quench Bites into 2016 Food & Beverage Trends

CHICAGO and HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- quench, a full-service food and beverage brand-building boutique, announces its annual 2016 Food and Beverage Marketing Trends forecast. The list features trends widespread across the food and beverage category as well as those that exist in a smaller niche, with a common thread that these trends will pick up steam in 2016.

"quench has been keeping a keen eye on four broad macro trends that have been building momentum over the past few years, and is watching them come to life through various micro trends," says Darby Hughes, quench brand strategy director and trends expert. "We're seeing new channels that will forever change the way we shop, new technology that will let us talk to our food, and new definitions of healthy that embrace fats and shame anything artificial."

quench's 2016 food and beverage trends include:

Rise of the Machines: Consumers are increasingly eager to take a bite out of the newest, most innovative technology. Advanced personal data and connected devices are bringing tech into every aspect of consumers' lives.

• The Internet of Things reaches the kitchen:
  • Whirlpool's Kitchen of the Future -- A kitchen countertop that can access Twitter
  • Amazon Dash Button -- The Internet's largest retailer, only a button away
• How tech can predict consumers' tastes:
  • Next Glass -- The app that can predict what drinks you'll enjoy before you even get to the bar
  • Nara -- The Pandora of restaurants that makes going out effortless

Take Some Responsibility: It seems sustainable practices are table stakes in almost every category. This increased move toward responsibility has inspired many food and beverage innovations in the name of being better.

• Reducing waste, one item at a time:
  • Plastic bag taxes -- Changing the checkout line forever by implementing taxes on plastic
  • Packaging innovations -- Why manufacturers are focused on the outside as much as the inside
• How misshapen produce became the star of gourmet plates:
  • Intermarche -- A store like you've never seen before
  • Daily Table -- Taking on the challenge of eliminating wasted food

The New Channels: In a world where consumers can order food through an emoji, pizza delivery seems like an ancient tradition. New channels are emerging that offer consumers new ways of ordering their favorite food and beverages.

• Your favorite snacks at your doorstep:
  • Big brand subscriptions -- Following the success of subscription services, big brands, such as Kellogg's, are considering getting in on the fun
  • Small subscription boxes -- Any snack you can dream of delivered to your doorstep, including Try the World, Graze, and Japan Crate
• Ordering food and drink has never been easier:
  • Instacart -- Making a grocery list might soon be obsolete
  • FreshDirect -- How one company is changing the face of grocery

The New Face of Healthy: As the definition of "healthy" changes, new sources of nutrition become popular, and traditional health foods evolve. What was once considered "unhealthy" might now be a diet staple.

• Consumers are going all-in on "all-natural":
  • Bye-bye trans fats -- FDA-mandated changes to nutrition labels
  • Avoiding artificial -- The all-natural movement reaches large chains, such as Taco Bell and Pizza Hut
• What's not in consumers' food is as important as what is:
  • The butter revival -- I can't believe it is butter
  • Goodbye, HFCS; Hello, sugar -- Companies like Pepsi and Coke are embracing good ole sugar

To request quench's comprehensive 2016 food and beverage trends presentation, including implications for food & beverage marketers, visit www.quenchagency.com.

About quench
With a mission to be the most innovative, passionate food and beverage brand-building boutique, quench delivers the knowledge, capabilities and results of the biggest full-service agencies through a nimble, collaborative and consumer-focused approach that only a boutique firm can offer. quench helps iconic food and beverage brands, including StarKist, Turkey Hill Dairy, ORTEGA, Hershey, North American Breweries and Jarlsberg capture the attention, aspiration and purchase intent of consumers through fully integrated brand communications. With offices in Harrisburg, Chicago and Philadelphia, quench offers traditional and digital advertising, brand and shopper marketing, strategic consulting, social engagement, public relations, mobile marketing and measurement with a proprietary approach to consumer research. For more information, visit quench's website, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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