Though the grocer could never have predicted this year’s global pandemic, toilet paper shortage, or mini pancake cereal craze, many of its food predictions for 2020 — including the increased use of alternative flours, plant-based proteins, unique sugar swaps, and alcohol-free cocktails — hit the nail on the head.

Whole Foods has released its sixth annual top 10 food predictions report for the coming year — and so, what’s on tap for 2021? A lot — and like everything in life of late, it’s going to look very different from any pre-pandemic predictions.

“The pandemic’s influence on dining is something no one can ignore, says Alan Morgan, executive leader of culinary and part of Whole Foods Market’s Trends Council. “At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a clear rise in comfort meals, however heading into 2021, we’re seeing a shift to healthier foods. And with more meals being consumed at home overall, another major dining shift we anticipate for 2021 is people continuing to take more time for a daily breakfast.

“Our Trends Council is also seeing new at-home chefs take their cooking game to the next level, experimenting with elevated ingredients like new takes on sauces, spices, and pastas.”

Morgan and more than 50 other Whole Foods Market team members — including regional and global buyers, local foragers, and culinary experts — together craft the insights for what we’ll be eating and drinking in 2021 below.

Every food has a function

Remember when there used to be a clear difference between the food aisles and the supplement section at your supermarket? Expect to see that line get increasingly blurry. The more we learn about the importance of wellness — including immune support, gut health, and keeping stress at bay — the more we strive to reap all of the above from food.

Manufacturers are listening. In 2021, you can expect to see plenty more probiotic foods (hi, sauerkraut), and packaged products with functional ingredients, such as vitamin C and adaptogens. “For obvious reasons, people want this pronto,” the Whole Foods’ reporters add.

Breakfast is bigger than ever

With more people working from home, the most important meal is getting the attention it deserves, not just on weekends, but every day. There’s a whole new lineup of innovative products tailored to people paying more attention to what they eat in the morning. Think pancakes on weekdays, sous vide egg bites and even “eggs” made from mung beans.

Pantry staples get an upgrade

With more cooking and eating at home more than ever before, and our taste buds (and culinary exploits) are feeling majorly fatigued. It’s no surprise that searches for low-lift pantry staples — think simmer sauces, spices, jarred marinara, hot sauce, dressings — that can transform bland food or leftovers with minimal effort have been soaring since the onset of the pandemic.

Get ready for even more reimagined basics: pasta made from hearts of palm, applewood-smoked salt, lemon honey, and vegan soup that tastes meaty.

Coffee beyond the mug

America’s love affair with coffee is burning far beyond your basic pot of java. Expect to see supermarket shelves stacked with everything from coffee-flavoured granola, protein bars, and candy to yogurt, smoothie boosters, cereal, and booze. Can’t help but wonder: is it the flavour we’re after or the caffeine?

Baby food 2.0

Aisles once filled with jars of mushy peas and apple sauce will soon be piled high with portable, on-the-go squeeze pouches of purees made from fresh rhubarb, rosemary, Apple Butternut Squash with Ground Oats and Turmeric, and Purple Carrots, Cauliflower & Avocado Oil with Oregano (!).

Upcycled foods get fancy

Now that we’re all on board with doing our part to reduce the food waste problem in America, root to stem cooking has become more popular than ever. Read: the movement has officially made its way from broccoli stem stir fry, carrot top salads, and countertop composting to large-scale mainstream manufacturing.

“We’re seeing a huge rise in packaged products that use neglected and underused parts of an ingredient as a path to reducing food waste,” reports Whole Foods. “Upcycled foods, made from ingredients that would have otherwise been food waste, help to maximize the energy used to produce, transport and prepare that ingredient.”

Oil change

No, you aren’t imagining it: there’s some new type of trendy cooking oil on the market almost every day. While our beloved EVOO isn’t going anywhere, it’s going to have to share a lot more shelf space with a never ending list of new superfood oils, like avocado oil, pumpkin seed oil, sunflower seed oil, walnut oil, and more.

Kombucha that gives you a buzz

Reams of social and other media coverage has been raving about kombucha — and kombucha cocktails — for years. Now, ‘booch’ brands are starting to bottle up boozy versions of their tangy fermented tea so you’ll no longer have to DIY. Following in the footsteps of the hard seltzer hysteria and the probiotic-enriched CPGs trend mentioned above, this one should really knock it out of the park.

The mighty chickpea

According to Whole Foods, you can chickpea everything (it’s true). What started as a fibre-filled healthier base for plant-based pasta is now making its way into cereals, not-potato chips, chickpea flour tortillas, etc.

Fruit and veggie jerky

Who says you need meat to make jerky? The effort to make plant-based eating more accessible has taken the jerky aisle under its wing. You’ll start seeing all kinds of produce that have been served up jerky-style, like jackfruit, mushrooms, mangos, bananas, and more.

“The produce is dried at the peak freshness to preserve nutrients and yumminess. If that’s not enough, suppliers are literally spicing things up with finishes of chili, salt, ginger and cacao drizzle,” Whole Foods explains.

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