From pesto eggs to sustainable sourced veg, our food consumption habits are changing and here are the trends you should know about.
Trends in the food consumption sector feel like they’re changing monthly thanks to platforms like TikTok with their viral videos and handy hacks.
Just thinking about it now, there are a few that come to mind that we have probably all seen this year – from pesto eggs, yoghurt custard toast or spicy vodka pasta (thanks to Gigi Hadid). Social media users are foodies!
But there’s a whole other avenue to consider here, much deeper than social media trends. Here are five food consumption trends for 2022 and beyond:
Health first
Health has taken a front seat and changed consumers’ focus to nutrition, sustainability and environment with a strong consideration for changing life-long consumption habits for the better. 55% of participants in this report say that they had made, or attempted to make, a change to their diet since the beginning of the pandemic.
The pandemic gave everyone time to stop and realise things about their health and wellbeing that they had lost focus on and wanted to change. There are only 1 in 2 consumers that say they’re satisfied with their immune health – which is heavily focused on a reflection of poor diet, lack of physical activity and spending too much time indoors.
Positive nutrition
Consumers are taking it back to basics with their food choices which has resulted in people looking to eat more fresh food and cook from scratch more regularly – which, of course, ties us seamlessly into the desire to shop more locally and focus on sustainability.
Love of local
Almost 50% of consumers believe buying products made with locally sourced ingredients is better and can be more easily obtained from the local high street greengrocer, than the big name supermarket. These behavioural traits have been helped undoubtedly by more people working from home, allowing them more time to spend in the kitchen and to visit local stores for fresh produce.
Waste reduction
An additional behaviour change, to actively support this shift to sustainable behaviours is consumers ways of reducing waste. We have all come up with clever and new ways to use leftovers and avoid the throwing away of unnecessary food. Take the rise in banana bread popularity for example – we’re finding ways to use foods and turn them into meals or delicious treats, instead of throwing them away.
Indulgence
At the height of the pandemic people were drawn to nostalgic comfort foods, influencing the rise in banana bread hype! Although this hasn’t slowed down since. These traditional home comfort flavours have taken on a new emotional relevance in our lives and it seems this love for indulgence is here to stay. 85% of consumers treat themselves to one indulgent food per day, often tapping back into those nostalgic tastes.
It's not just general food consumption behaviour that is changing, the growth in consumption of vegan and plant based food is also set to continue at pace.
Here are four trends to look out for:
A new era of milk
Almond and oat milk are now old news in the dairy-free milk world. According to Waitrose, it’s time for potato milk to shine. Supposedly low in sugar, and saturated fat, it’s about to dominate our coffee shops. The total spend on vegan milk grew 32% to reach £394m in 2020, and plant-based dairy continues to surge in popularity across the globe, with Western markets amassing the greatest potential.
Vegan chocolate
Although vegan chocolate isn’t new to the market, it has always struggled with variety. However, major chocolate brands are realising the gap in the market – with launches from the likes of Cadbury, Lindt and Nestle, vegan chocolate is taking centre stage.
Cakes and bakes
There has been significant growth in the vegan cake and bakery category over the last few years with product launches up 170% since 2016. The Great British Bake Off showed in 2021 how delicious vegan cakes can be, which removed some of the stigma around cakes without your usual eggs, butter and milk.
Plant for the planet
A total of three in ten global consumers say that they turn to meat substitutes, showing how this is no longer a niche market restricted to those consumers following strict vegan and vegetarian diets. 80% believe that meat substitutes are better for the environment, and 72% of plant-based consumers try to have a positive impact on the environment through their everyday actions.
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By Meg Slip
Senior Account Executive