As the New Year begins, predictions for the year ahead’s food trends are quick to emerge. So what will be the big flavours and products of 2014?

One potential influence mentioned by many in the industry is that of the Football World Cup to be held in Brazil this year, with Latino flavours expected to influence new product development.

Morrisons M Kitchen predicts that Rabanada – a traditional Brazilian breakfast food – may well make it into our morning routines, for example. It is the Brazilian equivalent of French toast, and is covered in a cinnamon, cocoa and sugar mix.

The retailer also predicts that lemon will be a “star ingredient” in pastry this year, artisan bread baskets will be at the forefront of restaurant dining in 2014, and that posh marshmallows could be the big new confectionery treat, as well as marshmallow being used more and more in cake decorating.

Meanwhile, EHL Ingredients has predicted that exotic international food ingredients, foraged foods and free-from and organic are the areas set for a surge in demand this year.

Two ingredients it believes are set to be hot on the lips of consumers and food manufacturers in 2014 are asafetida and fenugreek. 

Tasneem Backhouse, sales director at EHL Ingredients, said: “We are starting to see an increase in demand for asafetida and fenugreek as we go into 2014 and it looks set to continue.

“These ingredients have been around for a long time, but British consumers are always on the look-out for the next flavour trend and these two are definitely ones to watch next year.”

The Brazilian World Cup is also set to bring some new dishes and flavour combinations to the UK marketplace, it added. Empadão (meat and vegetable pie), foods using cassava, and desserts incorporating cinnamon, coconut and berries are all expected to become popular choices this summer, Backhouse added.

Looking at the free-from trend, it expects demand for arrowroot to continue to increase, as well as a number of alternatives to emerge as well. Backhouse said: “For example, cassava flour, which is made from ground and cleaned cassava roots, as opposed to the starch powder that is extracted from the roots to create arrowroot, can be used as an effective alternative to wheat flour, so we would expect to see a boom in demand from food manufacturers for other options.”

Food & Drink Towers also predicts the gluten-free trend to continue, touting India as a potential market, due to its growing middle class.

What do you think will top the Cronut craze last year? Let us know by emailing us at bb@wrbm.com or getting in touch via social media at www.facebook.com/BritishBaker, or via Twitter @BritishBaker.