Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Cross-Functional Food Innovation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • Newsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Manufacturing News

TECH FLASH

Top food trends to watch for in 2014

New innovations in packaging and flavors have consumers keeping an eye out for these trends in the new year.

By Shane O'Halloran
January 24, 2014

With 2013 in the record books, consumers are hungry for new innovation in new and existing product categories.

Deconstructed dinners offer the convenience of a preplanned menu with the fun and creativity of gourmet home cooking. Companies such as Plated, BlueApron and HelloFresh offer meal kits including all the necessary ingredients for a dish costing  $10-$15 per meal. HelloFresh has raised $7.5 million to expand from Europe and Australia to the US.

Forget that food dye in 2014, according to market analyst JWT, as consumers add the coloring to their list of things to avoid. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has already worked to ban or require warning labels for a number of dyes in the UK and Europe, and a 2013 Change.org petition played a role in pressuring Kraft to remove food dye from its Macaroni & Cheese.

The next frontier in sustainability may just be edible packaging. From edible burger and ice cream sandwich wrapping to WikiPearl, an edible packaging company created by Harvard bioengineer David Edwards that draws inspiration from grape skin, consumers are embracing zero-waste packages.

Thought the buzz over Greek yogurt might be subsiding? Well, say hello to savory yogurt. Frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry now offers fresh Greek yogurt mixed with flavors like chopped cucumber, sunflower seeds and chili powder. Chobani’s retail outlet in New York City offers creations that include smoked salmon, lemon juice, dill and more.

Some chain restaurants are working to improve the nutritional value of offerings, without tipping off diners, in so-called “stealth health” tweaks. Chick-Fil-A’s recent elimination of high-fructose corn syrup in buns and artificial dyes in sauces are prime examples. “We call it stealth health,” a Chick-Fil-A dietician told JWT. “We didn’t necessarily want the customer to know we’ve tweaked their favorite product.”

Finally, watch out for a rise in the popularity of ugly produce. Instead of the cosmetically perfect, “pretty” produce seen at grocery stores, JWT says consumers are opting for gnarled carrots or lumpy heirloom tomatoes.

KEYWORDS: consumer trends

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • FE Top100 Food & Beverage Companies hero, gold lettering with black background.

    FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2026 Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies

    See where the world’s leading food and beverage companies...
    Manufacturing News
    By: Alyse Thompson-Richards
  • CJ Schwan’s Salina facility.

    Recipe for Growth: How CJ Schwan’s Powers Pizza Production with People and Automation

    Blending advanced automation with purposeful design, this...
    Cross-Functional Food Innovation
    By: Alyse Thompson-Richards
  • Paris Baguette rendering

    FOOD ENGINEERING’s 49th Annual Plant Construction Survey

    Food and beverage manufacturers continue to invest in...
    Plant Construction Survey
    By: Alyse Thompson-Richards
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine
  • Newsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Engineering audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Engineering or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Close-up of a group of freshly baked stuffed empanadas being transferred onto a conveyor belt.
    Sponsored byDorner

    Smarter Line Design Improves Food Manufacturing Efficiency and Throughput

  • An old and tattered manual titled 'Revised 5/20/1971' on a desk along with a cellphone, sunglasses, Apple iWatch, laptop and keyboard, and a water bottle.
    Sponsored byEnSight Solutions

    Redefining Quality: Has the Industry Lost Sight of What Actually Matters?

  • Worker in protective food-processing attire uses a tablet beside stainless-steel conveyor equipment in a modern food manufacturing facility.
    Sponsored bySafetyChain

    Your Biggest Losses Are Hiding in Data You Already Have

Popular Stories

FE Top100 Food & Beverage Companies hero, gold lettering with black background.

FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2026 Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies

FE August 2021 Plant of the Year: Keurig Dr Pepper Facility. Photos courtesy of Keurig Dr Pepper

Chobani to Invest $1.2B in Pennsylvania Manufacturing Campus

AB Baldwinsville Investment

Anheuser-Busch Invests $13M in New York Brewery

Graphic with text on the left: ‘Food Engineering 2026 Top 100 - Explore leaders.’ Right side: images of juice bottles and chicken on a conveyor. Bottom text 'View Rankings'.


Promo for the 2027 Plant of the Year Award

Events

September 23, 2026

An In-Depth Look at 2026's Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies

Join Lynn Dornblaser, Client Advisor at Mintel, and Alyse Thompson-Richards, Editor-in-Chief of FOOD ENGINEERING, as they break down the 2026 Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies and discuss the factors affecting this year’s rankings.

September 29, 2026

Food Safety Execution and Your Bottom Line

Explore food safety strategies that strengthen sanitation, risk management, operational efficiency, and compliance across foodservice and facility environments.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

September 23 FE Editorial Webinar


CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Related Articles

  • Mintel

    Mintel: Top 5 food trends to watch in 2018

    See More
  • Someone talking with their hands in a boardroom meeting.

    Gen-Z's Impact on the Food and Beverage Industry: 3 Trends to Watch

    See More
  • ‘Guru’ predicts top food trends of 2015

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • food proces.jpg

    Food Process Engineering Emerging Trends in Research and Their Applications

  • food crime.jpg

    Food Crime: An Introduction to Deviance in the Food Industry

  • GlobalData_logo_blue_header.png

    Trends and Opportunities in the US Packaging Industry...

See More Products

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • September 23, 2026

    An In-Depth Look at 2026's Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies

    Join Lynn Dornblaser, Client Advisor at Mintel, and Alyse Thompson-Richards, Editor-in-Chief of FOOD ENGINEERING, as they break down the 2026 Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies and discuss the factors affecting this year’s rankings.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • Newsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2026. All Rights Reserved BNP Media, Inc. and BNP Media II, LLC.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing