Companys food experts forecast up-and-coming products, ingredients, and influences

FreshDirect, the Northeasts leading online fresh food grocer, today announced its top ten food trends for 2019. The trends list was curated by FreshDirect and FoodKicks in-house teams of food and wine* experts.

"Our FreshDirect and FoodKick food experts are constantly working with farmers, fishermen, artisans, and producers to source high-quality, great tasting products for our customers," said Scott Crawford, Chief Merchandising Officer at FreshDirect. "These deep relationships paired with FoodKicks ability to work with emerging brands place us at the cutting edge of whats happening in food and were excited to announce what we see as the major trends and influences coming in 2019 and beyond."

FreshDirects top 10 trends for 2019:

1. Bringing Fresh into Shelf-Stable

Shelf-stable products, which are traditionally highly processed, are continuing to evolve to be fresher and more direct to the source. This coming year will bring more innovative, fresh, and sustainable takes on shelf-stable staples. Some shelf-stable foods are evolving to become so fresh that they need to be refrigerated. Perfect Bar, the leading refrigerated bar on the market, Unions Duck Lorange bar, and Havens Kitchens Red Pepper Romesco sauce are prime examples of new takes on shelf-stable products that use fresh, natural ingredients in convenient and creative ways. Another example is FreshDirects hand-harvested Olio Novello, an exclusive olive oil that is blended, pressed, and shipped from Italy soon after harvest. This seasonal, limited-time delicacy is launched under private label Just FreshDirect.

2. CBD-Infused Foods

Cannabidiol (CBD) is an ingredient derived from the cannabis plant that is non-psychoactive, but is said to offer relief from pain, anxiety and depression, while having anti-inflammatory properties. In 2018, we saw CBD pop up in the form of tinctures and beauty products. In 2019, CBD will break into the food category in full force driven by the help of risk-taking innovators. CBD oil-infused products will first surge in the drinks category, with CBD-infused drinks driving the functional-wellness drink category. CBD will also be prominently featured on more menus next year and as the star of new food products, such as salad dressings.

3. High-Quality Canned Fish

Artisanal, high-quality canned fish has started popping up in restaurants as featured menu items across the nation. The convenience and quality is unmatched and the canned format allows for unique experimentation, fostering the ability for consumers to try rare and flavorful species from all over the world, regardless of season. Grocers will start to carry a wide breadth of high-quality canned fishes, ranging by source, species, and flavor profiles. An example is FreshDirects JUST Wild Caught Albacore Tuna, which is troll-caught in the pristine waters of the Pacific Northwest by Captain Shawn Ryan, making it 100% traceable and fully sustainable.

4. Oats

Nut milk is out, while oat milk is storming in. This year, FreshDirect saw an increased consumer demand for oat milk and the launch of new dairy-alternatives, such as Oatly. Oat milk is more sustainable and not as water intensive as other non-dairy milks, while also more abundant and inexpensive, which will help keep high-quality products at lower costs. Oat milk will continue to evolve in 2019 into new dairy-alternative products, such as oat-based yogurts and cheeses.

5. Premium Spice Packets

Out are the days of subscriptions, kits, and jars of spices. Next year will see a surge in innovative takes on portion-controlled spice packets and simmer sauces. Customers will be able to have any cuisine - think Korean, Thai, or Indian - all in one week cooking with one pan. These flavorful packets can spice up protein, noodles, or veggies in a portion-controlled, convenient, and simple way. Premium spice packets fit into the developing themes of portion control and one-time use, giving consumers more options with less commitment. Premium spice packets will also make their way into retailer kitchens by being incorporated in more prepared and value-added food offerings.

6. Organic 2.0

Next year, there will be more tech-enabled local organic offerings developed by vertical farming leaders like AeroFarms, and many more bio-dynamic processes and growing methods. Although organic penetration has been growing year-over-year, customers have recently evolved to become more enthusiastic about products with positive environmental impact, regardless of whether they carry formal organic certification. For example, this year FoodKick started a Transitional Farming initiative to support local farms by buying all their produce during their transitional stage, a three-year process conventional farms undertake to transition to organic farming practices. By purchasing product labeled as "transitional", our customers can support local farmers and their better growing practices, while getting produce grown with organic methods before its certification at lower-than-organic prices.

