Despite regulatory challenges, the use of THC in beverages is seeing a slight uptick. Nielsen suggests that consumers often turn to marijuana products because it doesn’t cause a hangover and is low- or zero-calorie.
A surge in ketogenic diets and sugar reduction due to consumers’ increased health-consciousness is impacting demand for hydrocolloids often used to enhance the quality and functionality of beverages.
Whether its dairy milks, ready-to-drink (RTD) hot and iced coffees, meal replacement drinks or protein powders, vanilla is one of the most universally accepted flavor profiles around the world. In fact, vanilla is so well-known that its very name means “common.”
The plant-based trend has evolved from niche to mainstream as plant-based ingredients from soy and almonds to newer options like pea, chickpea, oat and rice are being used in a multitude of products.
Approximately 63 percent of Americans drink coffee, according to the 2019 National Coffee Data Trends. Although coffee exports are decreasing globally, coffee as a distinctive, aromatic ingredient in food and beverages is expanding. Beyond flavor and aroma, attributes like coffee’s purported anti-inflammatory polyphenols are helping to drive product innovations across multiple categories, experts note.
Domestic and exotic fruits finding favor in the beverage market include lemon, lime, peach and strawberry, while up-and-coming exotic flavors include blood orange, passionfruit and guava.
Beverage-makers and consumers alike are “singing the praises” of the healthful attributes of tea ingredients and revealing that there’s now more premium choices and categories utilizing these ingredients than ever before.
In the past, consumers generally designated protein for bodybuilders and athletes. Today, it’s seen as an essential part of the average person’s daily diet.