“Wellness” foods, from inclusions of Omega-3 fatty acids and high-fiber inulin in everyday snack foods, to the health affirming benefits of nut oils, “super foods” and dark chocolate are an emerging trend reshaping the palate of America, according to the newest research in the Culinary Trend Mapping Report.

A collaborative effort of market research publisher Packaged Facts, and San Francisco’s Center for Culinary Development (CCD), this issue of the bimonthly report assesses wellness in the food industry from three strategic perspectives: the consumer, the professional, and the business.

It identifies where individual wellness foods and ingredients appear along the trend map taking them from their remote beginnings in white tablecloth establishments to their broad visibility and wide consumer acceptance in chain retailers.

New to the report are menu trends, summarizing how often a particular wellness-food trend has appeared on restaurant menus.

Actual descriptions of “wellness” dishes for top restaurant chains are also included.

A discussion of new product introductions containing “wellness” ingredients and qualities as well as the impact — or lack thereof — on the foodservice/retail industry are also featured.

Culinary Trend Mapping Report: A Bimonthly Journal of Food and Ingredient Insight is available both by individual bimonthly issue and annual subscription from Packaged Facts by clicking: www.packagedfacts.com/pub/1257569.html.

Editor’s Insight: The wellness food trend is affecting all aspects of the foodservice market, including convenience formats such as vending.

Vending operators may not see themselves as being directly affected by this trend, but they will be affected by it as consumers become increasingly health conscious.

The August Automatic Merchandiser includes a feature article titled, “U.S.

This article focuses on Aramark’s consumer research on consumer eating habits and the role that wellness plays in their choices.

As the title of the article suggests, value and convenience are the more important factors to most consumers, but the research also indicates consumers are becoming more health conscious.

Consumer habits change slowly, and the vending channel is generally not the first foodservice format to experience change.



-Adam

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