ROCKVILLE, MD — Manufacturers, restaurateurs and food producers must respond to how freshness trends are playing a new role in America's food choices, according to "Freshness: Culinary Trend Mapping Report" by market research publisher Packaged Facts and the San Francisco-based strategic food and beverage agency CCD Innovation.
Kimberly Egan, CEO of CCD Innovation, advises that it's not just about unwilted greens and sell-by dates anymore; it's a mentality that is permeating our food culture and changing the paradigm. "Today's consumers are redefining freshness with renewed excitement, valuing it as a marker of quality and looking for it in every corner of the food world." And they are finding it; consumers' access to fresh foods now ranges to grocery departments and retail channels far beyond the produce aisle.
Why freshness has become so pivotal is easy to understand. Freshness signifies healthfulness and good nutrition, artisan quality and full flavor. Fresh food typically has a known source that one can trace to better understand how our food got to our plate, and who was responsible for that journey. Fresh can be tender and juicy, firm and ripe, rich, delicious and colorful — all attributes of a new standard that consumers increasingly insist upon.
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