As we were making the final edits to this issue of Food Engineering, I noticed it touches on all the major challenges currently faced by those involved in food and beverage manufacturing: the increasing need for automation, the focus on food safety, the importance of sustainability and the necessity to run lean and mean in all aspects of plant production. Once in a while, though, I think we need to put the food back into Food Engineering and talk about new product trends.

This past weekend, I dined at a tavern in a hip part of town that featured deviled eggs on its menu. I don’t recall ever seeing them before on a restaurant menu.  A few days later, when I was reading about 2013 food trends, there it was again in all its retro glory: deviled eggs. Compiled by a Forbes contributing editor, this 2013 food trends list also included Korean flavors, tortas and tiny desserts.  But other items on this food trends list stood out: wine, cocktails and condiments on tap. Not only do more items on tap make restaurants more efficient, they support environmental concerns. Less packaging and less transport appeal not only to sustainability-minded customers, but to food and beverage industry suppliers as well.