MINOT, ND - FullTilt Marketing, a national leader in produce and food marketing, unveiled its Vegetable of the Year forecast, naming Broccolini as the official Vegetable of the Year for 2026. The recognition follows a comprehensive analysis of social conversations, consumer behavior, and emerging culinary sentiment utilizing Tastewise® food intelligence.

Vegetables as a whole continue to grow in cultural significance, representing 18% of all food and beverage social share with a +5.3% YoY increase in popularity, driven by consumer desires for health, comfort, flavor, and emotional connection. Within this surge, the data reveals a single vegetable gaining disproportionate cultural traction.

Why Broccolini Leads 2026

Broccolini has rapidly moved from a specialty item to a mainstream favorite, landing in the “trending” stage of the vegetable lifecycle with a +25% YoY increase in social discussions — one of the strongest growth rates among established vegetables.

Consumers gravitate toward broccolini for its mild flavor, approachable versatility, and its alignment with top-tier culinary and wellness trends. It blends seamlessly into comfort-forward recipes while also supporting global cuisine exploration.

Tastewise data shows that consumers increasingly associate vegetables with claims like hearty, comfort, cozy, and guilt-free, making broccolini a perfect match for the emotional and nourishing eating experiences shaping 2026 food culture.

Its rapid climb also corresponds with the rising demand for vegetables that are functional, plant-forward, and easy for home cooks to incorporate into everyday meals without complexity in prep or cooking.

“Broccolini is having a moment, and that moment is turning into a movement,” said Melinda Goodman, Founder & Principal of FullTilt Marketing, in the recent release. “Its growth is being driven by consumers who want foods that feel comforting and wholesome but also fresh, modern, and globally inspired. Broccolini checks every box.”

Honorable Mention: Sweetpotatoes

While broccolini leaves its veggie counterparts green with envy, sweetpotatoes undeniably earned a place on the podium, ranking as one of the most consistently rising vegetables with a +16% YoY increase in social conversation.

Sweetpotato performance ties into dominant wellness themes, including hormone balance, anti-bloat, polyphenols, and electrolytes underscoring the importance of the functional food movement making sweetpotatoes both emotionally comforting and nutritionally compelling.

Expect sweetpotatoes’ broad usage across meals, snacks, bakery items, and beverages to make them a continual growth engine for retailers and foodservice alike.

Vegetables to Watch for 2026–2027

While the trending vegetables get all the attention, FullTilt’s research identified two strong emerging contenders that deserve attention and should be watched throughout the coming year in the emerging conversation category – kabocha and endive.

Both are rising stars in the “emerging” stage of trend adoption and will see more experimentation from restaurants and culinary creators that could have us see them break into trending use by late 2026 and gain cultural traction in 2027.

Goodman commented, “Social media has changed the conversation about how we see and use food, particularly fruits and vegetables. It will be exciting to watch these trending and emerging vegetables reflect the accelerating consumer desire for produce that is functional, aesthetically unique, and globally inspired.”

What Consumers Want from Vegetables in 2026

In addition to our vegetable of the year, Tastewise intelligence reveals several powerful trend drivers shaping produce consumption including emotional eating, functional foods and culinary exploration.

Broccolini, sweetpotatoes, kabocha, and endive each intersect multiple high-growth consumer needs giving produce marketers and growers a roadmap for relevance in 2026.

“The insights are clear and brands that lean into these trends now will shape category leadership for years to come,” remarked Goodman. “Trend intelligence is a powerful tool for growers and brands who want to elevate demand and strengthen their category story. Understanding the nuances of how consumers talk about vegetables unlocks smarter promotional campaigns, more compelling storytelling, and better alignment with what shoppers value most.”

FullTilt Marketing invites produce organizations to email [email protected] and connect for custom trend analysis, social listening reports, and strategic planning based on Tastewise consumer content intelligence.

SANTA MARIA, CA - The Bonipak Family of Companies (including Bonita Packing Co., Betteravia Farms, and Alco Harvesting), is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Cruciger as the new Chief Executive Officer.

Scott brings over 20 years of experience in the ingredients industry across food & beverage, industrial, pharmaceutical, and agricultural markets. He has held leadership roles in multiple business sectors including operations, supply chain, commercial, and strategic management.

Reflecting on his appointment in the recent release, "I am honored to join Bonipak and lead this incredible organization. I look forward to building on the strong foundation established and working with the talented team to drive continued innovation and growth," says Scott.

“As a family-owned company with nearly a century of history, we’re proud to welcome Scott into the Bonipak family,” said Mitch Ardantz, Managing Partner of Bonipak Produce. “His forward-thinking mindset and proven leadership will strengthen our ability to adapt, grow, and serve our customers with the same excellence that has defined Bonipak for over 90 years.”

