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Google publishes US Food Trends 2016 report

3 May 2016

Google has published its US Food Trends 2016 report which, through an analysis of the popularity of search terms over the past two years, reveals some fascinating insights for the food and beverage industry.

Google has published its US Food Trends 2016 report.

“With every query typed into a search bar, we are given a glimpse into user considerations or intentions,” the company said. “By compiling top searches, we are able to render a strong representation of the United States’ population and gain insight into this population’s behaviour. In our Google Food Trends Report, we are excited to bring forth the power of data into the hands of the marketers, product developers, restaurateurs, chefs, and foodies. The goal of this report is to share useful data for planning purposes accompanied by curated styles of what we believe can make for impactful trends.”

To compile a list of accurate trends within the food industry, The company pulled top volume queries related to the food category and looked at their monthly volume from January 2014 to February 2016. The researchers – led by Jon Lorenzini , Senior Analytics Lead, Food & Beverage and Lisa Lovallo, Global Insights Manager, Food & Beverage - first removed any seasonal effect, and then measured the year-over-year growth, velocity, and acceleration for each search query. Based on these metrics, Google says it was able to classify the queries into similar trend patterns. The team then curated the most significant trends to illustrate interesting shifts in behaviour.

The company describes what it calls ‘Sustained Risers- searches that have shown steady growth over the past years, meaning, it says, that these trends are safe bets:

Ramen

Rigatoni

Bibimbap

Linguine

Empanada

Uncured Bacon

Bundt Cakes

Google then identifies what it calls Seasonal Risers - trends that are likely to come back even stronger:

Pho

Overnight Oats

Bitter Melon

Cheese Curds

Pork Shoulder

Smash Cake

Gender Reveal Cake

The third category Google describes as Rising Stars – searches that have shown sudden growth within the past months, meaning that they might not last.

Turmeric

Jackfruit

Cauliflower Rice

Sourdough Bread

Funfetti

Vegan Donuts

The report also discusses searches that have decreased in the time period.

Of particular interest are the searches Google identifies for functional foods. The company lists these, in no particular order, as:

Turmeric

Apple Cider Vinegar

Jackfruit

Manuka Honey

Kefir

Coconut Milk

Erythritol

Bone Broth

Cauliflower Rice

Avocado Oil

Bitter Melon

Arrowroot Powder

High Protein Snacks

Lactose Free Milk

Cumin Seeds

Daikon Radish

Rice Vinegar

Cardamom Pods

Lactose Free Cheese

Ground Ginger

Flax Egg

Macrodiet

The report contains a wealth of other data, and can be downloaded at https://think.storage.googleapis.com/docs/FoodTrends-2016.pdf