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#GuestPost: 5 food trends you can expect to see in 2018
Today, Liv Lemos, marketing expert at Winnow will be our guest blogger to talk about the food trends in 2018!
New food, new year. If you are wondering what to expect from the future of food, we are here to help you. We’ve spoken with many amazing chefs, who work with us on a daily basis and immersed ourselves with the latest researches. Predicting is not an exact science, but we were able to determine what your company is probably going to be ordering this year for all the office’s gatherings.
From vegetarian proteins to zero waste cooking. It seems like 2018 is set to be a year of more vegan and vegetarian dishes while seeing the rise of “no-waste” cooking taking over all caterings’ menus. These are the Winnow team’s food trend predictions for 2018.
1. Waste is beautiful
It is time to stop peeling potatoes and cutting the ends of carrots. In an attempt to reduce food waste, the new trend is to use all parts of fruits, vegetables, and animals. Wholefoods have identified “No Waste Cooking” as a key trend for 2018 and point to a growing group of food manufacturers using parts of plants or animals that were once considered trash. Nose to tail has been around for years. Internationally renowned chefs like Dan Barber and Massimo Bottura have built their reputations on creating beautiful food from produce that would have otherwise been wasted. As food price inflation puts pressure on chefs to do more with less, and consumers become increasingly more conscious about food waste in their homes, zero waste menus will hit the mainstream in 2018.
Find out more about Elysia and food surplus on Winnow's blog post.
2. Transparent is the new black
Fair Trade Certification, responsible production, and GM food. A recent study points out that consumers are becoming more concerned about processed food. They will demand more transparency from companies leaning towards seasonal and responsibly grown produce. In the UK alone, eight out of ten consumers say that they want to know where their food comes from, and globally trust is at an all-time low for the catering sector.
Startups like Provenance have announced that they will create ways to increase the levels of transparency helping businesses open up their supply chain using blockchain. On the other hand, IBM stated that it is joining forces with large food manufacturers to further explore the potential of blockchain technology. The aim of the partnerships is to boost traceability and transparency along the global food supply chain, thereby strengthening consumer confidence. The consortium includes Dole, Driscoll’s, Kroger, McCormick and Company, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, Unilever and Walmart.
3. The future (and the competition) is delivered
Growth in delivery will continue to increase as large brands invest in new technology like drones and driverless cars. Domino’s recently announced a partnership with Ford to test delivery via driverless cars which will begin production in 2021.
The impact for incumbents in staff dining and hotel F&B could be major. In the catering space, for example, ZeroCater are working with offices and local restaurants to deliver food in the San Francisco Bay area. Existing operators will need to step up their game to fight off these new entrants who challenge their very existence.
4. Plant-based protein
With more and more chefs embracing quinoa, tofu, and bulgur wheat, plant-based food is here to stay. According to the Huffington Post, veganism will become “the new organic”, and is set to be “the hottest trend of 2018”.
Award-winning eco-chef Tom Hunt, talks about how focusing on cooking seasonal ingredients has naturally led him to concentrate more on vegetables and fruits, rather than meat. “I am a seasonal chef, which means that I always look at what is in season before I start creating a new menu. There are seasonal types of meat, but not to the same extent as vegetables. As a result, I naturally ended up focusing more on vegetables and fruits”.
5. Hyper-local food
In the UK and many other countries now, there is a growing trend for dishes created with locally sourced ingredients. There are many benefits of sourcing from transparent and fair growers. It can reduce environmental damage, and provide jobs to local communities. It can even improve the quality of dishes with organic and nutritious products. BBC appoints, Danish chef Rene Redzepi as a figurehead for the movement. In his two-Michelin-starred restaurant Noma, all dishes are created with ingredients sourced within walking distance.
About Winnow:
Winnow is a London based tech company making cutting edge technology to help chefs reduce food waste. We connect commercial kitchens to the cloud allowing them to record and analyse exactly what is put in the bin. This gives chefs the information necessary to drive improvements in their production processes to cut food waste in half, saving money and reducing their environmental footprint at the same time. Simple and intuitive, the Winnow System has been designed specifically for busy kitchens.
More information about Winnow on their website.