Have you noticed how dramatically food trends have shifted in recent years?

A fascinating new report from Speciality Food Magazine reveals that modern consumers are increasingly seeking out nourishment that goes beyond basic satisfaction.

The report highlights how more and more people these days are looking for foods that deliver genuine wellness benefits, ethical credentials, and environmental responsibility all in one delicious package.

Key trends in the report range from naturally functional foods to low-glycaemic sweeteners, plant-based ingredients, and eco-conscious packaging.

What’s remarkable is how these “new trends” perfectly describe what one chocolate maker has been quietly crafting since 2007.

While major manufacturers scramble to reformulate their products, Mr Popple’s Chocolate was built on these very principles long before they became industry buzzwords.

Naturally Functional: Food as Medicine

According to the Speciality Food Magazine report, modern consumers are increasingly turning away from artificial supplements and towards whole foods with inherent functional benefits. They want ingredients that naturally support physical health, mental wellbeing, and sustained energy – not just calorie-dense treats that provide momentary pleasure followed by a crash.

Since its inception, Mr Popple’s has centred its chocolate around unroasted Peruvian Criollo cacao – a heritage variety packed with natural compounds that support wellbeing.

The raw cacao used in their Raw Pure Peruvian 100% Chocolate Bar contains impressive levels of theobromine, phenethylamine, anandamide and tryptophan – compounds that gently elevate mood and energy without the jitters of caffeine.

These compounds aren’t artificially added – they’re naturally present in raw cacao but often diminished in conventional chocolate-making processes that involve high-temperature roasting. By skipping this step, Mr Popple’s preserves cacao’s natural functional benefits, as confirmed by independent testing by Oxford Brookes University which found their chocolate contains “significantly higher” levels of antioxidants and polyphenols compared to leading dark chocolate brands.

The Shift to Low-GI, Naturally Sweetened Foods

The report identifies a significant shift away from refined sugars towards natural, low-glycaemic sweeteners. This trend is driven by growing awareness of how conventional sweeteners impact blood sugar levels, energy, mood, and long-term health.

Mr Popple’s pioneered this approach in the UK chocolate market with their use of yacon syrup, a remarkable Peruvian sweetener with a glycaemic index of just 1. Their sugar free, yacon-sweetened chocolate bars provide gentle, sustained energy without the dramatic blood sugar spikes caused by conventional chocolate bars.

“We were the first chocolate maker in the UK to use yacon syrup,” explains founder Ben Popple. “Back in 2014, most people hadn’t even heard of it, but we recognised its potential to create delicious chocolate that works with your body rather than against it.”

The yacon syrup used in their chocolate also delivers prebiotic benefits, feeding beneficial gut bacteria – another key trend identified in the Speciality Food report.

With gut health now recognised as central to overall wellbeing, this forward-thinking choice made over ten years ago now seems remarkably prescient.

Plant-Based Innovation: Beyond Basic Substitution

The report highlights how plant-based products have evolved from simple substitutions to sophisticated formulations that stand on their own merits.

Modern consumers aren’t just looking to avoid animal products – they want plant-based options that deliver excellent taste, texture, and nutritional profiles.

Mr Popple’s vegan milk chocolate range exemplifies this approach, using a thoughtful blend of rice and oat milks along with Peruvian lucuma fruit to create creamy, indulgent chocolate that satisfies even dedicated dairy lovers. Whether you choose their Creamy Mylk, Minty Mylk, or Creamy Orange bars, you’re experiencing plant-based innovation that was years ahead of its time.

The creamy texture in these bars comes partly from lucuma fruit powder, another Peruvian ingredient that adds nutritional benefits while enhancing the chocolate’s sensory experience – precisely the kind of multifunctional plant-based ingredient that today’s report identifies as driving future food innovation.

Allergen-Free Without Compromise

According to Speciality Food Magazine, allergen-free foods are evolving from niche products to mainstream options as more consumers seek out foods free from common allergens, whether for diagnosed conditions or general wellbeing.

Rather than creating separate “free-from” products, Mr Popple’s entire range has always been free from the top 14 allergens, including dairy, gluten, and soy. This inclusive approach ensures that nearly everyone can enjoy their chocolate without feeling like they’re settling for a compromise.

“We never wanted to make ‘alternative’ chocolate,” says Ben Popple. “We just wanted to make exceptionally good chocolate that happens to be suitable for almost everyone, regardless of dietary restrictions.”

Their organic chocolate range proves that allergen-free can be the standard rather than the exception – exactly the direction the industry is now heading, according to the report.

Sustainable Packaging: Beyond Plastic-Free

The report notes that packaging considerations have evolved from simply avoiding single-use plastics to embracing fully circular solutions that leave no trace. This shift from “less bad” to “actively good” mirrors Mr Popple’s approach to plastic-free packaging, which has been compostable from day one.

“Our wrappers are made from wood pulp and printed with vegetable inks,” explains Ben. “They break down completely in home compost, returning to the earth rather than persisting in landfill or oceans.”

This approach extends to their shipping materials – no bubble wrap, plastic tape, or synthetic void fill – showing a holistic commitment to environmental responsibility that the report identifies as increasingly important to today’s conscious consumers.

Ethical Sourcing: Connection to Origin

Another key trend highlighted in the report is growing consumer interest in the provenance and ethics behind their food. Today’s shoppers want transparency about where ingredients come from and how they impact both people and planet.

Mr Popple’s has prioritised ethical sourcing since its inception, working with a farmers’ cooperative in Peru that uses sustainable agroforestry techniques to grow cacao under the rainforest canopy. This approach preserves biodiversity while ensuring farmers receive fair compensation for their expertise and labour.

The cacao is grown using sustainable agroforestry methods that protect the Amazon Rainforest – an approach the report identifies as increasingly important to consumers who want their purchasing decisions to support regenerative agriculture.

Leading the Way in Chocolate Wellness

While the Speciality Food Magazine report presents these trends as the future of food, they’re already the foundation of Mr Popple’s Chocolate and have been since 2007.

From their commitment to raw, functional ingredients to their pioneering use of low-GI sweeteners, plant-based innovation, allergen-free formulations, compostable packaging, and ethical sourcing, they’ve been quietly leading the way in wellness-focused chocolate for over 15 years.

As consumers increasingly seek out foods that nourish their bodies, support their wellbeing, and align with their values, Mr Popple’s stands as proof that truly forward-thinking brands don’t chase trends – they create products based on enduring principles of quality, health, and responsibility that eventually become the industry standard.

Whether you’re new to health-conscious chocolate or a longtime connoisseur, their award-winning range offers a glimpse of what the future of food looks like – delicious, nutritious, ethical, and sustainable.

The fact that they’ve been making it this way since 2007 just shows that sometimes, being ahead of your time means waiting for everyone else to catch up.