The Holidaze Food Craze

Dec 16, 2021Categories, Savory, Seasonal Flavor Insights, Snacks, Sweet Goods & Dairy

The December holiday season has crept upon us once again. Many of us will spend our time during this season with friends and family enjoying old traditions and creating new ones. Many of these traditions involve food. Although we may celebrate different holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali or Kwanza, there is one common theme – holidays and food go together!

2021 has brought many of us different challenges and changes. Our “normal” is not what it once was. As we continue to navigate through a pandemic, many of us may shift and adjust to open our homes to unplanned guests. Others may be more flexible with changes in plans. The result? New traditions are bound to form. Before we gather at the table this holiday season, let’s take a look at the trends and product examples surrounding LTO’s and seasonal flavors.

Table Spreads To-Go

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that after over a year in a pandemic, restaurants have pivoted to enhance the consumer experience by delivering the same in-restaurant quality with their take-out orders. In addition to take-out, holiday to-go meals will make a big comeback this season. Festive and convenient? You can’t beat it!

Table full of to-go babkas, smoked brisket, potato latkes for the Holiday season
Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen: Festive staples like
chocolate babka and smoked brisket are available
for pickup or delivery at several pop-ups with contactless 
pickup throughout the Bay Area and for nationwide shipping.
Variety of prepared food at the grocery deli counter
In Chicago, The Goddess & Grocer included options like potato or sweet potato-zucchini latkes, chicken matzo ball soup, braised brisket, and sweets like sufganiyot, blue velvet cake, and Hanukkah cookies for pickup or delivery.

Plant-based, please!

According to Datassential, the term plant-based is now on just under 5% of menus but that’s an increase of over 2,700% on menus over the past 4 years. That being said, this trend is here to for the holiday food arena too!

Veggie Grill’s 100% plant-based, 100% pre-prepped Turkey Wellington with walnut mushroom stuffing. The wellington is just part of Veggie Grill’s Holiday Feast for four they describe as “comfort food you’ll feel comfortable eating.” 
 Quorn’s Meatless Roast the company describes as a meatless turkey roast that “tastes so good you’ll be back for seconds.”

Top Winter Flavors + Ingredients

It is no secret that FLAVOR plays a big role in how consumers decide what stays and what goes when it comes to trends. The top winter flavors and ingredients this season:

  • Holiday Food Favorites and Flavors
    • Toasted Coconut
    • Chocolate Almond
    • Red Velvet
    • Cady Cane
    • Lobster Cream
    • Lox

Looking for more? Check out Givaudan’s Seasons program to get a deep dive on top flavors for all four seasons!

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