Developing comfort foods that are easy-to-prepare, taste great and convenient is not always simple. These are items people expect to have certain qualities, and standards may be higher compared to when consumers try a food that is new or less commonly consumed.

Taste remains the top driver when it comes to food and beverage choices and in the coming year consumers will be motivated by simplicity, sustainability and meeting their nutrition goals.

Professor Hinnerk Von Bargen of the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio, shares his expertise on the trends and techniques that marry together seemingly disparate culinary styles and flavors in order to create new products with a flavor synchronicity that is greater than the sum of its parts.

This annual report combines leading industry research findings with the latest data from T. Hasegawa’s product development and marketing teams to analyze what consumers are looking for in food and beverage categories and predict upcoming trends through next year.

According to a recent Mintel Report on the US milk and non-dairy milk market, 50% of consumers buy real dairy products and 38% of consumers enjoy real dairy along with their alternative dairy purchases.

McCormick For Chefs® announced the 23rd Edition of the Flavor Forecast, the brand’s annual report on the latest culinary trends shaping the way millions of consumers, chefs, and food professionals prepare and enjoy food worldwide. Along with the trends report, the McCormick global culinary team also announced its inaugural Flavor of the Year: Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning.

Firmenich, a privately-owned fragrance and taste company, announced its 2023 Flavor of the Year, dragon fruit, celebrating consumers' desire for exciting new ingredients and bold, adventurous flavor creation.

Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. (Bell) has released its new Spark Trends platform predictions. Since its inception in 2015, Spark provides a multi-faceted understanding of the global consumer landscape, blending a comprehensive knowledge of culinary influences, market dynamics and product innovations with consumer attitudes, usage and purchasing habits to understand what’s shaping the future of flavors, fragrances and botanicals.

As a global Top 10 food and beverage flavor expert, T. Hasegawa stays ahead of emerging trends, to help analyze the latest in what consumers are looking for in packaged foods, beverages and foodservice.

ADM’s interactive booth (4.C10) will feature sensorial stations that allow for a deeper dive into the company’s technical expertise and vast library of ingredients, spanning health and wellness solutions, flavors and colors, culinary offerings and more.