Three trends to move your brand with cultural relevance

This week: Food Trends
(1 min read)

What follow are the top three trends in the food category in terms of forecast growth in 6-months time (compared to average interest over the past 6 months) - as predicted by our proprietary AI model.

Trend Rank #1

Raindrop cake

The Raindrop Cake, inspired by Japanese mizu shingen mochi, captivates with its waterdrop-like appearance and texture, reflecting a trend towards highly aesthetic, low calorie, and innovative textures in the dessert world.

Our AI predicts a +376% rise in consumer interest over the next six months.

Made from only agar and water, the Raindrop Cake's allure, being both low-calorie and visually striking, positions it perfectly for social media trends, especially on visual platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Its unique, clear appearance and minimal calorie content cater to the growing consumer interest in health-conscious yet aesthetically pleasing foods.

For marketers and product developers, this underscores the importance of considering both the visual appeal and nutritional profile of new food products to captivate and engage modern, health-aware, and social media-savvy consumers.

@sylvia.wakana

So cute 🥺❤️ #raindropcake #mizushingenmochi #raindrop #japanesefood #cookingtiktok #fyp

Bamboo salt, a unique Korean salt made by roasting sea salt in bamboo tubes, has gained attention for its health benefits, including reducing inflammation, improving blood sugar control, and boosting immunity.

Our AI predicts a +209% rise in consumer interest over the next six months.

Given the well-known health concerns associated with high sodium intake, such as hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, it’s about time this commonplace ingredient had a revolution.

Bamboo salt emerges as a significant alternative due to its mineral-rich profile.

That said, it comes at a cost.

Roasting the salt nine times in bamboo cylinders makes it a laborious process and the most expensive salt money can buy at around $100 per jar.

For marketers, advertisers, and product innovators, this trend points to two interesting insights.

One, it presents a ripe opportunity for disruption a long-established product.

By emphasizing bamboo salt's potential health benefits, brands can appeal to health-conscious consumers looking for dietary changes that contribute to wellness without compromising on taste.

And two, the manual care and painstaking process behind the creation of bamboo salt gives it an artisinal and premium quality that clearly drives interest from consumers - even if it’s unaffordable to many.

Trend Rank #3

Sili ice cream

Sili ice cream, originating from the Philippines, is made with labuyo chili -

yes, you read that right, chili -

coconut milk, puréed strawberries, and sugar, and reflects a growing interest in food and drink with unusual flavors and cultural underpinnings.

Our AI predicts a +140% rise in consumer interest over the next six months.

Similar to the Terremoto cocktail we saw a few weeks ago, there is growing interest in products that encapsulate the uniqueness of a culture or country.

Food is a really accessible way for people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests to explore new cultures, offering everyone a chance to connect with the local traditions and stories in a new location.

A second reason for sili ice cream’s meteoric growth is its bold use of hot chili peppers as a key ingredient, introducing a fiery twist to the traditional ice cream experience.

Known for its four levels of heat, people have taken to social media to share videos of themselves taking on the ‘Sili ice cream challenge’, testing their tolerance for heat and adding a competitive element to the experience.

For marketers and product innovators, sili ice cream demonstrates how tying a product to a culture or place creates memorability. Plus, mixing in the unexpected - such as chili in dessert - creates instant shareability.

Interested in a particular category or topic area? 

We're now offering an exclusive opportunity to dive deeper into the trends that matter to you. Reach out today for a personalized trends report at a heavily discounted rate!

Each week, leveraging advanced AI, we uncover and forecast the latest cultural and consumer trends in a given category, keeping you and your brand at the forefront of cultural relevance.

All insights are based on Global English Wikipedia page view data.
Portions of this newsletter are based on data from Wikipedia and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ct