What will the year 2017 hold for the food industry and what trends will appear? There have been many suggestions from a focus on sustainability to eating cake in the morning. Below are four trends that are being mentioned more so than others and that have already started moving towards the European market.
Plant-based burgers?
Responsible living along with having good health and nutrition has led to consumers taking preference for natural, simple and flexible diets. This is driving further expansion of vegetarian, vegan and other plant-focused formulations. This isn’t just being driven by vegetarians and vegans but the general consumer which are being branded as “flexitarian”. According to Mintel, 30% of US adults who purchase vegetables are trying to eat a more plant-based diet. Plant Butcheries have been created as a substitute for meat and restaurants have started putting more vegetables on their menus to cater to the consumer needs.
No More Waste
In the US 133 billion pounds of food is wasted annually. This was a concern for Obama’s government as they claimed they wanted to half this amount by 2030. US grocers such as Whole Foods Market and Wal-Mart are testing sales of imperfect produce. According to Mintel, just over half of US adults who purchase vegetables are open to buying less-than-perfect ones, such as those that are bruised or oddly shaped. Celebrity chefs like Anthony Bourdain and Tom Colicchio are now getting behind this trend by creating dishes with food items they would normally throw out.
Where will I find the time?
The time investments required for products and meals will become as influential as nutrition or ingredient claims in 2017. People are living much busier lives nowadays in the US which has led to an increase of 54% of new food and drink product launches claiming to be “on-the-go”. Time spent or saved will be seen as a clear selling point for many of these new snacking and on-the-go products. New companies have been created to save people time on shopping, cooking and preparing food. Blue Apron, Fresh Direct, and Uber Eats are clear examples of this.
Global Cuisines
The US has many different ethnicities and each with their own tastes, flavors, and cuisine. Restaurants are creating new dishes combining these global cuisines. Global dishes will continue to gain ground on menus and according to Andrew Freeman & Co.’s annual forecast, chefs and restaurateurs are modernizing such cuisines as Indian, Turkish, Korean, African and Middle Eastern. This growth is being driven by millennials wishing to experience global flavors.
For more information please contact zach.corish@bordbia.ie
