Vegan barbecue, bold snacks are some summer food trends

With summer around the corner, Mintel’s global analysts predict four food and drink trends consumers can expect at parties and celebrations this sunshine season, as it publishes its “2018 Summer Food & Drink Trends.” The four trends are as follows:

1. Barbecue: It’s getting vegan in here. Although barbecue selection has become more diverse with the addition of fish and cheese in recent years, vegan barbecue might not have been a consideration for a meat-eater—until now. There has been an increase in specialty vegan products, such as black bean chipotle, catering to changes in consumer tastes.
2. Ice Cream: The best of all worlds. The mythical beast that is better-for-you ice cream, characterized by low sugar and high protein has officially arrived in the United Kingdom. Having outsold ice cream giants like Unilever and Nestlé Dreyers to become the best-selling ice cream in the United States over a four-week period in July 2017, Halo Top launched in the UK earlier this year. Among UK ice cream eaters, almost a third (32%) say that “low sugar” would encourage them to consume more ice cream.
3. Snacks: Go bold or go home. New Mintel research indicates that snacks that are designed to be a companion to beer are poised to do especially well this summer. The combination of alcohol and salty snacks is nothing new, yet just under half (46%) of UK beer drinkers would like to see more information about matching food with beer. Similarly, many consumers are looking for bold and interesting flavors: 50% of Brazilian snackers agree that unusual/exotic flavors of salty snacks are appealing, while 36% of U.S. consumers say they would buy more crisps if there are new flavors to try.
4. Soft drinks: Goodbye sugar, hello flavor. Amid government regulations like the UK sugar tax, consumers are getting weary of old favorites like soda, cola, and lemonade. Bold flavored sparkling waters is a recent trend bringing naturalness and flavor to the soft drink market, and presents an alternative to sugar and artificial ingredients. They seem to be a natural alternative for a large number of consumers: 53% of UK consumers agree that sparkling flavored water is a good alternative to fizzy drinks.

Press release