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Whether you're venturing out to restaurants or choosing to continue to dine at home, pandemic-weary foodies are seeking familiar foods with a twist while paying attention to dietary and health needs, according to the Specialty Food Association’s (SFA) 2022 Trendspotter Panel.
The panel consists of chefs, food writers, educators, market forecasters, and retail and food service buyers, among other industry professionals, who look for commonalities between ingredients they found prevalent in their corners of the industry during the year.
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“Often, we are spotlighting cuisines and ingredients that have been around for millennia and are integral to different cultures, but are beginning to gain more attention in the U.S.,” says Denise Purcell, vice president of content and education for the SFA. “Or a well-known product category like pasta, for example, begins trending because of innovative ingredients or shifts in consumer habits.”
Food trends often start in restaurants that utilize an unfamiliar ingredient in an interesting way. Then, as more people become curious about that ingredient, products eventually begin to appear on store shelves, Purcell adds.This year, the panelists identified five new food trends that they expect to take off in 2022, along with several familiar trends that they believe will continue to be popular. Here's a closer look at the panel's predictions of what you may be eating in the new year.