As popularity of natural and organic food has increased, so has the number of stores that carry natural and organic products. Over the past few years, leading retailer of natural and organic foods, Whole Foods, has experienced declining sales as new competitors continue to enter and claim stake in the market. A specific store that has increased their market share is Trader Joe’s, a quirky, smaller store filled with unique and organic products.

Halloween is just around the corner, and with it comes high retail and candy sales. Since 2008 holiday sales have been down throughout the year, but, for many sectors sales have been creeping up. In 2013, seasonal candy for Halloween reached $217 million, up 12% from 2012. This growth was greater than similar Christmas candy products and close to percentage gains for Valentine’s Day.

The U.S. weight loss market has hit a plateau, experiencing  little growth over the last 6 years. After the downsize of the economy, consumers have decreased their purchases of diet drinks, health club memberships, medical programs, diet books, and exercise videos and moved forward to a more do-it-yourself (DIY) approach. Yet, small niches in the industry are starting to boom.

According to a report by publisher Marketdata Enterprises Inc., the value of the U.S. weight loss market declined by 1.8% in 2013, down to $60.5 billion. The market is expected to increase in 2014 with the increased DIY dieting trends and as organizations sort out the effects of the Affordable Care Act.

With the fast-paced lifestyles of the average U.S. consumer, simplicity of snacks and beverages is a must. Bottled water has been around to fill that need since the late 1700s, but even today bottled water is seeing a bright future. As health awareness continues, consumers are going to continue switching from carbonated soft drinks to water. Marketers from companies around the globe need to embrace new ideas for water to ensure their bottles are picked off the shelves.

As the calendar has now moved into the summer months, many professionals in the beer industry have their efforts focused on one thing: the 4^th of July, one of the biggest days of the year for the U.S. beer market. More than 103 million Americans drank beer on Independence Day in 2013, with 68.3 million cases of beer sold over the course of the weekend, which is a significant increase over previous years. In 2008, beer sales only recorded 24 million cases sold during the holiday weekend. But, as of 2012, Independence Day has claimed the top spot over Memorial Day and Labor Day as the most popular holiday for beer purchases.

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Research from food industry reports continue to show the increase in two eating habits of Americans: we are starting to make healthier food choices, and we are having more snacks throughout the day. The idea of having three meals a day is beginning to fade, and the age of snacks is moving in. The trend of healthy snacks is predicted to have increasing sales within the next decade, and this growth is driving healthy snack bars to include healthier and high-protein ingredients. Industry leaders are taking advantage of cereal/granola bars #2 sales ranking for snacks by creating their own snack bars. Popularity of companies promoting their own snack bars, as well as including high-protein bars in their selection has become a new trend for industry leaders.

Consumers are increasingly looking to protein to boost nutrition in their diets. The results of numerous studies support protein’s role in fighting obesity through supporting weight management. Protein also ensures proper growth, immune, heart and respiratory function. According to “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” from the USDA and Health and Human Services Administration, the average male 31 to 50 years of age needs about 56 grams of protein.

There’s a growing interest in South American foods. While Peruvian cuisine has been a hot trend and tops the ethnic category as voted by chefs of the American Culinary Federation (National Restaurant Association “What’s Hot Survey, 2014”), Brazilian cuisine is also trending. The World Cup in Brazil, as well as the 2016 Summer Olympics, will unleash an appetite for Brazilian cuisine beyond the churrascaria concept. And, new manifestations of culinary dishes from Ecuador, Colombia and Argentina aren’t far behind. Food retailers can draw from these trends to spark innovation and sales within the four walls of the supermarket and producers can leverage them for innovation in food formulation.

No matter what industry you are in, people are always itching to find out which latest and greatest trends are impacting the market. But, when your market is continually evolving, like the food & beverage industry, it can be difficult to stay on top of the most current trends. Because tracking industry trends plays such an important role in making business decisions and creating opportunities, we have put together a list of the hottest current and emerging trends in the food & beverage industry.