Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD, founder of the F-Factor Diet, and director of Nutrition at M Booth’s Better4You, offers some additional exclusive tips for brand managers on the lookout for trends in food and nutrition:

The market for fiber-rich foods and whole grains is booming.  The global market for whole grain and high fiber foods is expected to reach US$27.6b by 2017. Driving this growth are greater consumer awareness of the health benefits associated with dietary fiber and whole grains and new, innovative, better tasting products.  According to Mintel, about 100 new foods with added fiber hit U.S grocery shelves last year including yogurt, water and even non-nutritive sweeteners.

Plant-based protein foods are significantly growing.   Today, there is greater focus on the benefits of protein from plant-based sources that are naturally lower in saturated fat compared to animal sources. A great example of this is Greek yogurt.  A report by Citigroup Global Markets put annual sales of Greek yogurt at $1 billion last year —one-quarter of total yogurt sales of $4.1 billion. Look for Greek yogurt innovations, such as multi-packs, parfaits, frozen treats and new flavors, as well as nonfat Greek yogurt-coated fruits and nuts marketed as healthy snacks.