While 2020 and 2021 have been profoundly impactful for people, the coming years have unfolded a completely new world. With the ‘new normal’ hitting people’s life, there has been a massive change in food habits, education, working and so on. Talking about food habits, the food and flavour industry is going through a massive change, with new food habits and preferences. Let’s take a look at the next big flavour trends in food service for 2022.

Healthy & Multifunctional

Multifunctional food and beverages linked with health benefits seem to be on the rise in the coming future. Consumers are now more concerned about their health and what they consume as a result of the pandemic. They seek natural, pure active ingredients that would improve their health and help them prevent diseases.

As a result, food flavour manufacturers must now devote time to determining which active ingredients and food flavour essence are natural, clean and provide various health benefits. Ingredients rich in vitamin C, such as ginger, lemon and turmeric, are well-known for alleviating various illnesses, including chronic pain, improving the immune system and so on. Manufacturers also attempt to eliminate maximum waste and produce more sustainable products.

Adventurous Experience

As the adventure and exploring have come to a halt, people are looking for new adventurous experiences in food. People are so accustomed to various travel and food alternatives; they desire new experiences in food that are fuelled by flavours familiar to them. They want to enjoy various food experiences in the comfort of their home. For instance, tropical fruits- bananas, mangoes, guavas, spices- cardamom, turmeric, chilli powder and cuisines- Middle Eastern, Thai, Italian, Greek and Vietnamese are typical adventurous flavours that remind one of the travels and exotic destinations. Cocktail flavours like Piña colada and Margarita are also popular among thrill-seekers.

The food flavours manufacturers in India are constantly experimenting with flavours by combining local and foreign flavours to create a unique food flavour essence. For example, a unique citrusy combination of orange, lime and yuzu creates a unique flavour that attracts consumers. In the coming years, food flavour manufacturers are expected to introduce a surge of innovative flavour ideas.

Comfort & Pleasure

Comforting food that is rich in flavour is a great source of relief during tough times. They give simple and inexpensive pleasures that one needs during a crisis. According to reports, there has been an increase in the intake of comfort foods like pizza, burgers, sweets, cakes, pastries, cookies, chocolate, etc. Other than this, home baking has significantly increased for the love of indulgence. There has been an increase in buying baking equipment and food flavour essence. It shows how maximum people are developing new talent and gravitate to carbs when it comes to comfort food.

Holiday flavours are another way of comfort and pleasure. It is like a ritual to celebrate every festival and holiday with food, especially in India. Rich flavours like spice are popular among food flavours manufacturers in India. The manufacturers strive to pay special attention to festive flavours, particularly in the form of limited-edition holiday-themed and seasonal products.

Nostalgia

Continuing the demand for comfort food, people tend to look at food as a safe place that gives a homely feel. Everybody longed to go back to the old days, more like the good old days during the difficult times. During the lockdown, the notion of homemade food increased, which connected consumers to the old recipes, flavours and old cooking traditions. Flavours, tastes and scents have a direct link to memories, which led to the increase in demand for nostalgic or retro food and flavourings.

Due to customer desire for authenticity and craftmanship, old-fashioned meals and cooking techniques began to gain appeal. People have now gone back to cooking homemade meals and baking at home with natural ingredients from scratch. Even though exotic food is on the rise, the love for simple homecooked healthy regional food will also increase by next year. Hence, food flavour manufacturers worldwide are working on bringing back flavours in cakes, drinks, pastries, etc., that have a nostalgic connection.

Final Words

Even if food chains and restaurants are ready to go on yet another rollercoaster ride in 2022, people’s enthusiasm for food and flavours is unwavering. Another unique interest that appears to be contributing to this new food trend is cold coffee. Cold coffee is a favourite comfort beverage among Millennials and Gen Z.

As people continue to look for different food items to escape from the harsh realities, food flavour manufacturers work hard to discover new exotic flavours that will spice up the new flavour trend of 2022.