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Nordic Food Expected to Gain Popularity in 2012

Marian Salzmanm predicts Nordic food will gain huge ground on our very own shores and beyond this year in part because of countries imposing 'fat tax fees.'

By Diane Toops, News and Trends Editor

On the food front, Americans may be finally accepting that we are what we eat and start walking the walk in 2012-13, according to Marian Salzman, CEO, Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, a well-respected prognosticator.

Salzman predicts Nordic food will gain huge ground on our very own shores and beyond this year, but what other things are trending on the food front for 2012-13? With Denmark's recent "fat tax" imposed on high-fat food products and the UK contemplating a similar fine on all things fatty, look for more governments to follow suit and smack down on our expanding waistlines. Which brings the bigger trend into our (extra-large) mirror. Fat phobia will run rampant next year. People are freaking out about being fat.

And countries such as France, a traditionally "fat-free" zone, are experiencing a rise in obesity. Nearly 14 percent of French adults are now obese, up from 8 percent 10 years ago, and a French dependence on fast food might be to blame. As fat phobia takes over the globe, look for big names such as Pepsi to get in on the act by offering more mindful items.

Speaking of mindful, the healthy snack category will be healthy not only in its offerings but also in sales. U.S. retail sales of packaged snacks increased to about $64 billion in 2010, according to Packaged Facts' Snack Foods in the U.S., 4th Edition report. By 2015, packaged snack sales are slated to approach $77 billion. Look for packaged baby carrots, low-fat chips and salsa, or hummus to be huge for those looking to slim down.

Regardless of what choices you make, the flavor story for 2012-13 will include fervor for Southern cuisine, perhaps as a counterpoint to all the health food. According to the 2012 Zagat guide, Southern food is hot (literally). Chef Marcus Samuelsson's Harlem eatery Red Rooster is wooing celebrities with okra, smothered pork chops, and fried green tomatoes. You just wait and see: Down-home cooking will trend high.

Foodies are also buzzing about flavors such as pickled and peppered treats. The zingy flavors of ginger and chilis will penetrate not only our sinuses but also our palates; you can thank our current obsession with Korean food for this spicy development. Korean tacos and kimchi are all the rage and gained huge popularity on the food truck scene in Los Angeles, and now beyond. Michelin recently awarded its first star to a Korean restaurant Manhattan's Danji.

The continued mobile, pop-up and food truck obsession will continue to redefine how we eat. Look for big brands/chains to hit the highway as this superhot trend keeps them queuing up in 2012–13. If you feel as if the food truck trend might be more fad than anything else, think of it in broader strokes: Food truck culture speaks to our need for yummy fare that's innovative, culturally collaborative (food truck food is often fusion), and moderately priced, as well as our continued interest in nontraditional retail offerings.

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More Voices

Nordic Food Expected to Gain Popularity in 2012
01/12/2012
Marian Salzmanm predicts Nordic food will gain huge ground on our very own shores and beyond this year in part because of countries imposing 'fat tax fees.'

Homemakers Rate Their Cooking Skills
01/12/2012
Only a small percentage of homemakers rate their cooking skills as excellent in NPD Group's 2011 Kitchen Audit.

Fruits and Nuts for the Future
01/04/2012
The combination of sweet and fat will always be a siren song to the human palate. Nuts and fruits can fulfill this while delivering the components that make them true health foods.

Restaurant And School Menu Trends Contribute to Overall 2012 Food and Beverage Industry Trends
01/03/2012
Culinary and restaurant experts predict the most popular trends on restaurant and school lunch menus.

Study Shows Barliv Betafiber's Expanded Health Benefits
11/22/2011
Barliv barley betafiber might play a role in improving insulin sensitivity among generally healthy individuals according to a peer-reviewed paper in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism.

Consumers Seeking Oils With Health Benefits
11/01/2011
After decades of avoiding fat content in foods, consumers now actively seek specific oils closely associated with health benefits.

