B for Plan B

THERE IS NO PLAN(ET) B !

We only have one Planet, and in case we want our descendants to have as much fun with food and food trends as we have, we have to change something and act fast.

Food trends are an ever evolving topic in our modern instagramable society, and with the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) from the united nations, “FridaysForFuture” and many similar movements, sustainability is becoming more and more important whilst developing food trends.

The press, online blogs, social media. They are all full of predictions what consumers are looking for in their food and drink trends for the future, many of them are guessing on special flavours, new vegetables or cultural highlights from around the world. I would like to highlight some factors that, whatever the food trend will be, will benefit the environment and are essential for successful food trends, due to their sustainability factor. I won't list foods or lifestyle choices or upcoming bestsellers, that are suddenly popular for a short amount of time before fading away again.

I will not focus on "what" the consumers want, but on the "why" they should want certain things and "how" they can implement those things in their daily life.

I would like to evaluate some factors that should be more in the focus whilst identifying trends without being prejudiced by social media, or the food industry and therefore making our food trends more sustainable.

TASTE

The taste will always be the most important criteria for when it comes to food. Flavour is the first impression and flavours are unlimited and may differ from person to person. Food trends are a search for culinary experiences that give us a feeling of pleasure, fulfillment, satisfaction, and cultural value. Without taste there can be no food trend.

HEALTH

The popularity of natural and organic food is growing immensely, and nutritional benefits of all kinds of foods, that support and lower the risk of diseases, can be increased by adopting correct diets and lifestyles to improve a humans well-being. Therefore we need products that do not contain any additives, allergens, and that embrace local, natural, traditionally processed, and seasonal fresh foods.

TRADITION

Traditional foods bring back memories, preserve habits and lifestyles from a specific past where food may have experienced in a completely different way. Walking down memory lane of food, to healthier, simpler, easier to cook, local, regional and seasonal food is one of the ways forward to create new food trends.

SUSTAINABILITY

Any responsible consumer nowadays is looking for sustainability in the food industry, taking the environmental impact of food trends into account. Especially focussing on pollution, used energy and water, overall sourcing, preferences for recycled materials and renewable sources. Additionally food waste plays a major part, knowing that currently 35% of all produced foods end up as food waste.

TRANSPARENCY

Sustainability cannot be implemented in the F&B environment without transparency, which has become the biggest trend driving change in the industry. Consumers want to know and understand what ingredients are being used in their food, which is why we are seeing so many innovative products with shorter ingredient lists. Consumers expect food trends and brands to be 100% transparent with their ingredients and their complete background, the company’s origin story, sustainability efforts, social contribution and overall corporate transparency.

CONVENIENCE

Grab & Go is no new trend, but becoming an increasingly bigger part of the overall food industry and a very fast evolving lifestyle amongst many consumers all around the world. The reason behind this is speed, consumers have less and less time for cooking and eating, therefore the change to fast food, convenience foods and ready to eat foods have increased dramatically over the last decades. So, new food trends need to be deliverable at a high pace, but still be healthy and sustainable.

PLANT FOCUSED

20 % of all consumers in our western world consider themselves “plant-forward” meaning they follow a diet, that is not necessarily vegan or vegetarian, but focussed on consuming less animal and/or fish proteins, and therefore more plant proteins. Plant-based, non dairy alternatives are driving a big change in the food industry and will cause  the most successful shift in our food system over the long term.

LOCAL OR GLOBAL

Both can be successful drivers for upcoming food trends. Local and seasonal is of course a very sustainable way of cooking, but can decrease variety and although authenticity and freshness have a high impact on these foods, exclusivity also plays a big part, which can make these foods more expensive and turn them into a niche market. Global foods therefore focus more on the cultural diversity of food, knowing that consumers also have much more global food knowledge because of their increased traveling around the world. So a mixture of local and global foods is a guaranteed success for food trends.

By combining all these areas in a balanced way in relation to food is how a trend can be set.

Look closely whilst following food trends yourself and chose your trends wisely.

Who knows if we still have the possibility to enjoy food trends in 50 years time.