Savory Social Media Listening
Listening Dates: April 1, 2019 – June 30, 2019
Truffle Sauce to Ruffle Your Taste Buds
Packaged in a snazzy glass bottle, Black TRUFF is the newest flavor sensation in the hot sauce space. The black-truffle-infused sauce is causing people to put their preferred hot sauces aside in favor of this gourmet twist. This version of the hot sauce contains hints of red chili pepper, black truffle, garlic, cumin, vinegar, and agave, with one user reporting that “I gave it another try on my morning egg sandwich and WOW…I really like it and use it almost every day. It has pushed my Sriracha to the side for now.” Not to mention, it recently made Oprah’s list of Favorite Things, which is certainly not the worst endorsement to have!
Avocado On the Move
Sabra may be a little late on the avocado toast trend, but their version presents a new spin on the popular breakfast/lunch item. No longer reserved for trendy cafés, avocado toast lovers can now get their fix in grab-and-go form. Building off the format of their popular Sabra Snackers, the new Sabra Breakfast Avocado Toast features a package of avocado spread along with several crispy whole grain toasts. This new offering is sure to please avocado lovers who value convenience and cost savings (a.k.a. millennials).
Holy Guacamole! A Match Made in Heaven
When considering what dip to pair with a bag of tortilla chips, guacamole and queso easily surge to the top of everyone’s list. To capitalize on the love for avocados and cheese in the chips and dip industry, Dutch cheese company Daily Dairy has created Amanti Guacamole Cheese. This new cheese is smooth, creamy, and has a spicy kick. Think gouda blended with notes of avocado, chili, lime juice, onion, tomato, and garlic. This Shrek-colored cheese is retailing for a limited time in The Fresh Market locations, so don’t miss your chance to weigh in on the viral conversation. Is Guacamole Cheese the heir to the dip dynasty or should these flavors remain in their own, separate bowls?
Chance The Rapper Brings the Heat Back to Wendy’s
A testament to the power of social media, Wendy’s spicy chicken nuggets will be returning to the menu thanks to Chance The Rapper and millions of Twitter users. When Wendy’s retired their spicy chicken nuggets back in 2017, customers across the nation were left wanting. However, Chance The Rapper started a social media frenzy on May 4th, when he tweeted a prayer for the return of his beloved spicy nuggets. Wendy’s surprised the Twitter-verse by replying and promising that they would bring them back for the small price of 2 million likes on their tweet. Fortunately, spicy nugget lovers rallied to the cause and accumulated the required likes in less than 48 hours.
Look out for the return of this much loved and missed menu item on August 19th, 2019!
Mickey D’s McInternational
In June of this year, you may have noticed a few decidedly different items making their way underneath the Golden Arches, along-side the ever-reliable Quarter Pounder and fries. McDonald’s has brought four international favorites stateside this summer, serving them in locations nation-wide. The next time you roll through a drive-thru, consider indulging in a Stroopwafel McFlurry (the Netherlands), cheesy bacon fries (Australia), a tomato-mozzarella chicken sandwich (Canada), or something called a Grand McExtreme Bacon Burger (Spain). The latter includes bacon and bacon sauce – where could you go wrong with that?
Yo Quiero Taco Bell Queso
If you were excited when Taco Bell put their Fire Sauce in stores, get ready to plan another fiesta. Taco Bell has recently released a new line of shredded cheeses, all perfect for taco night. Consider trying the Zesty Ranch, a tangy combination of ranch seasoning and shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or the 7-Layer Blend, a mix of shredded mild cheddar, sharp white cheddar, Monterey Jack, Asadero, low-moisture mozzarella, sharp cheddar and queso quesadilla cheeses. There’s also Salsa Verde, which combines salsa verde seasoning with shredded Monterey Jack, sharp white cheddar, sharp cheddar, and mild cheddar cheese; and, finally, Breakfast Fiesta, a union of shredded cheddar cheeses and smoke and bacon flavors. Can you ever have too much cheese? I guess we’re all about to find out.
Hot Pocket Collab Ideas
The great minds at Hot Pockets took to Twitter in late April to find out people’s food collaboration dreams when it comes to what goes in their Hot Pockets – and we are here for it. In case you had not considered this before, feel free to get behind some of these awesome ideas, like the chicken and waffle pocket – crispy waffle crust with fried chicken and syrup on the inside – YUM! Other fans longed for a Thanksgiving pocket (and included a hand-drawn picture for reference), replete with turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and a “flaky dinner roll crust” that will have you giving thanks all year long. One woman nearly hit the nail on the head when she asked for a mac and cheese pocket, which might actually happen, as Hot Pocket replied with an auspicious, “your dreams might come true.” Then, in late June, they shared a full fleshed-out picture of a mac and cheese-filled Hot Pocket. Another innovative poster hoped for a collaboration with Stouffer’s after they suggested a mouthwatering lasagna pocket. Whether you are a salty or sweet, Hot Pocket was open to all the suggestions, and their witty replies did not disappoint. If it was up to us, we would make them all. But alas, not every dream can become a reality. Post your idea and see if you can pick the next Hot Pocket!
The Race for Meatless Market Share Continues
As Impossible Foods and Before the Butcher gear up for their retail debuts, Beyond Meat’s first-mover advantage in supermarkets may be threatened. With Impossible Burger now featuring their Impossible Sausage in three Little Caesars locations (following their partnerships with White Castle, Red Robin, and Burger King) the playing field is meatless-ier that ever! But can Impossible keep up with the demand? Competitor Beyond Meat is sweating it out after consumers noticed they sold out at Lidl in late May. However, Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat might want to hold on to their veggie-based proteins, because Dupont just cracked into meat-alternative market with a natural egg white replacement. Not to mention there are other meat-alternatives spinning off the growing trend. Vegan Rob’s has created a Vegan Burger Puff that features a plant-based seasoning that was inspired by Beyond Burger. Make sure you buy your Beyond Burger while it’s still available—we will be keeping a close eye on these meatless developments as the race for market domination continues!
Content generated by monitoring and mining online social media channels for unsolicited consumer-generated discussions of categories, brands, and flavors. It’s purpose – to keep Givaudan and its partner clients on the forefront of emerging marketplace trends.
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