Posted: November 30th, 2007 - 10:17am by Doug Powell

Mintel has kicked off the top-10 list season with its predicted food trends for 2008:

1. Clean labels: Clean labels -- ingredient labels that read like a home recipe.

2. Transparency throughout the system -- where ingredients come from, how they are manufactured and how they are packaged.

3. Junk-free foods --  additives, preservatives, colors, flavors or otherwise unknown ingredients listed on food labels.

4. Salt, a positive and a negative -- sea salt rather than mineral salt, and "place" salts, like Hawaiian red clay salt.

5. Faux genomics -- products designed to be consumed all at once, like a supplement, and deliver a very specific single benefit will become increasingly popular.

6. Experiential shopping --more in-store dining, warmer lighting and familiar display fixtures at the supermarket.

7. Carbon footprint -- manufacturers will start discussing their company-wide environmental initiatives instead of just focusing on the carbon footprint of a particular product.

8. Fairtrade expansion -- more Fairtrade and Fairtrade-certified products appearing in the United States, Latin America and Asia.

9. Ancient and sacred grains -- such as amaranth and quinoa moving from niche markets to mainstream.

10. Bottled water backlash -- consumers will become more aware of the environmental impact of shipping water from remote locations to local supermarkets.

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