The report, dubbed ‘Journey into the Future of Flavour’, is produced annually and brings together research from Mintel, Innova and Tastewise, in addition to social media analysis and I.T.S insight. It highlights five key flavour trends that will continue to influence the sector in 2024, as well as identifying four emerging flavours that look set to grow in popularity.
The five trends listed included newfound nostalgia, creative caramel, forever floral, keep it real and Barbie world. The newfound nostalgia analysis predicts that manufacturers will return to past favourites such as marzipan, custard, sherbet, gingerbread and even candy floss when developing products.
For creative caramel, I.T.S found that flavours like salted caramel, blonde chocolate and dulce de leche are set to grow, citing a 52% rise in caramelised biscuit products launches between 2018 and 2022. Forever floral looks at the continued popularity of elderflower, orange blossom and hibiscus, while keep it real focuses on the desire for authentic and non-artificial fruit flavours.
Finally, the Barbie world trend refers to the influence that pop culture continues to have on food and drink product development, with the Barbie film a prime example. The recently released Wonka film could have a similar impact according to I.T.S, while social media and TV trends also play a role.
In the braver flavours section, I.T.S highlighted katsu curry, mangosteen, tiger’s blood and smoky strawberry as four new flavours to watch out for in 2024. The firm has identified these flavours in customer briefs and predicts they will soon be applied across savoury snacks, desserts and cocktails too.
“The I.T.S flavour trends report is an ideal way for us to share our knowledge as flavour innovators along with data from respected trends analysts to give a snapshot of what is influencing trends in food and drink, and flavours in particular,” explained Mike Bagshaw, founder of I.T.S.
“We are presently dealing with current global conflicts, inflation and climate change along with the rise in AI. The growth in digital culture means today’s consumers have access to news and views 24/7 too resulting in demand for instant gratification. At that same time there is growing political division and the rise of ‘woke’ culture, particularly among the influential younger or ‘Gen Z’ generation. All this will have an impact on the kind of food and drink that is being developed by food manufacturers.”
In other news, Cakesmiths has become part of rebranded Onore Food Group.
