Tyson Foods publishes its 2019 consumer trend predictions and featuring in the shortlist is transparent food and protein diversity.

Mystery solved: transparent food takes hold

New technology is providing everyone, not just experts and professionals, with background information about their food. The concept of tracking food from farm to table, which first took hold with some smaller brands, will become a focus for big food in 2019. Technologies such as blockchain are poised to drive change, with some retailers and companies tracking food from sourcing to shipping to store. New bar code technology is also enabling shoppers to scan a product code with their smart phone and see the farm the chicken came from, how far it travelled and even view a picture of the farmer who raised it.

What does this mean in 2019? Larger companies will dedicate resources to transparency and educating people on the sourcing and production of their products. These efforts will extend beyond best practices at the farm and factory level to include sustainable packaging and clean product labelling initiatives.

With 39 percent of consumers saying they are willing to switch to brands that use more transparent labels, expect the growing role of technology to spur advancements in this area.

Protein goes wild

Want not, waste not! There has been a growing trend for new cuts of meat and “nose to tail” eating (where every part of the animal is being put to use) taking shape in the US after years of companies exporting these proteins oversees where, in some cases, (like chicken paws in China) they are considered delicacies.

Demand for proteins like crickets and seaweed is expected to expand in 2019, as curiosity and willingness to explore options grows. In fact, the market for insects in North America alone is expected to rise to 153.9M BY 2023, up from $44.1M in 2018. And finally, with 40 percent of Americans trying to eat more plant-based foods, cue the growing new world of plant-based protein.

Veggie burgers have gone global, as people try to find the perfect “cut” of “meat,” as taste, texture, look and feel of plant-based proteins improve every day. Beyond Meat features pea, fava bean and rice protein with trace amounts of beet for colour, coconut oil for juiciness and an algae-based casing. And while still a few years away from grocery stores, lab grown proteins, such as Memphis Meats, are expected to generate more interest. The evolution of protein seems limitless in 2019.

As reported by Tyson Foods

Further Reading

You can view the full report by clicking here.