Lakewood, Colorado-based Natural Grocers has revealed its Top Trends for 2023.
Experts expanded this year’s predictions beyond nutrition to include the most anticipated products and practices of health and wellness; body care and beauty; and food and beverage.
To pinpoint the predictions, Natural Grocers’ nutrition education team, consisting of health and wellness experts ranging from registered dietitians to certified natural foods chefs, collaborated with the retailer’s purchasing, marketing and analytics teams. They studied consumer-shopping preferences, pored over the latest research and assessed the residual impacts of the COVID pandemic among communities to predict these rising and shifting trends.
“Though the COVID pandemic initially made its presence known almost three years ago, its lingering effects are still impacting how we approach our health and wellness, self-care and food preparation. We are seeing consumers prioritizing taking care of themselves, their families and the planet, while tightening budgets,” said Shelby Miller, director of scientific affairs and nutrition education.
“There is a big push among both consumers and brands to minimize waste and make every dollar count. We’ve expanded our trends for the coming year to reflect how intricately this is all tied together and how our daily purchases and practices can shape our collective wellbeing and our ability to thrive and flourish long-term.”
Natural Grocers’ top trends for 2023
Health and wellness trends
- EPA and DHA will be top of mind for mental wellbeing;
- Gut health and digestive comfort will be a priority; and
- Apple cider vinegar becomes palatable.
Body care and beauty trends
- Bar-based products for a more environmentally-friendly routine;
- Ingestible skin care will have a glow-up; and
- Eco-friendly period products go mainstream.
Ecologically thoughtful trends
- We’ll reduce environmental footprints with zero-waste cooking;
- All-in-one products reign supreme; and
- Purposeful packaging becomes a priority.
Food and beverage trends
- The sober curious movement continues to grow;
- We’ll simplify snacking; and
- We’ll indulge more sensibly with healthy-ish comfort foods.
Natural Grocers will be sharing these trends online, on their social media channels throughout December and in the upcoming volume of its Health Hotline magazine – available online and in print in January.
