Here Are 2019’s Healthiest Food Trends, According to Whole Foods

Globally-Inspired Frozen Treats

Tired of boring vanilla? You'll want to get on board with ethnic treats that embrace starters like avocado, hummus, tahini and coconut water. You can look forward to all sorts of delightful frozen treats at Whole Foods next year, including plant-based frozen desserts like CocoWhip Soft Serve and ice creams with cheese, Taiwanese snow ice and Mexican nieves de garrafa, Turkish ice creams—and even popsicles and gelatos with infusions of booze!

Fancy Snacks

Snacking is about to get a whole lot fancier at Whole Foods, with choices like one-ounce portions of Cypress Grove cheeses paired with demi-baguettes, prosciutto and aged mozzarella as well as artisanal versions of classic snacks like cheese or peanut butter cracker sandwiches. New additions are a nod to our fave childhood treats but with better-for-you ingredients and greater awareness of special dietary needs. 

Eco-Conscious Packaging

Brands are putting their efforts into efforts to make important advances in flexible product pouches, banning plastic straws and testing recyclable, straw-less, sipper lids made from PET. In the coming year you'll start to see more emphasis on the Reuse of the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle trifecta, such as “BYOVB” (bring your own vegetable bag) efforts and single-use packages going multi-use.

Pantry Probiotics

While refrigerated probiotics are still a mainstay, new strains of probiotics such as Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 and Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 have made more shelf-stable applications possible. Brands are making it possible to include probiotics into your pantry staples in products like granola, oatmeal, nut butters, soups and nutrition bars. You'll also be able to find them in the cleaning aisle with brands like Counter Culture Probiotic Cleaning Tonic, an all-purpose cleaner that utilizes probiotic cultures and essential oils.

Pacific Rim Flavors

Asia, Oceania and the western coasts of North and South America make up the Pacific Rim and ingredients like longganisa (a Filipino pork sausage), dried shrimp, cuttlefish, shrimp paste, guava, dragon fruit, passionfruit, jackfruit and monk fruit are all becoming more popular. 

Whole Foods Market and 365 Everyday Value brands will launch a limited collection of products in the new year inspired by Pacific Rim fruits like guava tropical vinaigrette, pineapple passionfruit sparkling mineral water, mango pudding mix and passionfruit coconut frozen fruit bars––don't miss it!

"Phat" Fats

Keto, paleo, grain-free and even “pegan” (that's where paleo meets vegan) diets place an emphasis on fats, so you can bet these "phat" fats are making a comeback. Fats, higher protein and lower-carb combinations like fat bombs and ready-to-drink vegan coffee (think bullet coffee) are on the rise. Finally, it's okay to love fat!

Hemp Products Galore

There's been a new interest in the potential benefits from other parts of hemp plants that we don't currently consume with many brands producing more hemp-derived products. While CBD oil gets a lot of the buzz, more and more brands are exploring the use of phytocannabinoids in their products. For example, Andalou Naturals now uses hemp plant stem cells in their CannaCell body care collection. 

Faux Meat Snacks

Get ready to see mushrooms like king trumpet transform into jerky, as well as faux“pork” rinds and “bacon” snacks as plant-based snacks take center stage in 2019. Consumers of all diets are seeking out more adventurous snacks as alternatives to their regular choices—and it's not just vegans or vegetarians, either, as faux meat becomes a more sustainable, eco-friendly protein choice for foodies of all stripes.

Ocean-Inspired Treats

Get ready for a fresh take on seaweed! Sea greens in seaweed butter, kelp noodles, puffed snacks made from water lily seeds, plant-based tuna alternatives with algae ingredients, crispy salmon skins loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and kelp jerkies will be coming to shelves. Keep you eyes open for a a salty sea fennel and olive blend coming to the olive bars at Whole Foods in 2019, too!

Empowered Purchases that Give Back

People-focused purchases are becoming the focus next year, where purchasing goods and services that support missions to believe in are a focal point. Companies like Greyston Bakery, Kuli Kuli Whole Planet Foundation partners such as Chobani, Frontier Co-op, Naked Juice, Wallaby Organic, Papyrus-Recycled Greetings and media outlets like Cherry Bombe Magazine support ideas like radical inclusion, women-led farming initiatives, alleviating poverty and empowering micro-preneurs.