Survey Finds 54 Percent of Consumers Trying to Get More Protein in their Diets
10/31/2011
The survey, conducted by the U.S. Dairy Export Council, notes the figure is up over 2010's numbers.

Consumers Moving to Dairy for Protein Options
10/28/2011
Protein power is an increasingly important component of a healthy diet.

Toops' Scoops: Kicking the Pyramid Into Oblivion
10/18/2011
Just as MyPlate begins to get traction, a controversy begins.

American Consumers Looking More to New Old World Cuisine
09/29/2011
While 'Old World' cuisine encompasses regions such as Italy, France and Spain; new Old World Cuisine looks to less celebrated food regions such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria and Belgium.

New Food Bars Designed To Put Health In The Palm Of Your Hand
10/20/2008
No longer styled just for candy, food bars are making it easier to have a healthy snack on the go.

The Lure of lignans
06/05/2008
We’ve been putting flax on our cereal as a plant source of highly valuable omega-3 fatty acids, but look for the word lignan to begin popping up on labels of foods with added flax, much as isoflavones became the reason for our expanded appetite for soy products.

The Trends: The Flavor Pairings of 2008
03/12/2008
McCormick’s annual Flavor Forecast this year looks at the flavor pairings that will influence what we eat.

Trends: Cheese consumption, interest show no signs of abating
03/03/2008
IDDBA report notes trends toward natural, artisanal and local cheeses.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: The Next Great Superfood?
01/14/2008
Another South American "superfruit" is caught between hype and possibility.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Cinnamon and Blood Sugar
10/04/2007
One way or another, we all know cinnamon. And the spice (actually, tree bark) enjoys a well-known reputation for health based on popular herbal lore.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Get Smart with Omegas
09/13/2007
Omega 3 oils were already simmering as a trend a dozen years ago. Newer sources and applications technology are driving interest in these healthful fats even higher.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Where’d I Put that Ginkgo?
08/06/2007
About a decade and a half ago, ginkgo was the hot new “brain-building” herb, touted as the natural way to pump up our memory and enhance our cognitive abilities.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Connecting the Dots on Enzymes
07/10/2007
For those who can’t digest lactose, lactase can make short work of the problem. Lactase is an enzyme that splits lactose into its constituent sugars, glucose and galactose.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Saw Palmetto
06/06/2007
As a supplement, extract from the saw palmetto plant (Serenoa repens) has been promoted as a powerful prostate cancer preventative. Research has shown it also may help in the treatment of urinary tract infections. The question is, is it ready to make the jump to foods and beverage applications.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Kava — much ado about relaxation
05/01/2007
The South Sea Islands root kava has a long tradition of medicinal and ritual use. Noted for its properties of relaxation, with careful application it could hit the big time.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Sweet Like Cactus
04/07/2007
A cactus for the centuries makes more than tequila – it makes a great natural sweetener with inulin.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Feeding the Nutrition-Expert Frenzy
04/05/2007
Judging by the endless booths sampling healthy foods at this year’s Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif., March 8-11, one wonders why we aren’t the leanest and fittest nation on earth.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: South Africa’s Red Rocker
02/07/2007
Rooibos is a hit among health-conscious consumers in the U.S., mostly because of its high level of antioxidants, low level of tannins and lack of caffeine.

Noni or NIMBY?
01/10/2007
Noni juice is being promoted with more relentlessness worthy of P. T. Barnum. Its antioxidant capacities are certainly there, but are they worth the high price and dubious flavor profile? Some processors may want to take a “Not in My Back Yard” stance.

