Our Top 10 Food Trends for 2017

1. Wellness Tonics

Tinctures, tonics or wellness drinks — no matter what you call them, these beverages often have buzzy ingredients (think kava, apple cider vinegar and turmeric) and are inspired by alternative medicine and global traditions. 

Try the trend:

• Organic India Tulsi Sweet Rose Tea

• Kevita opens in a new tabSparkling Priobiotic Drinks opens in a new tab and Kevita Cleansing Sparkling Probiotic Apple Cider Vinegar Tonics opens in a new tab (including the new Elderberry flavor)

• Suja Drinking Vinegars

• Temple Turmeric Elixirs

• Golden milks at Allegro coffee barsand Whole Body departments

• Whip a wellness tonic up at home with one of these recipes: Rose and Elderberry Tonic, Ginger-Baobab Tonic or Turmeric-Cider Tonic

2. Japanese Food, Beyond Sushi

Japanese-inspired eating is on the rise and it doesn’t look anything like a sushi roll. These dishes and ingredients are influenced by a variety of Japanese traditions, including farmhouse staples, coastal cuisine and show-stopping condiments. Seaweed, ponzu, miso, Japanese pickles and plum vinegar are this trend’s star ingredients.

Try the trend:

• gimMe Organic Roasted Seaweed Snacks

• Republic of Tea Organic Lean Green SuperGreen Tea Bags

• Lotus Foods Sriracha Arare Rice Crackers

• 365 Everyday Value Sweet Sabi mustard

• Japanese Style Pickles

• Japanese breakfast bowls opens in a new tab with savory combinations like rice, avocado, smoked salmon, nori and a soft boiled egg

3. Flexitarian Eating Styles

People are finding flexible ways to eat “cleaner” or “healthier,” and they’re discovering the mix of foods that make them feel best without having to be so stringent about it. We’re seeing folks go vegan before 6 pm; 80/20 eaters who do paleo on weekdays; pescatarians who eat the occasional burger. It’s all about figuring out what makes you feel good.

Try the trend:

• Siete Grain-free Tortillas (made with flours like almond, cassava and chia and also available in varieties cooked with avocado oil and flavors like Lime, Sea Salt and Nacho)

• 365 Everyday Value Organic Riced Cauliflower (ready for making clean-eating faves like cauliflower rice, pizza crusts and more)

• Forager Project Cashew Yogurt

4. Products from By-products

Whether it’s leftover whey from straining Greek yogurt or spent grains from beer, brands are finding creative — and delicious — ways to use every edible component of food production. For example, Sir Kensington’s, a condiment brand, has created Fabanaise, a vegan mayo made with aquafaba opens in a new tab — the liquid left behind from cooking chickpeas. And a company called ReGrained opens in a new tab produces granola bars from the spent grains used in making beer.

Try the trend:

• Sir Kensington's Fabanaise

• Wtrmln Wtr

• Eco Olea Dishwasher Gel

5. On-the-Go Beauty

Busy schedule? Stock your beauty bag with products that have multi-tasking ingredients and simple applicators. The next wave of natural skincare simplifies your beauty routine, so you don’t need to carry special brushes and tools with you. And for those going makeup-free, simple multitasking plant oils can double as a refresher and as skincare.

Try the trend:

• Mineral Fusion 3-in-1 Color Stick

• Well People Bio Brightener Stick

• Evan Healy Rose Geranium HydroSoul

• Mineral Fusion Mineral SPF 40 Face Moisturizer

• Spectrum Essentials Organic Coconut Oil Packet (exclusive to Whole Foods Market and perfectly sized for a purse or gym bag. Condition hair, hydrate dry skin, remove makeup and more)

6. Coconut Everything  

Coconut oil and water is still going strong, but now tortillas, sugar and even beauty products are getting into the coconut game too. The sap is turned into coconut sugar as an alternative to refined sweeteners, the oil is used in a growing list of natural beauty products, and the white flesh of the coconut is now in flours, tortillas, chips, ice creams, butters and more. 

Try the trend:

• JJ's Sweets Cocomels

• Pacifica Blushious Coconut & Rose Infused Cheek Color

• Dang Coconut Chips

• Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos

• Andalou Naturals Coconut Water Eye Lift Cream

• Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread

• Tangy Cilantro Coconut Dressing

7. Creative Condiments

Once rare or unheard of sauces and dips are showing up on menus and on our shelves, too. Look for options such as black sesame tahini, habanero jam, ghee, black garlic purée, sambal oelek or piri piri sauce.

Try the trend:

• Frontera Guajillo Pepper Adobo Seasoning Sauce

• World of Chia Fruit Spreads

• Whole Foods Market Peanut Coconut Sauce

• 365 Everday Value Grilled Pineapple & Moonshine Barbeque Sauce

• Maya Kaimal Goan Coconut Indian Simmer Sauce

• Pomegranate Molasses opens in a new tab

• Labneh with Fresh Herbs and Olive Oil

• Garlic and Shallot ‘Buttah’ opens in a new tab

8. Rethinking Pasta  

Shake up pasta night with alternative grain noodles made from quinoa, lentils and chickpeas (which also happen to be gluten-free). Or skip the grains altogether with grain-free noodles, such as spiralized veggies and kelp noodles that combine a familiar pasta texture with brand new flavor.

Try the trend:

• Modern Table Pasta Meals

• Fresh spiralized veggie “noodles” (squash, sweet potato and many other varieties available in the produce department)

• Jovial Organic Artisan Brown Rice Pastas

9. Mindful Meal Prep

People aren’t just asking themselves what they’d like to eat, but how they can stretch their dollar, reduce food waste, save time and eat healthier. As a result, they’re coming up with new strategies to get dinner on the table — sometimes that means making some of the meal and buying the rest, or batch cooking at the beginning of the week or using a meal kit that cuts down on prep time.

Try the trend:

• 365 Everyday Value Spelt, Green Lentils & Long Grain Brown Rice

• Modern Table Mediterranean Bean Pasta + Veggie Kit

• Oven-ready vegetable medleys (in the produce and frozen departments) with options like seasoned root vegetables, stir-fry mixes and cubed squashes.

• Shopping the salad bar for veggies that have already been washed, chopped and prepped for cooking.

10. Purple Power

Purple is popping up everywhere. From purple cauliflower and asparagus to açaí and elderberries. The power of purple goes beyond the vibrant color and often indicates nutrient density and antioxidants.  

Try the trend:

• Peace Cereal Purple Corn Flakes

• Que Pasa Organic Tortilla Chips

• Jackson's Honest Purple Heirloom Potato Chips

• Back to the Roots Purple Corn Flakes Cereal

• Love Beets (offered as plain cooked beets or in flavored varieties like White Wine & Balsamic, Honey & Ginger and Sweetfire)

Read more about what the Today Show opens in a new tab, Refinery 29 opens in a new tab and Business Insider opens in a new tab are saying about our 2017 Trends Forecast.