Cheese and dairy remain as popular as ever with consumers and retain their reputation for versatility among menu makers. It highlights just how ideally positioned this food category is for the near term, when the world is still dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic.

Nearly every Old World cuisine holds the keys to building flavor, not only through indigenous ingredients but also through its cooking techniques. While batch production often necessitates shortcuts, it is possible to lose sight of the fundamentals that make culinary creation worthwhile.

Every industry has their terms that become horribly overused. This can happen in an incredibly short period of time; think “pivot” or “new normal” during the last pivot months. For food, I think it’s safe to say “comfort with a twist” has been used to the point where it has little real meaning in marketing or innovation discussions.

Epicurean thrill seekers appreciate a noisy, hustling and bustling street kitchen, a hawker center, or a food trailer park just as much as the comfortable and sophisticated atmosphere of a fine dining restaurant. 

In 2021, trends toward health and plant-based foods are driving product developers to formulate a wave of new products with grains and seeds. According to Innova Market Insights, grain product launches had a 7% average annual growth rate in the period from 2014 to 2018. The company’s data show that the top market category for new global product launches with grains in 2018 was bakery (31%), followed by ready meals and side dishes (16%), snacks (10%), cereals (8%), and confectionery (6%).

Plant-based milk analogs and other dairy-alternative products comprise a rapidly growing market segment for a number of reasons, including lactose sensitivity/intolerance, dairy protein allergies, vegetarian lifestyles, and environmental concerns. In the US and UK, cow’s milk consumption has declined while plant-based milk consumption has increased significantly in recent years.

At the beginning of 2020, nobody could have predicted a reversal of fortune for breakfast cereal makers.
Years of tepid sales quickly reversed with a COVID-19 pandemic that forced consumers into new work-at-home and eat-at-home routines. This certainly helped boost packaged breakfast food sales.