Earlier this year we made some predictions for food and drink trends that we thought would be interesting and relevant to the FMCG industry. This is our follow up to see how accurate those predicitions were (so far!)

1. 15 Food & Drink
Trends for 2015
A look at how we are doing so far…

2. Earlier this year we made 15 Food & Drink predictions for 2015

3. With 2016 in sight let’s take a look at how accurate we were…

4. We Predicted…
“With the gourmet burger trend
fully hitting the mainstream, foodies
are turning to a new takeaway staple
to jazz up- the hot dog.”
Were We Right?
Sort of… Posh dogs haven’t gone
mainstream yet, but maybe this is
because gourmet burgers are still
popular on the menu?
What’s Next?
Is there any form of fast food that
can’t be premiumised? Check out
our next prediction for an update on
posh kebabs!
4
Gourmet Hot Dogs
Brewdog – of Craft Beer fame –
have recently opened
DOGEATDOG serving gourmet
hot dogs in North London

5. 5
Mezze Madness
We Predicted…
“The next wave of ethnic cuisine
that looks set to take Europe by
storm is from Lebanon. Elevating the
traditional kebab, think freshly made
hummus, falafel and grilled meats!”
Were We Right?
It’s looking that way! Check out
London Evening Standard’s guide to
the “Gastro Bab”.
What’s Next?
Increase in small, sharing plates
across a range of eateries, from
Mediterranean-style restaurants to
English pubs.
Posh Lamb Kebabs at Le Bab –
photo from London Evening
Standard article on the Gastro Bab

6. 6
Hot Sauce Provenance
We Predicted…
“Consumer thirst for hot sauce is
continuing to rise. 2015 will be the
year that in order to further
differentiate brands will play up the
provenance of their hot sauces.”
Were We Right?
We’re getting there... Hot sauces
are definitely becoming more
mainstream, and strong provenance
stories are helping.
What’s Next?
Increasing popularity of artisanal
brands, coupled with greater
awareness of the cooking
applications of hot sauce thanks to
the growth of Sriracha.
California-based Sosu “artisan
ketchups” also tie-in nicely with
another of our predictions about
more diverse Asian foods

7. 7
Nuts for Nuts!
We Predicted…
“Hitting back at rising allergy and
free-from trends nut butters &
spreads to less conventional formats
like nut drinks, 2015 is the year
we’re going nuts for nuts.”
Were We Right?
Spot on! Protein-based snacking has
seen huge growth, and breakfast
consumption of fruit & nuts has risen
by 9.5% [Kantar]
What’s Next?
There are plenty of nut varieties to
turn into a range of spreads, drinks
and healthy snack-bars.
Pip&Nut are one of our favourite
new brands fuelling the craze for
delicious and nutritious nut
products with divine butters

8. We Predicted…
In the year ahead we expect
London’s diverse array of Asian
street food to start gaining wider
traction: showing the public that
there is more to Asian food than
Chinese sweet and sour!
Were we right?
Absolutely! The food scene is
exploding with Vietnamese, Korean
and other East Asian eateries.
What’s Next?
Watch out for start-up Yogiyo
Korean Kitchen who won backing
from Dragon’s Den.
8
Taste of the Orient
Founded by SueYoun and husband
Ben,Yogiyo sell Korean cooking
sauces and ingredients.

9. We Predicted…
“The logicalnext step is for gluten-free
productswhich put contentclaimsfront
and centre to give way to new brands
contestingfor market share and shelf
spacewithin this category”
Were We Right?
Gettingthere slowly.The free-from
categoryandgluten-freeproducts
continueto boom,with ever increasing
demandfrom consumers.However to a
large extent the categoryis dominatedby
brands which centre on free-fromclaims,
not their wider identity.
What’sNext?
A rhetorical moveaway from ‘free-from’
to ‘better with’ focussingon the benefitsof
whole and unprocessedfoods.
9
Gluten Free Growth
The Rude Health range are a rare
but fantastic example of a free-
from brand with an identity that
stretches beyond GF claims

10. We Predicted…
“Coconut water has enjoyed
enormous success in both UK and
US markets in recent years, and it
now looks like coconut oil will be
riding that wave.”
Were We Right?
Totally! With twitter rumours of
rugby world cup winners the NZ All
Blacks getting through 6-7 tins a
week, coconut oil has become a firm
kitchen favourite.
What’s Next?
Whilst Starbucks coconut-milk latte
skyrockets, also watch for the steady
rise of aloe-vera, already a favourite
amongst those with restricted diets.
10
Coconut Everything
Premium British brand LucyBee
have been joined byVitaCoco, the
Groovy Food Co & others

11. We Predicted…
“We’re keeping our eyes on the
taste pioneers finding new ways to
use matcha in various dishes – cold
tea beverages have already made
their way into the market, but there
is potential to extend into desserts,
hot drinks, breakfast occasions and
more.”
Were We Right?
Slow Up Take… Matcha is
diffusing into our dishes/beverages,
but it hasn’t made as big an impact as
we predicted for 2015.
What’s Next?
Matcha powder has huge potential to
boost health claims across a range of
categories yet.
11
Go Matcha!
Starbucks GreenTea Lattes are
popular with the health & wellness
crowd, but aren’t the latest hype.

