We've been reading the predictions of trend spotters like Mintel and Epicurious.com and consulting our own crystal ball. Here are our picks for top five food trends for 2008.
PROBIOTICS: It's not just yogurt; products enriched with beneficial bacteria are showing up all over the supermarket, from cereal to baby food.
San Jose Mercury News. By Amy Culbertson -
BOTTLED-WATER BACKLASH: Once so chic, bottled water is becoming, as the Philadelphia Inquirer put it, "the environmentally incorrect Humvee of beverages."
UN-GOBBLEDYGOOKED LABELS: The pressure's on food companies to remove the unpronounceable additives from products.
FAIR TRADE: The next big focus of conscience-driven consumers. The movement seeks fair wages and treatment for workers in developing countries.
SPECIAL SALTS: Black, pink, purple or flavored with aromatics, fancy salts are going mainstream.