Euromonitor International has come out with its list of the Top Ten Global Food Trends for 2007. The report cites, “unprecedented levels of consumer interest in the market for celebrity chefs and dieting demonstrates a consumer desire for healthier, better food, which is all part of the global consumer trend towards wellness. But when will this desire become reality?” Perhaps that reality is already happening, based on this global research firm’s best bets for top consumer trends this year.

Wellness foods. Organic foods, foods with lower salt, less fat, more grains and fibers, functional or nutritionally enhanced foods like green tea drinks with ginger and caffeine or even vitamin-enhanced beer.

New world foods. New cuisines like Peruvian, exotic fruits like açai berry, and new uses for coconut and fruits.

Ethical/environmental eating. “Fair Trade” and “sustainable” foods that espouse environmentally sound farming practices.

Ethnicity. Ethnic flavors, most notably Vietnamese, Hispanic, and South American cuisines.

Water. Flavored, enhanced, oxygenated water products; water bars, water menus, water sommeliers, and even water-and-food pairings.

Specialties. Ordinary ingredients that become special due to their health benefits, like the recent craze for specialty salts.

Portion control. Small plates like Spanish tapas and Greek mezze, calorie-controlled packaged foods.

The constant diet. Personalized diets based on body types, metabolisms, lifestyles and tastes.

Provenance. Foods that come from known sources, a consumer reaction to the recent spate of food safety scandals.

Traditional values. Retro eating that evokes a sense of tradition and the past.

For more enticing samplers of tastes, trends and industry tidbits from here and abroad, check out F&B World and Baking Press.