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Forecasted food trends for 2020

Sustainability, climate change, intuitive eating, and brand loyalty will play a role in food trends this year, according to the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation.

Tamika Sims, director of food technology communications, says more than 50 percent of consumers say they want to make environmentally sustainable food choices.  

“That could boil down to how the food is produced on the farm, but it also trickles into stages later down on the supply chain including how the food is packaged,” she says.  

She says IFIC is also forecasting that climate concerns will lead consumers to eat more plant-based foods.  

“That’s a little bit of an oversimplification…so we see the necessity to talk more about where the needle lies for impacting the environment for both plant-based foods and animal-based foods,” she says.

Megan Meyer, director of science communications, says they also anticipate consumers to continue to focus on balance and moderation in their diets.

“We see an interest in intuitive and mindful eating patterns,” she says. “There’s more moderation in younger generations for sure as they’ve been more aware of it than older generations.”

She says brand loyalty is forecasted to continue to impact food and beverage purchases.

“Seventy percent of Americans report that trust in a brand does impact what they are purchasing, so having recognizable brands and products still means something to people,” she says.

Meyer says IFIC has been formally forecasting trends for four years ago. A team of registered dietitians, nutrition experts, and consumer researchers help forecast food trends.

Audio: Tamika Sims and Megan Meyer, International Food Information Council Foundation