• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

2

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

3

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

1

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

2

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

3

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
RetailWhole Foods

Whole Foods Predicts 2018’s Top 10 Food Trends

By
Beth Kowitt
Beth Kowitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Beth Kowitt
Beth Kowitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 6, 2017, 8:00 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Prepare yourselves, foodies—2018 will be a year of sipping and munching on flowers, mushrooms, powders, and bubbles.

At least that’s the future that Whole Foods is predicting. The high-end grocer, which was acquired by Amazon this summer, just came out out with its annual list of food trends for the year ahead.

Whole Foods tapped its global buyers and experts—ranging from its master sommelier and global beverage buyer to its global meat buyer—to find out what they’re seeing on the ground. Expect the following items to make their way to store shelves, and very likely into your shopping basket.

Floral Flavors

Get ready to eat flowers. Lavender, rose and hibiscus are showing up in everything from lattes to granola to marshmallows. And Whole Foods has called out elderflower as the MVP (Most Valuable Petal).

Powders

The likes of matcha, maca root, cacao, and ground turmeric are now in everything from nutrition bars to soups to baked goods. For example, RXBar, which was recently acquired by Kellogg, uses a powdered egg-white protein.

Mushrooms

Fungi are making their escape from the produce aisle with “functional” varietals—mushrooms like reishi and chaga that are used as a wellness ingredient—and making appearances in beverages like coffees and teas. Expect them to also turn up in your body products like soaps.

Middle Eastern Cuisine

Whole Foods predicts that 2018 will be the year Middle Eastern fare will fully hit the mainstream. And consumers will look beyond the hummus, pita and falafel the company says were “entry points” into the category. Spices like harissa, cardamom, and za’atar, and dishes like shakshuka should start popping up more and more.

Transparency

Consumers are demanding more information about their food than ever before and manufacturers have responded with a plethora of labels: GMO-free, responsibly grown and raised, and Fair Trade, to name just a few.

Plant-Based Products

At one time plant-based proteins were just for vegans and vegetarians. But better technology is making products like plant-based burgers and nut milks and yogurts appealing to even the most enthusiastic meat and dairy eaters who want to cut back for animal welfare, environmental, or health reasons.

Puffed and Popped

New ways of processing and combining ingredients—what the industry calls extrusion methods—means that snacks are now coming in puffed, popped, and dried varietals. Puffed rice cluster, anyone?

Shell-less Tacos

The taco craze is hitting new heights, as the culinary world redefines what it even means to be a taco. Tacos for breakfast and dessert are now the norm, and chefs are pushing the boundaries on what can be used as a wrapper and filling.

No-Waste Cooking

Nose-to-tail, root-to-stem—call it whatever you want but cutting back on food waste is gaining traction with consumers. A growing group of food manufacturers are answering the call by using parts of plants or animals that were once considered trash—think pickled watermelon rinds.

Bubbles

It turns out the LaCroix craze was just the tip of the iceberg. Get ready for an explosion of sparkling drinks—whether that’s in the seltzer, water, or cold brew coffee category—that clock in at a much lower sugar count than soda.

About the Author
By Beth Kowitt
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

Record revenues. Record profits. Record revenue per employee. The Fortune 500 is richer than ever—and employing fewer people
EconomyFortune 500
Record revenues. Record profits. Record revenue per employee. The Fortune 500 is richer than ever—and employing fewer people
By Claire ZillmanJune 19, 2026
17 hours ago
A shopper looks at a beverage display June 4, 2026 at the Market 32 Supermarket in South Burlington, Vermont.
EconomyConsumers
Miserable K-shaped economy might actually be fading, as lower-income families bounce back, says Bank of America
By Eleanor PringleJune 19, 2026
17 hours ago
Piyush Patel
Commentaryshopping
Black Friday already sorted the winners from the losers. Your industry is next
By Piyush PatelJune 19, 2026
17 hours ago
Thasunda Brown Duckett, TIAA CEO, speaks onstage during a live taping of "Earn Your Leisure" at Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College on January 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
FinanceFortune 500 Companies
Meet the 11 Black Fortune 500 CEOs leading companies with over $432 billion in combined revenues
By Cheyann HarrisJune 19, 2026
19 hours ago
teens
EconomyJobs
Teen summer employment is headed for its worst year since 1948
By Matt Sedensky and The Associated PressJune 18, 2026
2 days ago
The U.S. Polo Assn. CEO
SuccessThe Promotion Playbook
Meet the CEO of US Polo Assn: He grew up in one of America’s poorest regions and now hosts Prince William and runs a $2.7 billion brand
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeJune 19, 2026
17 hours ago
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
2 days ago
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
2 days ago
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
Success
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
By Preston ForeJune 17, 2026
3 days ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
5 days ago
Current price of gold as of June 18, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 18, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 18, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.