10 Grocery Trends Whole Foods Expects In 2021

Grocer Whole Foods released its annual predictions of the top 10 food trends to look out for in 2021. Here are the trends the Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN-owned grocer is expecting to dominate pantries next year. 

1. Well-Being: Superfoods, probiotics and other health and wellness supplements will dominate ingredients. Food makers are already adding functional ingredients like vitamin C and adaptogens, but consumers are demanding more.

2. Fancy Breakfast During The Week: More people are working from home, and this creates the ideal opportunity for fancy breakfasts during the week. Think pancakes or sous vide egg bites to start a Tuesday.

3. Back To The Basics: Pasta, sauces, spices and other basic items will "never be boring again" as food makers add new twists.

Related Link: Whole Foods CEO Discusses Pandemic, Pricing, Obesity Epidemic

4. Coffee: Coffee will expand beyond the mug to granolas, smoothie boosters, yogurt, bars and even alcohol.

5. Adult Food For Babies: Gone are the days of basic baby food. Welcome instead purple carrots, omega-3-rich flaxseed baby food pouches and much more.

6. Sustainability: Packaged food products will make use of underused parts of an ingredient to reduce waste.

7. New Oils: Walnut and pumpkin seed oils will gain in popularity, as consumers want alternatives to boring olive oil.

8. Booze: Alcoholic kombucha could be the next big alcohol trend.

9. Falafel 2.0: Chickpea's era of being associated exclusively with falafel is over. Instead, chickpea flour, chickpea cereal and chickpea tofu will take over.

10. Jerky: Fruit that is dried at its peak freshness will create healthy and tasty jerky-style snacks.

Photo courtesy of Whole Foods.