As we welcome 2024 and a new year, it is often fun to contemplate where we have been and where we are going on our food, health, and nutrition education journey. The nutrition research, as we have seen over numerous years of Dietary Guideline reviews and in the present 2020-2025 edition, has corroborated a whole-food, plant-based, minimally-processed diet that is low in added sugar, salt, and processed fat especially with regards to trans fat and saturated fat.

Here are the trends that I have observed over the past year as well as my predictions for how they will influence consumers as well as health and nutrition education.

1. The science stays the same. The DASH Diet and MyPlate icon still provide the most relevant summaries of what science shows best for nutrition and health and they support the Dietary Guidelines.

2. Consumers' eating habits are not exactly aligning themselves to the Dietary Guidelines and DASH diet. One study showed that 3% eat healthily. We published an "American Diet" infographic and post which sums up the factors that influence diet in America:

Many consumers are closer than ever. There is a large Facebook group dedicated to "forks over knives." Many bloggers and social media influencers are popular because they show consumers how to put healthy meals on the table fast. The National Refrigerated and Frozen Foods Association reports, “Since its peak in 2020 and 2021, cooking at home has decreased slightly, but 64% of Americans are continuing to do so to save money and control their budget.” They also found that 45% of Americans are using air fryers.

Inflation is driving consumer choices in the store. As the rising costs in food due to inflation have made a pinch in consumer’s spending habits, we are seeing changes in grocery spending. According to a McKinsey Report, consumers are spending more on groceries but trying to save by spending down with bulk purchases and store brands.

Plant-based meat sales are slowing and falling due to rising prices as consumers take a more practical approach to spending, according to AgFunderNews. Conventional meat sales are also down. Now may be a great time to push the importance of beans, legumes, and peas.

Make it easy. Consumers want flavor and convenience first and foremost but they do care about health even if their desires do not always match with science (gluten-free and keto/carb-free being two examples). We have seen the explosion of food delivery services for restaurant meals, and DoorDash claims sales will be up by over 30% in 2023. Instacart sales are up by 4% in 2023.

Social media and food. MH Consumer reports that TikTok is one of the most influential social media platforms for young consumers, and the influencers can influence food spending. Check out the most viral recipes for 2023 here. Favorites include lemon-baked chicken, baked barbecue chicken, million-dollar spaghetti, and more.

Gut health and fiber are still hot. The research on the microbiome fits nicely with the sustainability message because it emphasizes a plant-based diet that is high in fiber to promote a healthy microbiome or the growth of healthy bacteria. This is one of the most heavily researched areas of health and nutrition and will continue to be fruitful for some time.

Basics still prevail. Many Americans are not financially stable, and Feeding America reports that over 44 million Americans experience food insecurity.  This precarious world is held together by food stamps, food banks, and local charities. Many food and nutrition professionals work very hard to staff the SNAP programs and to help with food banks. They also educate people in WIC programs.