A purple reign for food trends predicted

Arnhem, Netherlands – Dutch market research company, Innova Market Insights, forecast strong colour vibrancy as a top trend in the food industry for 2018.

Pantone decreed the Colour of the Year for 2018 to be “Ultra Violet.” German-based global food colouring corporation, GNT Group also forecasts that a major product theme for this year will revolve around the colour purple.

This year, pastry chefs are creating foods in shades of lavender, purple and violet. Regal hues of purple can be achieved naturally with a range of berries, and might signal a shift towards a preference for intense colours among food producers.

A press release from GNT quotes: “The trend towards purple foods and beverages is rooted in health and wellness, as well as visual appeal. For fruits and vegetables, purple indicates a high phytonutrient content which signals health and well-being to consumers. As a result, purple vegetables such as purple carrots, sweet potatoes and yams are appearing more frequently in supermarkets.”

The allure of purple coloured food may be attributed to its photogenic qualities, according to Lu Ann Williams, director of innovation at Innova Market Research. She cites social media apps as being an influence in food choices. “People do fantastic Pinterest pages, for example, all colour-coded or highlighting really interesting things like that,” she said in a press release in 2017.

“We know that around 10 percent of consumers in the Netherlands, Australia, Spain and the US are really influenced by social media when it comes to purchasing foods and beverage, but in some countries – like China – it’s double that.”