We’re one month in to 2019, and what a month it has already been! In case you missed it, there have been 2020 Presidential candidate announcements, a government shutdown, we finally got a USDA head of food safety, and there was a report that was not so friendly to meat. With only one month down, we are probably all wondering – what could be next?

It’s this same wonder and perhaps excitement of what’s around the corner that perfectly describes Innova Market Insights top 2019 trend “Discovery: the Adventurous Consumer.”

It’s no surprise that the top food & beverage trend of the new year should have to do with adventure. We are increasingly in a society where the consumer loves making new discoveries and having new experiences. I believe at the helm of this trend is, you guessed it – the millennial. Millennials have garnered a reputation in the travel industry for their constant wanderlust; but it’s not just that billion-dollar industry where millennials are even more eager than their predecessors to try something new.

The adventurous consumer meets “The Plant Kingdom” (another Innova top 2019 trend), in veggie-based alternative meat products. These two trends converged last month with the introduction of the of the Carl’s Jr. Beyond Meat burger. The SVP of brand marketing for Carl’s Jr. said they created the alternative product to fuel the “vegetarian curious” fast food frequenter. While the product was obviously not a desirable introduction for the meat industry, the point is that they intentionally introduced a new menu item to appeal to consumer’s curiosity.

And, it’s not even just about trying something new with these consumers. It’s about the experience that the food or grocery store or brand provides; and it’s about the {sensory} adventure that lies ahead. As the Innova webinar states, it’s not just new flavors, it’s new temperatures (heat), new packaging and new ways to dine that are popping up.

Humans are curious beings, and adventure is in our DNA. While seeing everything as an adventure might not come as easily as it once did in our childhood; eating and food has always been (and probably will always be) an adventure. You probably don’t have to think too hard to come up with the last time you fueled your curiosity by trying a new restaurant.

So, if it’s so easy for us to introduce adventure into our own lives, why is it so hard for us to introduce adventure into our customer’s lives? What new adventures are we creating for our customers in eating meat?

“Adventure is worthwhile.” – Aristotle

Adventure awaits in 2019

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