1. Mushrooms
Versatile mushrooms are not brand new to the superfood category, but their cult-like status is reaching the masses today. Not only is the consumption of ordinary mushrooms on the rise, but they’re being found in more and more unexpected places, from mushroom powder adding punchy flavour to alternative meats to varieties like Lion’s Mane adding functional benefits to beverages.
2. Nostalgic desserts
The novelty of retro foods has not worn off on British consumers, who are still returning to nostalgic recipes for a dose of comfort food. Younger generations are getting involved too, with one video of a school-dinner-style traybake receiving more than 100,000 views on TikTok. On Waitrose’s website, searches of knickerbocker glory were up 171%, the retailer said.
3. Japanese flavours
Dishes inspired by foreign countries have flourished in Britain since the pandemic hit, and experts have tracked a particular interest in Japanese flavours in the build-up to and following the Tokyo Olympics. At Waitrose, sales of the retailer’s own-brand Umami Paste were up 17% compared with 2019, while sushi sales saw a 54% increase. Consumers were also keen to try their hand at creating their own sushi, with 2021 sales of sushi mats up 57% and nori sales up 56% compared to the same period in 2020.
4. CBD
The CBD market has seen an explosion of interest in recent years, thanks to the growing demand for healthy foods and CBD’s claimed benefits for mental health and wellness. Increasingly, however, CBD products are moving away from the health food shops and into drinks and food products, so it is certainly an area worth exploring for fine food retailers. ShelfNow has noted that alongside a growing interest for CBD, products like Cannasa, a premium CBD-infused drink, are increasingly in demand.
5. Bigger, better breakfast
The home working boom caused a shift in consumers’ grocery buying habits – and with many still yet to return full-time to the office, cutting out the commute means more consumers have time for a leisurely breakfast. In fact, during the first lockdown, one survey found that Brits ate eggs for breakfast 68% more times than in the previous year, while bacon sales were up 21% and pastries were up 25%, according to Waitrose.