Foodservice outlets increase use of ancient grains
Grains, like quinoa, amaranth, farro, and spelt, are growing in popularity with today’s consumers because of their perceived health benefits compared to processed wheat grains, reports The NPD Group, a global information company.
Grains, like quinoa, amaranth, farro, and spelt, are growing in popularity with today’s consumers because of their perceived health benefits compared to processed wheat grains, reports The NPD Group, a global information company. Case shipments of ancient grain categories by broadline distributors to U.S. foodservice outlets increased by double digits over the past year, according to NPD’s SupplyTrack, a monthly service that tracks every product shipped from major foodservice broadline distributors to 700,000+ commercial and non-commercial foodservice operators.
Case shipments of quinoa, which is the most widely used ancient grain, increased by 18.5% in the year ending October 2017 compared to same period year ago. Two ancient grains not as commonly known—spelt, a distinct type of whole grain wheat, and farro, a whole grain similar to barley, quinoa, and wheat berries—also realized double-digit growth in case shipments. Case shipments of amaranth increased by 19.4% in the period, reports NPD.
“The increasing popularity of ancient grains at foodservice outlets is partly due to consumer interest in the grains, but it’s also because chefs appreciate the unique flavors of these grains,” said Annie Roberts, vice president, NPD SupplyTrack. “Proving that everything ancient can become new again.”