Food Trends For 2019

Charlie Ahern, General Manager at Advanta, USA explores the food trends that will dominate 2019.

Quinoa was declared as an amino acid and mineral rich food that was suitable for astronauts on long term missions by NASA 20 years ago. But till today, the popularity of this grain has only grown, with its production increasing by 50 percent since 1999. This is largely due to its popularity in the United States, Australia and Europe.

However, quinoa isn’t the only food trend that will continue to grow in popularity in 2019, brunch, food subscription boxes and the avocado are all projected to be trending in the coming year.

The Role Of Food As Nutrition

Food plays a vital role in nourishing the body and it is inextricably linked to health. This has given rise to the notion of “superfoods” within the food industry. In 2018, plant based eating was the biggest trend and Just Eat, which has delivery hubs in 15 countries, had reported that 33 percent of its partner restaurants had incorporated vegan menu items in order to meet growing demands. Reasons for this growth in plant based eating can be attributed to an increased awareness of the health benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables and the negative effects of animal products. This means that the consumption of plant based foods will become increasing prevalent in 2019 for health conscious consumers regardless of whether they are vegans, flexitarians or omnivores.

Ethical Consumption And The Reduction Of Food Waste

Ethics can also be a reason why plant-based eating grew in 2018 as consumers have increasing incorporated an ethical approach towards their dietary habits, and this includes the desire to reduce food waste.

Root-to-shoot cooking refers to the usage of food products that are commonly wasted such as cauliflower leaves and potato peels in the case of fruits and vegetables. And in 2019, this methodology is projected to impact the diets of meat eaters as well as consumers seek to minimise food waste and utilise unconventional meat products such as the cheek, tongue and tail.

Therefore, nose-to-tail dining is projected to become mainstream in 2019 as consumers shift their views on food and prioritise the reduction of food waste.

Sustainability And The Zero Waste Trend

Building on the growing efforts to reduce food waste, 2019 will see sustainability play an increasingly important role in food packaging. On average, a supermarket produces 800,000 tonnes of waste from food products. This equates to enough waste to fill 10-yard skips extending from London to Sydney. However, the zero-waste trend doesn’t necessarily equate to packaging-free products.

In order to reduce the waste generated from food packaging, not only should packaging free products be developed but food packaging should also be redesigned so that the materials used can be reduced. This calls for the adoption of smart packaging by manufacturers so as to create sustainable packaging options for consumers, as not all consumers would be able to benefit from specialist, zero waste supermarkets.

Projected Trends For 2019

Therefore, it can be seen from the growth in veganism and sustainability, to the popularity of quinoa, that food trends can be hard to predict, but for 2019, it is clear that demands for nutritious, ethical and sustainable food will be here to stay.