In an extensive list of the top-volume food-related health benefits associated with food products, the category of healthy frozen meals placed among the top trending searches by users, with an increase of 25%, according to the latest “think with Google Food Trends 2016”. Healthy cereals, oatmeal benefits and health food stores were among the other terms on top of this list.
“To compile a list of accurate trends within the food industry, we pulled top volume queries related to the food category and looked at their monthly volume from January 2014 to February 2016. We first removed any seasonal effect, and then measured the year-over-year growth, velocity, and acceleration for each search query. Based on these metrics, we were able to classify the queries into similar trend patterns. We then curated the most significant trends to illustrate interesting shifts in behavior”, explain Google analysts who compiled the report.
To identify top trends, Google analysts categorized past data into six different clusters, based on similar behaviors: sustained risers, seasonal risers, rising stars, sustained decliners, seasonal decliners and falling stars. Top performers for each of the six categories include:
SUSTAINED RISERS: Ramen, Rigatoni, Linguine
SEASONAL RISERS: Bitter Melon, Cheese curds, Gender Reveal Cakes
RISING STARS: Turmeric, Cauliflower rice, Sourdough Bread
SUSTAINED DECLINERS: Gluten Free Cupcakes, Wheat Free Bread, Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
SEASONAL DECLINERS: Wedding Cakes, Kale Chips, Quinoa
FALLING STARS: Dutch Baby Pancake, Chocolate Slices, Rainbow Bagel
Among the top trending culinary themes, pasta in all shapes and sizes is making a big comeback, according to the Google report, together with functional foods, bite-sized snacks and pork meat.
“While growth was slow for interest in pasta from 2011 to 2014, demand picked up again in 2015 and continues to rise through 2016. Consumers are most interested in making pasta dishes at home on the weekends. They’re experimenting with new recipes and sauces that can be prepared at home or picked up at the grocery store. There’s interest in understanding the differences between certain types of pasta and their accompanying sauces. It’s time for marketers to refocus their attention on pasta. There’s growing interest for a variety of pasta recipes, and consumers are seeking new ideas for their weekend eating adventures.” the analysts say.