations as top trends to watch in 2018. Writer Elaine Watson focused on 10 trends that will capture consumer interest in the coming year, including innovative technologies such as cultured meat (also known as “clean meat”), plant-based proteins, and cleaner labels. “Growing interest in plant-based foods and cultured meat stems from the same desire to find an alternative to industrialized meat production,” Watson said, “which critics claim is bad for the environment and cruel to animals, and we can expect more investment and innovation in plant-based meat and dairy alternatives in 2018.” Watson explained that while larger food companies struggle to connect with the next generation of mindful consumers, plant-based foods such as chickpea proteins, peanut-based milk, and burgers from meatless brands Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat will continue to gain market share in 2018. A number of research firms, retailers, and media outlets—including meat industry publication Meat + Poultry—have named plant-based foods as a top trend of 2017 and predicted their growth in the coming year.