7. Cauliflower Power

Kale is out and cauliflower is in. Customers are keen on incorporating more plants into their diets and cauliflower has taken a leading role in the plant-based space. Customers love the cauliflower craze as its a lower carb vegetable that holds up like a grain and absorbs flavor easily. It can unnoticeably replace starches in many staples, including pizza crust, rice, crackers, pretzels, and even tater tots, or as our recipe developers coined them "Tater Nots". Keep an eye out for new developments by emerging brands like Caulipower, whose frozen pizza crusts are FoodKicks best seller in the category.

8. Evolution of Kid Snacks

2019 will bring serious innovations in the snacks category, specifically in kid snacks. Kid snacks will shift in two ways - there will be more nutritional plays on traditional kids favorites and adult staples will also become more kid-friendly. Essential snacking items like snack bars, jerky, cookies, and crackers will welcome more child-friendly flavors and textures, with a shift towards more nutritious and clean ingredients. National players will continue to invest in developing cleaner, kid-friendly snacks and there will be a surge in new innovations like Peek-a-Boos strawberry ice cream, which features hidden carrots. Another example of a brand creating delicious and nutritious kid-friendly options is Little Dish, which FreshDirect will soon be carrying. Theyve developed a breadth of kid-friendly meals and snacks with really unique flavor profiles that feel more adult, such as Mild Chicken Tikka and Shepherds Pie.

9. Spreading Local

FreshDirects experts are seeing new and exciting twists on local that will gain more penetration in 2019. Vertical farming and its controlled methods will enable new innovations like tropical items sourced locally, as well as out-of-season strains and varietals being grown locally. There will also be a resurgence of sourcing hyper-local fish species that were previously unpopular with consumers, like ocean perch, tilefish, porgy, and blackfish. Additionally, more retailers will leverage their relationships to create high-quality, custom products with local partners. For example, this summer FreshDirect brought together two partners, Savani Farms and Bronx Brewery to create an exclusive, limited-edition Mango Queen IPA. The IPA used Indian Saffron Mangoes that are renowned for their intensely sweet taste and firm tropical scent, but only in season for six to eight weeks from mid-May to early-July.

10. Better-For-You Beverages

Consumers are starting to lean into better-for-you beverages, especially in the alcohol category. New trends will include natural wines, a surge in ciders (all are naturally gluten-free), more penetration in beverages with lower alcohol volume such as ciders and session IPAs, non-alcoholic spirits like Seedlip, and digestive well-enhancement alcoholic beverages such as Kombrewcha.

This years predictions were curated by FreshDirect and FoodKicks in-house teams of food and wine* experts and industry leaders who source products for the fresh, meat, seafood, dairy, cheese, deli, grocery, household, prepared meals, bakery, beer, and wine and spirits categories. For interviews with FreshDirect and FoodKicks food experts or to learn more about their 2019 food trend predictions, contact press@freshdirect.com.

* Wines & Spirits are sold by FreshDirect Wines & Spirits, an independently owned store with NY State License #1277181 found at 620 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

About FreshDirect:

FreshDirect is a food tech company and the Northeast's leading online fresh food grocer, delivering directly to customers throughout seven states, including the New York City and Philadelphia metropolitan areas, and the District of Columbia. FreshDirect is committed to sourcing the freshest and best-tasting meat, fish, produce, and specialty items through direct relationships with suppliers, growers, and farmers. In 2016, FreshDirect expanded its portfolio with the launch of FoodKick, an on-demand business that caters to the needs of urban dwellers with a curated selection of food, alcohol, and essentials—all delivered in as little as an hour. Launched in 2002, FreshDirect is a privately held company headquartered in Bronx, NY. Wines & Spirits are sold by FreshDirect Wines & Spirits, an independently owned store with NY State License #1277181 found at 620 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215. For more information, visit www.freshdirect.com or www.foodkick.com.