2023 Food Trends, According to Sporked Writers

The year 2022 was all about pink sauce scandals (and pink sauce retribution). It was about Sweetos making a comeback. It was about Flamin’ Hot everything—including MTN Dew. So what does 2023 hold in store for us? The Sporked crew has some predictions:

Sparkles!

“I think there will be more sparkles in food,” said Naajia Shukri who knows a thing or two about ingesting glitter after trying sparkly syrups. “People seem to be afraid to admit they want to eat glitter, but I think some companies will end up leaning into it—hard.”

More Fancy Fish

“Trader Joe’s will start selling knockoff Fishwife-esque fancy tinned fish,” Jordan Myrick said with conviction. Get ready for pleasing graphics and TJ’s own spin on smoked mackerel—I’m betting on cacio e pepe-flavored fish.

Pouches

Danny Palumbo expects to see more pouches and bags take the places of cans and boxes. “Some brands started to do that with black beans, olives, etc.,” he said. “But I could see more things that were otherwise canned being put into pouch form.”

Packaged TikTok Foods

TikTok foods have gone beyond feta pasta and specific Dunkin’ orders. It’s the wild wild west out there, and I think we’re going to see some viral creations IRL in 2023—a la Pink Sauce. Maybe even the Mythical Kitchen crew will get in on the fun. Keep an eye out for Oreo Top Ramen.

Finishing Seasonings

Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning was anything but the end of innovative seasonings. I think we’re going to see Cheetos Dust, Flamin’ Hot Powder, and more products that make it easy to flavor blast at home.

More Protein

Okay, so maybe products won’t actually pack more protein, but Danny thinks you’re going to be hearing about it a lot more. “I’ve noticed it getting advertised way more on products,” he said, noting that even an instant ramen brand we have in the office boasts “20 grams of plant-based protein.” Is this the new “gluten-free?”

DIY Kits

Designer Liv Averett thinks food hacks and DIY are going to make the jump from video content to purchasable product. Fingers crossed we’ll all be making beef Wellingtons from kits with Ikea-like instruction booklets.

About the Author

Hi! I’m the editor-in-chief of Sporked. I will never turn down a fresh-shucked oyster but I’ll also leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and I love a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients. Why you should trust me: I have been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and am an avid at-home cook and snacker. I began my career writing about fine dining and recipes, moved into cocktails and spirits, and now I talk about groceries. If you can eat it or drink it, I’ve probably written about it. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s dried okra. Appleton Farms prosciutto from Aldi. Some sort of Trader Joe’s cheese (I’m into the aged gouda at the moment). Frozen waffles (usually the Eggo Cinnamon Toast Minis). Spindrift water (loving the Cosmopolitan right now). Favorite ranking: Smoked salmon. Imagine me as Scrooge McDuck but instead of coins I’m diving into a vault of slippery smoked salmon slices. Pure joy. I also found some real steals in that taste test! Least favorite ranking: Canned oysters. I had such high hopes for this but it quickly became a chore. The kitchen smelled like an uncleaned aquarium.