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Top Food Trends Based on Data

What’s trending in the produce category?  Here are our Top Trends in Produce

When we set out to put our list of food trends together, one of the most common questions we get is, “why do you think that’s trending?” For example, when we say young coconut is going to be trending next year, one’s first thought might be, “that’s not a trend…that’s old news.” Well, in fact, it is a trend. Here’s why.

We define an upward trend the same way the dictionary does, as “a general direction in which something is developing or changing,” and we have the data to prove it. We say young coconut is trending because we are the nation’s largest distributor of young coconut and have the sales data to prove it. Year over year, the sales of young coconut in the USA have increased to the tune of +16%, therefore, it makes the list.

Top 2018 Food Trends based on data

Now, without further ado, here are the Top Food Trends, based on sales data: Hottest Trends in Produce 2017

1) Seasonal Fruits:

  • Dragon Fruit (including new yellow skinned variety)
  • Jackfruit (almost year round)
  • Green Dragon Apples (Oct – Dec)
  • Muscato Grapes (June – Sept)
  • Winter Crunch / Christmas Crunch Grapes (Sept – Dec)
  • Passion Fruit
  • Rambutan

Tropical and Exotic Fruit

2) Specialty Vegetables:

  • Org. Ginger
  • Turmeric
  • Pee Wee Potatoes
  • White Asparagus
  • Enjoya Peppers
  • Tatuma Squash
  • Indian Eggplant
  • Milpero Tomatillo
  • Petite Baby Bok Choy

Green Vegetable Antioxidants Graphic

3) Trending Chile Peppers:

  • Shishito Peppers
  • Hatch Chiles
  • Thai Chiles

shishitto peppers

Top 10 Melissa’s Specialty Produce 2017:

  1. Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes
  2. Red Creamed Potatoes
  3. Ginger
  4. Steamed Beets
  5. Steamed Lentils
  6. Ruby Gold Potatoes
  7. Dragon Fruit
  8. Kiwano Melon
  9. Young Coconut
  10. Veggie Sweet Peppers

Top Food Trends in Produce