Four Major Trends Impacting the Future of the Food and Beverage Industry Born of Disruption

In a year unlike any other, that saw disruption in nearly every industry, how can future food and beverage trends be reliably forecast? Since 2009, food and beverage marketing agency quench has looked beyond the current state of the food and beverage industry to understand what the space will look like in the next five years, and communicates this through an annual trend report.

For its just-released 2021 quench Food and Beverage Trends, four macrotrends - each substantiated by two or three deeply-examined microtrends - are outlined that reflect, to a large degree, how what occurred during 2020 will further impact the industry going forward.

“What makes quench food and beverage trends different is that they are shaped through intensive research and also by close engagement with our food and beverage clients, from whom we gain valuable insights that help inform our forecasts,” said Jared Scott, chief marketing officer for quench.

The four important trends identified by quench as most impactful on the future of the food and beverage industry tackle the ramifications of diversity, equity, and inclusion; climate change; and the rapid escalations of digital supply and phytonutrients. For example, the macrotrend 'Climate Diets' explores how planners look to develop and integrate more sustainable alternatives to urban environments.

Supporting microtrends show how this will be achieved: through the evolution of carbon-neutral practices, the reimagining of urban spaces for farming purposes, and using new technology to replicate or accelerate some essential processes found in nature.

The full 2021 quench Food and Beverage Trends is available here and quench experts are available to discuss the 2021 report and what these trends indicate for the future of the food and beverage industry. The trends identified in past quench reports that have maintained or gained relevance over time are also available upon request.