Our latest categorywatching report is live, covering all we've been tracking across Pasta, Rice, Noodles & Pulses this year. And it's never been a more exciting time in this category, as cost-friendly, health and sustainability credentials drive customers down this aisle in their droves.
Rice, noodles and pulses have formed the basis of our meals for millennia, with pasta entering our diet in a little over the last thousand years. A source of essential carbohydrates and in some cases, protein, these mealtime cornerstones are not just good for the body, but for the soul too.
Our Pasta, Rice, Noodles & Pulses categorywatching report looks at new (and old!) grains, pasta innovation, bowl foods, legume recipes, rice reimagined, gourmet twists, cuisine influences, health, sustainability and more. Three key takeouts from our report are:
1. Recipe Hacks - Air fryers continue to provide fertile ground for creative home cooking and recipe hacks, especially when it comes to pasta, rice, noodles and pulses. Turn pasta into crisps with a few minutes in the air fryer, or turn tortellini into a more substantial snack. Why not! One-pot-wonders make a comeback, too (e.g. 'no boil' pasta bakes and taco rice for game da) – whilst slow cookers continue to prove their worth with the cost of living, with butterbeans cooked into silky comfort with pecorino and pancetta.
2. Healthy Me, Healthy Planet - Low-carb and high-protein pasta is making gains in the world of health and fitness. Gluten-free bone broth ramen, anyone? Meanwhile, freezing our pasta, rice and noodles can be found to help lower their GI – whilst the key concerns of gut health see fermentation, and the addition of extra fibre, trend. Environmental concerns continue to drive innovation in the sector, finding alternative pasta with spirulina and using ancient grains to shape the modern world once more.
3. Global Influence - Pasta, rice and noodles provide the perfect, cost friendly canvas for flavour play and cuisine twists. And we aren't just talking a bit of sriracha stirred through your pasta. Cooks are going big and bold with global fusion… Birria ramen. Chaat nachos. Cacio e pepe tteok. Gochujang mac & cheese. Crispy-fried jollof rice draped with blushing steak and anointed with browned suya butter… The list goes on!
categorywatching is dedicated 'Retail Category' Trend Foresight – the future trend horizon through the lens of retail categories.
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trendhub subscribers can access the full 126-page Pasta, Rice, Noodles & Pulses 2024 categorywatching report on the hub here. If you're not yet subscribed but are interested to find out more, please get in touch.