In today's rapidly evolving food landscape, understanding consumer taste preferences and staying ahead of flavour trends is essential to developing innovative products. The Almond Board of California has used Tastewise, a data platform that uses artificial intelligence to analyse current trends and consumer preferences in taste and food, to investigate current taste trends.

Consumers show clear preferences (year-on-year) for complex, natural flavours such as sweet and spicy (+278%) and sweet and savory (+183%). With ingredients such as saffron (+141%), sumac (+70%) and honey (+41%), almonds open new possibilities for creative flavour combinations that enrich both sweet and savory applications, while almonds also provide nutritional benefits with plant-based protein, fiber and other essential nutrients. This versatility makes almonds the ideal basis for innovative products that tap into European flavour preferences and open new markets.

In addition to their culinary potential, almonds also offer pioneering solutions for sustainable food production. Innovative approaches such as the use of almond shells as a source of fiber in bars and in coffee and tea substitutes and almond shells in recycled plastics and textiles were presented at Food Ingredients Europe 2024. These upcycling initiatives support the circular economy, reduce waste and create economic added value.

“Almonds come in 14 forms and offer endless potential for texture, flavour and application,” says Harbinder Maan, Associate Director, Trade Marketing and Stewardship at the Almond Board of California. At the same time, they are driving the shift toward a regenerative food economy by using everything that grows in the almond fields.