Check any list of the most sustainable foods from any source. They vary widely, but generally, all have a low carbon footprint, require minimal additional nutrition (fertilizer), minimal irrigation (water), and low levels of processing. Usually, these standards are applied to cultivated foods grown in fields, orchards, or aquaponic facilities. This includes new technology such as vertical farming, precision farming, and closed-loop farming. Each is aimed at reducing or eliminating the use of herbicides and pesticides, recycling water, and cutting down on pollution, waste, and energy. While all are managed systems from planting to harvesting, they work.

Protein powder has left the gym and gone mainstream. What started as a supplement for body builders and professional athletes seeking to bulk up muscles, is now being used by active, health conscious people of all descriptions. And among the hottest categories of protein powder are nut powders, including wild, sustainable Black Walnut powder, because of their extraordinary nutritional profile and plant-based origins. Nut powders also provide superior flavor enhancements to smoothies and baked foods.

True wild foods live at the intersection of sustainability, good health, and great taste. So, it’s no surprise they’re gaining popularity. In fact, more than one in four US adults follows some type of lifestyle associated with health and sustainability, representing nearly 50 million people. These Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) consumers are a key driver for the growing interest in wild foods.

Special Report:
The Heart-Healthy Superfood

The Food-as-Medicine trend has put the spotlight on this nutritious, sustainable, wild-harvested tree nut. If you have a medical condition, avoid certain ingredients, or suffer from an allergy, you probably spend a lot more time reading food labels to find products that fit your diet and support your health. That makes you part of a large and growing community.  In fact, more than 48 million households in the United States include someone living with a disease managed through diet.

Special Report:
Black Walnuts Powering the Wellness Evolution

This robust, sustainable superfood is the wild nutritional powerhouse among tree nuts. The lingering global pandemic has altered lives, habits, and personal perspectives about health and wellness. Food as medicine is gaining mainstream traction as a key part of disease prevention and wellness.

The economic and commercial impact of wild foods is growing. Humans have been foraging for food since the dawn of time, but only recently have the benefits of wild foods been rediscovered and nutritionally analyzed—opening up a growing consumer interest and commercial demand. 

No question that 2021 is a year of tension—and anxiety, uncertainty, and stress. So it’s no wonder people are turning to nostalgia laced comfort foods to find peace and pleasure. In the right measure, nostalgia has easily accessible mental health benefits. Research shows that it reduces cortisol levels associated with the body's acute stress response. It also can be an antidote for depression and anxiety. Positive memories have positive results—and nowhere is that more apparent than comfort food.

merican Black Walnuts, a superfood indigenous to the U.S., are one of the very few wild harvested foods that are commercially available today. In fact, harvesting really isn’t the right word. “Collecting” is a better term for the efforts of tens of thousands of average Americans who take time out every fall to pick up nuts from parks, golf courses, woods, and backyards.

More than any other comfort food, ice cream creates emotion, memories, and good feelings. And as the U.S. continues to open up after a long Covid hibernation, sales show no signs of slowing. Especially premium ice creams and nostalgic flavors like Black Walnut, one of Baskin-Robbins’ original 31, and a perennial top 10 flavor in many parts of the U.S.

The cloistered lifestyle that most Americans were forced to adopt during the Covid-19 shutdown has ended. But many of the Covid lifestyle adjustments made over the last year will stick—and leading the list is home baking. Both product purchase and online search data, reflect a huge increase in home baking and its staying power. These trends will have a big impact on retail sales and assortments in both real and virtual baking aisles, particularly for popular and healthy inclusions such as American Black Walnuts. Banana bread, which calls for nuts in most recipes, is one of the most searched for recipes on the web, according to multiple sources tracking Google searches.

New research underscores the need for consumers to support immune health through diet. Brands and retailers can help champion the “new normal,” with a focus on healthy ingredients like American Black Walnuts. This is the first in a timely series from the American Black Walnut Marketing Board spotlighting how the food industry can effectively address this critical need.

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