Food Trends 2015: Nutrition Labels and Socializing Spaces

Time for Trends 7 & 8!

I've taken you through all of my trend predictions for 2015 and today it's time for the final two, so let’s get started. Trend prediction number 7: Nutrition Labels Become Irrelevant. You might think this sounds crazy as it seems consumers are becoming increasingly more aware of what they're actually eating. But here's where I think innovative kitchen devices will step in. As consumers want more information about their foods, kitchen devices like Prep Pad will soon offer this information instantaneously. The Prep Pad pairs with an iPad app to calculate the exact nutritional content of your meals, including the carbs, fats, protein and calories by scanning the bar code of food packages used as ingredients or the items on your plate. Information about a food’s ingredients, chemical makeup or nutritional values will become more readily available and commonplace in the supermarket and our kitchens.  

And finally, Prediction number 8: Supermarkets Convert into Socializing Spaces.    

We talk a lot about stores needing to provide customers with added reasons to come in and to keep coming back. Supermarkets are stepping up to this challenge by evolving into an experience. Present day supermarkets are developing a variety of services that help set them apart and establish each outlet as an ambassador of niche lifestyle trends. I predict that we're going to see supermarkets further specialize in order to present their customers with a unique experience that showcases their personality and philosophy toward foods – instead of presenting themselves solely as vendors of goods.   A desire to be “all things food” to their customers, especially singles, is positioning them as head to head competitors with chain and local restaurants. For example,  cooking classes, events and seminars are giving consumers reasons beyond a grocery list to step inside their neighborhood store. Sampling is no longer a cracker or potato chip on a napkin; stores have advanced and now have chefs like George Duran cooking up Hunt’s signature recipes for shoppers. 

Thanks for checking out my trend predictions for 2015, to get the full list you can head to our website supermarketguru.com