12. We Predicted…
“With adult soft drinks growing
considerably, and the war on sugar
looming over the category at large,
expect interesting developments
over the next year.”
Were We Right?
Mixed Picture The wider category
of sodas and carbonated beverages is
transforming rapidly with craft sodas
and ginger beer/ale being swept
along.
What’s Next?
Ever increasing interest in craft soda
and declining popularity for big soda
in the wake of the ‘war on sugar’.
12
Ginger Beer
Bruce Cost ginger ale – the craft
soda creation of a ginger
enthusiast.

13. We Predicted…
“Although this trend was previously
a non-starter, 2015 looks set to be
its year. In response to concerns
around the level of sugar in drinks,
drinks brands will look to vegetables
to offer exciting flavour innovations.”
Were We Right?
Spot-on! Following the ‘green juice’
revolution, juice and smoothie
brands like Innocent have begun to
incorporate veg into their products.
What’s Next?
There may be a u-turn in this
category as people become
concerned by the lack of fibre in
pressed products.
13
“Drink Your Veg”
Innocent Super Smoothie range –
combining veg, botanicals and fruit
Picture: theldndiaries.com

14. We Predicted…
“2015 will see food and drinks
brands using digital channels in
increasingly innovative ways to
deliver better service and reduce
their overheads”
Were We Right?
Correct! Starbucks are leading the
way with mobile pay-and-collect
coffee ordering while bespoke food
delivery services like Deliveroo
allow local eateries to access the
takeaway market.
What’s Next?
Sharing is caring. Increased use of
websites like mealsharing.com or
leftoverswap.com.
14
Clickable Lunch
A delivery man for Deliveroo,
premium restaurant takeaway
service
Picture: eatoutmagazine.com

15. We Predicted…
“With consumers becoming
increasingly adventurous in what
they eat, expect meats outside to
standard chicken, lamb, beef and
pork to gain a following.”
Were We Right?
Not so much… You’ll still find
ostrich steak and kangaroo burgers
in street food markets. However,
despite Lidl and Aldi both making
historical forays into exotic meats,
the focus of supermarkets now
seems to be very much British meat
from British farmers.
What’s Next?
Greater variety in the meat-free
category. Quorn have just extended
their range to include filled pastas,
lardons and a vegan selection.15
Gamey Meats on Menu
Quorn filled ravioli – part of
Quorn’s expanded product range
Picutre: foodbev.com

16. We Predicted…
“Tapioca balls at the bottom of iced
tea? It shouldn’t work but it does,
and already has a loyal following in
the UK thanks to the likes
of Bubbleology and
Cuppacha. Expect a high street chain
in the UK to begin offering the
drink…”
Were We Right?
Lukewarm – whilst companies like
Bubbleology continue to be popular,
bubble tea is yet to make it into the
big chain coffee shops.
What’s Next?
Water fresh from the tree such as
Tapped’s birch water or
DRINKmaple.
16
Bubble Tea Explosion
DRINKmaple offer consumers
water tapped straight from the
tree

17. We Predicted…
“This is one to watch over a longer
period of time, but seaweed is
already being experimented with in
different formats from trendy
London restaurants to wholefood
and health stores.”
Were We Right?
Not quite. For now seaweed
remains the preserve of sushi rolls
and Chinese
takeaways.
What’s Next?
Season with seaweed? The
Pembrokeshire Beach Food
Company launch a selection of ‘the
tastiest seaweeds’.
17
Seaweed Salad?
Mermaid Confetti No.2 – a blend
of dried lava and dulse seaweed
with Halen Mon sea salt

18. We Predicted…
“Cricket, anyone? Bugs may be
pushing our predictions, but with the
global price of meat rising and
health-conscious western diets
slowly shifting away from the meat
and two veg formula, consumers are
looking for new sources of protein.”
Were We Right?
More than we imagined! With
the launch of the UK’s first snack bar
made using cricket flour this trend
has come sooner than we thought it
might!
What’s Next?
Cricket nut fudge, anyone? The
inclusion of insects in to more
conventional food products.
18
It’s a Bug’s Life…
Crobar are made with cricket
flour and “set to revolutionise the
health food market,”

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