New takes on classic comfort food may be the norm in the coming year, according to the 2021 trends predictions from Los Alamitos, Calif.-based Frieda’s Specialty Produce.
“The pandemic has shifted the focus from macro trends such as travel, celebrity chefs and molecular gastronomy to the realities of everyday living,” Cindy Sherman, director of marketing, insights and innovation at Frieda’s Specialty Produce, said in a news release. “Quarantining, social distancing and continued sheltering-in-place means that 2021 will be primarily influenced by what’s directly around us, with an emphasis on health, wellness and that feel-good factor we so desperately need.”
Comfort food will continue to be popular, and shoppers will be looking to jazz up their current recipes with new ingredients; Frieda’s suggests its purple sweet potatoes for desserts like homemade ice cream or babka. Familiar foods in unusual time slots is another trend the company predicts, like cereal for dinner and mac and cheese for breakfast.
Frieda’s also expects continued consumer interest in bubbly beverages like sparkling water and kombucha and in more colorful plates to help break the gloom of 2020. The company also notes that alternative ingredients will be used to lighten up classic comfort foods, like jicama for taco shells, jackfruit for meat and hearts of palm for pasta.