With Scott’s leadership, Bonipak looks forward to building upon the foundation established by generations of hard work and dedication. Guided by our commitment to integrity, innovation, and quality, we remain focused on growing responsibly, supporting our people, and delivering the freshness our customers deserve; today and for generations to come.

ST. LOUIS, MO - Schnuck Markets, Inc. in partnership with Foodshed.io, is expanding a farm direct to store concept - increasing the number and types of farms their customers experience, all with the goal of increasing flavor and freshness.

This pilot program began in fall 2024 with one farm supplying multiple Schnucks locations across the St. Louis metropolitan region. Following its success, Schnucks has expanded the program in 2025 to include additional farmers and more store locations.

“This program is a natural next step in our mission to strengthen our local food economy and provide our customers with the freshest possible products,” said Michael Tipton, VP of Produce & Floral, Schnucks, in the recent release. “By working with “hyper-local” farms located just miles from our stores, we’re able to reduce transportation time and deliver produce to our shelves just hours after it’s been harvested from the fields.”

Ozark Forest Mushroom - the original farm partner in this program - has played a key role in its success. Operating in the heart of St. Louis in the city’s Fox Park neighborhood, the farm specializes in a line of gourmet mushrooms and now supplies more than thirteen Schnucks locations each week, year-round. Their proximity to Schnucks stores enables the farm to handle last-minute orders and efficient delivery.

“Throughout our tenure, we’ve been connected with smaller family-owned farms that were meeting food safety compliance, producing high-quality fruits and vegetables, but just couldn’t meet the volume commitments necessary to make a delivery to a distribution center worthwhile,” said Dan Beckmann, CEO at Foodshed.io. “This program solves a gap in the local food supply chain, matching growers with Schnucks store locations that match their volume capabilities.”

This year, Schnucks expanded their “Hyper Local” program to their Evansville, Indiana market, offering a variety of local produce items, including sweet corn from Family Tradition Farm, blackberries from Stoll’s Greenhouse and green bell peppers from Mayse Farm Market.

“We’ve been serving the Evansville market for nearly 50 years,” said Stephen Rennels, division manager, Schnucks. “It was our pleasure to connect our customers to farms they know and love - and expect to expand further as the next summer approaches.”

Schnucks and Foodshed.io have been partnering to improve access to local produce for over six seasons - working on innovations ranging from “Fresh Produce Now” alerts to building systems that make farm direct to store possible and affordable to their loyal customers.

SAN DIEGO, CA - Brighter Bites, a national nonprofit committed to improving the long-term health of children and families, announces its 2025 Silent Auction is now LIVE for industry members to bid on items including:

• Vintage 1996 Ford Bronco XLT
• Golf with key players at luxurious country clubs
• Suite and ticket packages for national sporting games
• Rare and collectible wines
• Exclusive restaurant and chef-led dining experiences
• High-end jewelry and bags
• Various sponsorship packages for Brighter Bites families
• AND MORE! Click HERE to view all items up for bidding…

The auction directly supports Brighter Bites’ mission to deliver fresh fruits and vegetables and nutrition education to children and families in underserved communities nationwide. According to the recent release, the event offers an engaging way for produce companies, retailers, and industry partners to demonstrate their continued commitment to improving access to fresh food.

WHEN:

Now through December 5.

WHERE:

Online bids can be placed HERE.

For more information, visit the silent auction’s webpage HERE.

WHO:

Anyone can bid by using the link provided above.

SALINAS, CA - Having completed the majority of its transition to Yuma, Arizona, Ippolito International offered AndNowUKnow insights into current crop quality, weather challenges, and more.

“Through the month of December, we’ll be challenged with poor quality and limited supplies for some items. This is likely to be seen industry-wide across many grower-shippers of wet vegetables. Crops such as broccoli and cauliflower may be less affected, as they are more resilient in colder, wetter conditions,” Bob Polovneff, Director of Sales and Commodity Management, explained to me.

Brussels sprouts are currently still being grown and harvested in Salinas, California, and are expected to transition to Yuma in the latter half of January.

“It was very warm in the early part of November,” Bob noted, recalling the bout of 70+ degree days in California. “Currently, we are challenged with heavy rains, which can make access to fields difficult, resulting in field harvest delays and setbacks for the crews.”

Yuma, too, is experiencing ample rain, an unusual occurrence for the Southwest desert at this time of year.

“We’re seeing high-priced markets due to the quality and supply issues related to weather,” Bob added. “The weather has unfortunately been tough on quality, which means that our crews are unable to harvest everything in the field. When that happens, we can’t easily predict how many cases of product we will be able to salvage from the field. This has been happening across the board in the Salinas and Yuma growing regions, with Salinas being affected more than Yuma.”

We’ll reconvene with growers in the latter half of December to see how crops are faring. In the meantime, keep reading ANUK for more updates across the industry!