To most of us, the global pandemic has changed our eating and drinking habits drastically. With health and wellness at the centre of the discussion now, we can be sure that foods that boost immunity and keep us safe will dominate those discussions for many years to come.

Moreover, there’s no doubt that more plant-based choices, technologically developed food, and a focus on BIPOC-owned food companies will be in vogue in 2021.

With the help of OEM dietary supplement manufacturers, businesses can gain inspiration from these trends and offer delicious and healthy foods and supplements.

Below are the eight biggest health goods that will trend in 2021, according to dieticians.

1. Postbiotics

We’ve all heard about prebiotics and postbiotics, and we also know that prebiotics is the food of probiotic bacteria and that both are important for a healthy gut. We are now learning about postbiotics, the fermentation metabolites (or end products) that probiotics bring on in the gut.

Postbiotics are now being studied for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits and may reinforce the immune system and improve the gut barrier.

Some probiotics-rich foods like kefir, sauerkraut, sourdough bread, and kimchi also contain a healthy quantity of postbiotics. They can be used in more applications than live probiotics because they’re not alive.

2. Home-Brewed Coffee

Instead of picking it up at a coffee shop, as usual, more people are drinking home-made coffee because most people are working from home. With pour-overs, frothers, and indulgent creamers, customers have already upped their game and will spend even more on their cups in 2021.

According to Nielsen reports, sales of plant-based creamers in 2019 grew 30% To mimic customised coffee shop drinks, millennial consumers want to experiment with creamer flavours. S’mores flavoured dairy creamer will soon be released by Chobani, while Planet Oat will roll out caramel and coffee cake-flavoured oat milk creamers in February. These flavoured drinks will be huge in 2021.

3. AI-created Foods

Artificial intelligence is now assisting food companies in creating delicacies that we could only have dreamed of a few years ago. Perfect Day, a food technology firm, has developed a protein similar to milk protein but is fully vegan. The animal-free protein makes it possible for ice cream manufacturers to make pints that look and taste like the real thing.

AI has also been used by Eat Just (formerly Hampton Creek) to produce an egg-free option that is close to the one we have used from Forever Chicken. The firm was able to classify the protein as a contender for the egg replacer in mung beans.

NotCo is a company focused on discovering plant-based alternatives to animal foods. It has created non-dairy milk made of pea protein, cabbage juice, pineapple juice, and other plant ingredients but works like dairy milk (it froths, foams, and blends like dairy).

4. Microgreens

Microgreens are not entirely new, but the demand of customers for them is at an all-time high. They are the baby equivalents of plants like carrots and broccoli. In the past, you may have loved microgreens atop a lunch in a high-end restaurant, but you will now find them in myriad variations at the grocery store, including Red Rambo radish, popcorn, and wild cabbage.

Not only are they vibrant and cute, but they’re overflowing with nutrients as well. On top of egg dishes and burgers, the tiny shoots are tasty and can be added to salads and smoothies to improve taste and nutrients.

5. Kelp is the New Kale

Traditionally used for thousands of years in Japanese, Korean and Chinese cuisine. You eat it in sushi and miso soup, of course, and your kids might love dried nori as a snack, but it’s unlikely to be a major part of your diet.

Nutritionally, kelp is a superstar, providing many nutrients in – meals, including calcium and B vitamins. And in terms of sustainability, it’s an absolute fantasy.

6. Foods That Fight Climate Change

Food production, which accounts for a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, is a major contributor to climate change. And our food choices can help curb the effects of climate change on the environment.

Panera worked with Cool Food in 2020 to help clients recognise menu items, such as their Baja Bowl with Chicken, with a smaller carbon footprint. Fun Food is in negotiations and plans with several hotels, caterers, and food firms to bring the Cool Food meal badge to more people in 2021.

7. Elevated Condiments

People miss eating their beloved restaurant meals as the pandemic spreads and seek to recreate these flavours at home. It has led to an increased demand for original sauces, chutneys, and seasoning blends that home chefs can use to prepare the restaurant-cooked Latin, Asian, African and Caribbean dishes they miss so much.

New York-based, Latin-owned Loisa opened in 2018, recognizing a need for better quality Latin seasonings than what consumers might find on supermarket shelves. Loisa is in the business of manufacturing certified organic mixes of Adobo and Sazon seasoning that are vegan, gluten-free, and contain no unnatural flavours, colours, or preservatives.

Indian cuisines are no stranger to bold flavours and spices, and Brooklyn Delhi helps people build such tastes at home. Their top-selling Tomato Achaar is made from locally produced tomatoes, tamarind, Indian spices, chilli powder, and sesame oil, a sweet-tangy-spicy sauce. Though Achaar is typically used with dal and curry, you can use it to top almost anything.

8. Spices

Most people don’t think too much when it comes to spices. We buy a bottle at our nearest grocery store if we need cinnamon to make some cookies or bread without considering how the cinnamon got it there.

Spices are a product for farmers, and they do not concentrate on consistency, taste, longevity, or equity, but rather on costs. For them, the cheaper, the better. However, a few new players in the spice industry are working to change the status quo.

Four years ago, two young entrepreneurs who decided to transform the spice industry created Burlap & Barrel. They source their raw materials directly from farmers in 14 different nations, bypassing intermediaries and traders.

This helps them provide consumers with fresh and exclusive heirloom varietals, which means they don’t sell ‘just’ cinnamon and turmeric; they sell Royal Cinnamon from Vietnam’s Quang Nam Mountains and New Harvest Turmeric from Karnataka, India.

In a Nutshell

We truly hope life will normalize at some point in 2021, but in the meantime, it is a good idea to have lots of fresh foods to experiment with at home.

In this regard, businesses can obtain professional advice and recommendation from food supplement manufacturers to provide healthy foods people can enjoy while at home.