Plant-Based Alternatives, National Coffee Day, Seasonal Fun: Food News Trends

A look at the food and beverage industry news from PR Newswire in September and October that you might have missed.

By Jacqueline Gomez | Published Nov. 8, 2023

Fall is officially here. From Halloween to Christmas, there is a fun, seasonal-themed food or beverage for everyone to get into the holiday spirit.

What better way to get in the festive mood than with themed coffee on National Coffee Day? Dutch Brothers celebrated early with drinks like the Sweater Weather Chai. 

With September being Hunger Action Month, we will revisit our last food and beverage blog and the topic of food insecurity in America. Before diving into all that and a few additional trends, let’s look at the top-viewed releases for the past two months.

Some of the Most Popular Food and Beverage Releases

Over the two months, PR Newswire released 2,000+ stories related to the food and beverage industry. From Halloween-themed ice cream to Domino’s free pizzas to those impacted by student loan payments, these were some of the most-read stories in September and October 2023:

1. New Gut Microbiome Research Points to Positive Impact on Memory and Mood from Peanut Consumption
2. Kroger and Albertsons Companies Announce Comprehensive Divestiture Plan with C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC in Connection with Proposed Merger
3. World Champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. Signs National Distribution Agreement with Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits
4. Nespresso and Blue Bottle Coffee are doing things differently with their first co-developed coffee blend
5. recteq Launches the SmokeStone 600 - the World's First Wood Fired Griddle - as Part of the Company's Biggest Grill Release to Date
6. AeroPress, Inc. Launches Full Range of Coffee Maker Accessories
7. Eat Like a Champion with Little Caesars® New 4-Quarter Calzony™
8. Johnnie Walker Launches Blue Label Elusive Umami
9. Cold Stone Creamery Feels the Chill of Halloween with the Revival of Boo Batter Ice Cream
10. Domino's® is Giving Away $1 Million Worth of Free Pizzas to Customers with Resuming Student Loan Payments

Food and Beverage News Trends

Here’s a look at a few of the trends we noticed among food and beverage-related press releases in September and October 2023.

Follow up on Food Insecurity

In our last food and beverage blog, we touched on food insecurity in America. Companies were taking early action on the crisis in July and August. September was officially Hunger Action Month and the wire saw an increase in releases from the prior two months mentioning food insecurity and child hunger. Organizations like Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture (WANDA) took action by gathering in D.C. to discuss the root issues that contribute to food insecurity in the country, looking to long-term solutions through policies and innovative thinking.

Many companies teamed up with Feeding America to help the 44 million Americans facing food insecurity; 13 million of which are children. Due to the pandemic, 49 million people in the U.S. last year looked to food banks for assistance. With more than 130 releases published in September and October mentioning "food insecurity," here are some stories addressing the continuing battle:

• Smithfield Employees Donate More Than 25,000 Pounds of Food to Support Feeding America During Hunger Action Month
• Fresh Thyme Market Celebrates $400,000 In Donations to Local Food Banks
• Join USANA for September #HungerActionMonth to Fight to End Hunger

Plant-Based Alternatives

The plant-based meat patty market, according to Technavio, is predicted to grow (USD) 2 billion-plus from 2021 to 2026. The North American region (predominately the U.S. and Canada) is expected to contribute to a little over half of that total number. With the growth potential of plant-based alternatives, companies like Violife put entrants' culinary skills to the test at the New York City Wine & Food Festival's Blue Moon Burger Bash® with the Powered by Plants Award. The requirement was a plant-based or alternative protein for the meat patties and plant-based condiments.

From plant-based fast-food burgers to snack companies, jerky, deli meat, and boneless wings, the possibilities are starting to become endless for alternative diet solutions. More than 280 releases crossed the wire that mentioned "plant-based" goods during the two-month period:

• White Castle Celebrates Veterans Day by Giving Complimentary Combo Meal to Veterans and Active-Duty Service Members
• Prime Roots® Plant-Based Deli Meat Slices into National Sandwich Day
• UNLIMEAT's Plant-Based Jerky Returns to Amazon

National Coffee Day

September 29 marked National Coffee Day, with a second opportunity to celebrate with the rest of the world for International Coffee Day on October 1. Monster Energy helped energy drink and coffee enthusiasts stock up to prepare for the national holiday. Keurig not only offered a year's supply of coffee to one lucky winner but also a getaway to expand their coffee mixing skills to up their at-home coffeehouse game. This is a smart move, considering the consumption of at-home coffee is still high compared to pre and post-pandemic, currently at 82%, according to National Coffee Data Trends.

With coffee being an everyday caffeine beverage for many, it is no surprise that as many as 400 releases crossed the wire mentioning the beloved beverage. Here are just a few releases from other businesses celebrating the national holiday:

• Paris Baguette Celebrates National Coffee Day with Free Coffee Available All Weekend Long
• Peet's Introduces 'Disloyalty Program' Allowing Customers to Redeem Rewards Points from Rival Brands on National Coffee Day
• 60 Years & 60 Winners; The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Celebrates its 60th Anniversary

Seasonal Holiday Fun

Fall pumpkin-flavored drinks and food are on the menu. Still, many companies are offering fun seasonal options for those who are not into the pumpkin spice flavor craze. With apples being on the top 10 seasonal flavor list, Hormel put a fun twist on bacon with its apple cider-flavored bacon. For eggnog fans, Pepperidge Farm® incorporated the holiday drink flavor into new cookies, just in time for the upcoming Christmas season. If you are more of a peppermint person, My/Mochi™ just brought back its Cool Peppermint flavored mochis, and even the new cookie dough is suitable for an easy sweet treat for holiday gatherings.

For those into every fall flavor, the Underground Donut Tour is the place to be. They offered a variety of pumpkin, cinnamon, maple, apple, and chai donuts, to name a few. With too many seasonal-themed releases to count, here are a few more fun ones that caught our eye:

• Kroger Debuts Limited Edition Private Selection® Harvest Apple Products
• SOUR PATCH KIDS® Brand Falls into Fall with Limited Edition Apple-Inspired Flavors
• Nothing Bundt Cakes Unveils New Churro Dulce De Leche Pop-Up Flavor

Looking Ahead

As we get closer to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, we anticipate a continuing flow of seasonal-themed food and beverage releases. And as many Americans continue to face food insecurity, we hope to see an uptick in organizations continuing to fight the battle. We will continue to track these trends throughout the year and report back for the new year.

About the Author

Jacqueline Gomez is a Customer Content Specialist for PR Newswire and Industry Ambassador and has been with the company since 2021. She has a BA in Business Management and is working on her MBA. Outside of work, you can find her sipping coffee or doing yoga. She is also a dog mom of two and a wife. She and her husband will be celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in August.