Vitamin C Revival?
12/07/2006
Nobel Prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling started a vitamin C revolution, promoting it as a panacea for cancer, heart disease and just about anything that ailed you. Then he died. OK, he was 93, but vitamin C's star quickly faded. Suddenly it's on the brink of a comeback.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Don’t Bogart That Hummus
11/07/2006
Hemp seed, once an annoying ingredient those most likely to encounter it, crept into the food chain a few years ago. But the move to make the tiny little green seeds into something profitable didn't seem to get off the ground until recently. It turns out that, while the seeds of the cannabis plant won't get you high, they could get you healthy – as a good source of protein and omega oils.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: How to feed a kid
10/03/2006
The overwhelming attention paid to the childhood obesity crisis these days is laudable. Unfortunately, some approaches are forgetting a key factor: Children are not miniature adults. For some processors, this means it's back-to-school time.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: The 400-pound Guarana in the Room
09/06/2006
Natural caffeine is abundant in our modern, high-energy society. The sun never sets on the Starbuck’s empire. And talk about teas, once we discovered antioxidants and EGCG, variety in the tea market went through the roof.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: The Devil and High-Fructose Syrup
08/01/2006
High-fructose corn syrup is being demonized as the root of all obesity. Some processors are fleeing to other sweeteners in response, but the lines between sense and science are being blurred in the panic.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Ginseng Comeback
06/30/2006
Whatever happened to ginseng? This popular pioneer of functional ingredients was the belle of the good-for-you ball 25 years ago. Ginseng may have faded from the popularity contest point of view, but sales are still strong and it still has a myriad of uses.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Açai is Just Açai
06/06/2006
A little purple berry from South America is making a big splash in beverages. Also known as the Amazon palmberry, açai fruit is considered by some to be one of the world's top "superfoods." It contains an exceptionally high concentration of antioxidants (especially anthocyanins), as well as monounsaturated fats, dietary fiber, phytosterols, several trace minerals and a number of essential amino acids.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Pie in the Sky
05/01/2006
Tart cherries as the latest in health foods may sound like little more than sour grapes. But there's nothing sour about their positive effect on health. Centuries of folklore about the health powers in these little jewels are finding support in research. Tart cherries, those we use in cherry pie, may be among the most potent of nature’s anti-inflammatory foods.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Potato Power Play
04/04/2006
Questionable conclusions and reckless reporting have painted potatoes as dietary 'bad guys.' Dr. Anthony begs to differ.

Hoodia Love?
02/06/2006
Is the South African cactus really a weight-loss miracle ingredient, or just another (expensive) nutrition fad?

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Crossing Yogurt’s Cultural Barrier
01/03/2006
Probiotics are the new rage in functional foods.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Taurine Solo
12/06/2005
The powerful amino acid taurine doesn’t hang around building proteins.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: D is for denial
11/01/2005
Vitamin D deficiency, thought to be a thing of the past, is coming back.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: The Raw Truth
10/03/2005
Dr. Mark Anthony explains that those who suggest we should eat "all raw, all the time" are offering us a raw deal, nutritionally speaking.

The Promise of CLA
09/06/2005
The fats we find on the dinner table today aren’t quite the same as the ones our great-grandparents ate. Conjugated linoleic acid is one fatty acid we would do well to become reacquainted with.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Coming clean
08/03/2005
Dr. Mark Anthony discusses so-called "cleansing" diets and the making of this common part of dietary balance into an exploitable mystery.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Don't Fear Tropical Oils
07/05/2005
Dr. Mark Anthony puts tropical oils in their proper nutritional perspective.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Boron's a Beneficial Bone Builder
06/07/2005
In the not too distant future, nutrition experts may tell us to include boron-rich foods in our diet. This largely ignored element is being studied more intently at present, as it seems to play a key role in coordinating other nutrients involved in bone health.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Co-Q10 is a "10" in Wellness
05/04/2005
Co-Q10 has been lauded for its antioxidant properties and its role in energy production. Contributing Editor Dr. Mark Anthony previously managed one of the nation's leading Co-Q 10 research labs; here he brings his expertise to bear on an update of this vital nutrient.

Nutrition Beyond the Trends: Low-Carb Diets and Bone Health
02/28/2005
Mark Anthony, Ph.D., joins the Wellness Foods family as a contributing editor with the monthly column, "Nutrition Beyond the Trends." This month: the relationship between protein consumption and bone health.