With 2023 on the horizon, Ed Keenan, Head of Process at Integrated Food Projects, gives his predictions for the top 10 food and drink trends for the year ahead.
Over the past year, the war in Ukraine has impacted on supply chains around the world, increasing energy costs are also starting to influence our shopping and eating habits.
This combination will see lasting changes to supply chains and this is on top of the changes we’re already experiencing as a result by Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. However, innovation in the food and drink sector continues at a great pace and finding solutions to these challenges will play a big part in the trends for the next 12 months.
- Microwavable foods: the focus on increasing energy costs includes energy involved in cooking processes, microwaves offer quicker cooking times as well as lower cooking costs and we can expect to see an increase in sales of microwaveable foods.
- UK wines: UK wines are starting to see the spotlight at many of the international wine awards and this will only continue as the market matures and we see warmer weather.
- Edible beauty: with more research into the links between certain foods and personal beauty we can expect to see food products focused on appealing as functional beauty foods and nutricosmetics.
- Plant based fine dining: with Daniel Humm’s New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park being the first vegan restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars, vegan restaurants can no longer be considered niche and we can expect more restaurateurs to transition to plant-based menus.
- Sustainability labelling: brands will shout about their sustainability credentials on their packaging and in their marketing, and for some these credentials will become a licence to operate within the space.
- Frozen food: as people focus on food costs we will see a move from chilled to frozen, this move also has other associated benefits around food waste and supply chain efficiency.
- Value options: another trend driven by costs, consumers will be downgrading to cheaper options, with many consumers exploring the value ranges for the first time in attempt to reduce the cost of their weekly shop.
- New plant-based fats: new plant-based fats will help hyper-realistic plant-based meats to better mimic the taste and mouthfeel of animal meats, further minimising the organoleptic gap.
- Kelp/seaweed: with fantastic carbon absorbing credentials, expect to see this fast growing seaweed in a wide range of foods including crisps, burgers, breads, noodles and jerky.
- Micro-dose: nootropics, substances that can boost brain function, to replicate some of the effects of micro-dosing LSD or psilocybin (magic mushrooms), these will become more widely accepted in a similar way to CBD.
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