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Insights from Charles Banks at thefoodpeople
Learn about this year's top food trends
Stay on top of the trends to help boost your sales
The cost of living crisis is here, so what happens now?
At the recent RM&I European Summit, sponsored by Just Eat, Charles Banks from the foodpeople laid out what he sees happening now and what happens next in food.
The trends are emerging and so are the opportunities. Read on for 5 of the top trends in play now. See if your business can take advantage of what happens next.
'Beige staples' offer comfort when the going gets tough.
Cost of cooking
We may only be at the advent of the cost of living crisis, but it is already having an impact on home cooking and foodservice alike. Hence, thrift and frugality are ‘in’,and flashy shows of wealth are ‘out’ but help is at hand in the form of retailer initiatives, influencer recipes, techniques for cutting food waste and affordable menus.
Beige comforts
Purse strings are tight but food is a pleasure people aren’t willing to give up. Indeed, it’s often the budget-friendly ‘beige’ staples that offer comfort when the going gets tough. Many are turning to their go-to… bread as the humble sandwich goes ‘gourmet’ and let’s not forget about simple, versatile toast. Consumers are also leaning into familiar favourites like porridge, and mac & cheese.Perfect patisserie
Fans of classical cooking, rejoice! French Patisserie and viennoiserie are firmly in fashion. As well as being delicious, ‘proper’ French pastries are near-impossible to replicate at home making them an affordable luxury out and about when budgets don’t allow for blowout meals. Think super laminated croissants, caramelised, multi-layered kouign-amann and classic caneles.Real and recognisable
Consumers are increasingly getting their nutritional advice from doctors and scientists rather than influencers, moving away from magic bullet cures towards common sense healthy eating that everyone understands. As concerns around artificial sweeteners grow, consumers look to naturally sweet foods and in general the unrecognisable and artificial is rejected in favour of minimally processed.Mamma Mia
In times of uncertainty, people lean towards what they know and if there’s one cuisine that embodies simple, satiating goodness, it’s ‘forever favourite’ Italian. At home, it’s all about cooking up unfussy, flavour forward pasta and risotto. In foodservice, Italian trattorias are popping up, serving pared back homestyle fare.Further reading
This is an excerpt from a presentation given by Charles Banks of thefoodpeople at the Restaurant Marketer and Innovator European Summit, January 2023. Like to read more?
Access the complete chapter for free here
