2023 Food Trend Predictions
Ingredients & Flavours
Butter
The obsession with butter kicked off when prices soared during the summer, so chefs and foodies took to social media to show people how to make their own. This evolved into a number of trends such as flavoured compound butter series (Thomas Straker) and butter boards.
Aged Foods
The ancient process of aging foods to improve flavour (umami) and texture is enjoying a revival. Waitrose has seen its dry aged ribeye and sirloin sales rise by 17% and have installed specialist aging facilities in 41 of its shops[1].
Sweet & Salty
The lines between salty, savoury and sweet are becoming increasing blurred and people are loving it. Many brands are adding sweet and salty flavours to their ranges such as Pip & Nut’s sweet and salty peanut butter, and Heston Blumenthal’s Waitrose fig & pear mince pies with triple cheese pastry.
Vegan Cheese
Vegan cheese has seen massive improvements in recent years. One of the brands fronting the changes is La Fauxmagerie whose artisan varieties are made using traditional techniques – think Truffle Camemvert, and Faux Brie. The category is set to improve further and expand in 2023.
Coffee-less Coffee
Coffee is the next product set to have a sustainable makeover as scientists are warning that coffee plants are extremely susceptible to climate change. So, a number of start-ups are racing to find drinkable alternatives – think Atomo’s beanless cold brew, and Whole Earths Wake Up coffee drink.
Sustainability
Forgotten Foods
The restaurant trend of using ‘forgotten’ foods, or pieces of the animal which usually gets overlooked or thrown way, is making its way to the mainstream. Sales of beef chin are up 23%, ox cheek by 9%, lamb neck by 4% and fish heads by 34%[2].
Nextovers
Not to be confused with leftovers, nextovers use an ingredient to make a completely different dish. For example, turning hummus into a salad dressing or a Bolognese into a shepherd’s pie. This has been a massive trend on TikTok.
Buying locally
Sourcing ingredients locally has become even more of a priority in light of the Russia – Ukrainian conflict highlighting the frailty of our global food system. The war has caused shortages of corn, wheat, cereals, oil, soybeans, sunflower seeds, eggs, dairy, meat, beer and pet food to name but a few.
Responsibly Sourced Fish
The nation has been cutting down on red meat consumption due to health and environmental reasons, so fish is appearing on more and more dinner plates. Home cooks are also looking at more innovative ways to include it into meals such as salmon meatballs.
War on Waste
People are increasing their efforts to reduce food waste, both for the planet and to save money. Tactics include making the most of your freezer (39% of people are using their freezer more this year[3]); 25% of people (particularly in the younger demographics) now ignore best before dates; and batch cooking.
#Regenuary
A campaign that thinks that concentrating on not eating meat is distracting from tackling the most urgent climate change problem: the impact all of our eating choices have on the planet, meat or not. UK farming is a major driver of biodiversity loss, so Regenuary wants to encourage people to choose seasonal produce from local farms that have lower environmental and social impacts. Soil health is a big focus in regenerative farming.
Ancestral Eating
A return to the way our grandparents ate – homely, organic, unprocessed and unrefined foods. This way of eating is sustainable and thrifty too. On Pinterest, searches for traditional recipes are on the up – traditional Norwegian food by 120%, authentic Filipino food by 35% and traditional South African cuisine by 150%[4].
Veganising Recipes
A big shift towards veganising recipes – in particular, traditional recipes from different cultures across the world. Popular ingredients for this process are soy, kala namak (black salt), liquid smoke, nutritional yeast, aquafaba (chickpea water), flax and chia seeds, jackfruits, nuts and pulses.
Health
Fermented Foods/Prebiotics
Since the pandemic people are continuing to try to lead healthier lifestyles. Currently one of the biggest health food trends is products that support gut health. Foods containing probitoics (good gut bacteria), and prebiotics (that boost your gut bacteria), and fermented foods. Think apple cider vinegar, kimchi, kefir and kombucha.
Brain Food
As we continue to prioritise mental wellbeing, protecting our brains will become just as important as protecting our bodies. This means an increased focus on ‘brain foods’ – think fatty fish like tuna and salmon, blueberries, broccoli, kale, spinach and dark chocolate to improve memory and focus.
THC and Psilocybin
Having once had negative connotations through weed and magic mushrooms, THC and Psilocybin now have potential to be the next major ‘adult’ functional foods, as consumers become more open to these once banned ingredients. Mental health issues have driven the need for wellness solutions.
Seaweed
Seaweed has long been a staple ingredient in Asian cooking, but the flavour and health benefits are now being recognised further afield, particularly with younger generations. According to the Pinterest Predicts report[5] searches for seaweed snacks recipes are up 245% and searches for nori recipes are up 60%.
World Foods
The shift towards focusing on regionality and authenticity continues – consumers are searching out specialist, ‘authentic’ ingredients that would have been unheard of in supermarkets 10 years ago. Cuisines which are seeing particular focus are South-East Asian cuisines; Mexican cuisine; Indian cuisine; and Middle Eastern cuisine.
Fusion
“While the trend towards greater regionality and locality continues to strengthen at the source product level, we are seeing more and more internationalization on the food level,” says Hanni Rutzler[6]. Spurred on by social media, products and preparation methods from kitchens all over the world are being mixed and matched in a vibrant and colourful way. Appetizing real-life examples encourage consumers to experiment.
Thrifty Cooking
People are becoming more budget conscious – 72% of people said they are now more mindful of spending, and 27% of people now plan their meals in advance. 32% of people are using vegetable oil over olive oil. 21% of people are buying loose fruit and vegetables over bagged. 45% of people would buy less meat for budget reasons[7].
Canned Goods
Canned goods have always been an affordable store cupboard staple, but they’re more popular than ever right now. One of the biggest canned goods to make a comeback is Spam – seeing in 36% uptick of sales[8]. Another store cupboard staple to experience a boom this year is beans, with Bold Bean Co leading the brigade on a self-confessed mission to make people obsessed with beans.
Affordable Luxury
People are budgeting more, but they’re still allowing for affordable indulgences. Waitrose calls it the ‘pudding effect’ – the act of people cheering themselves up with cheap little treats during times of hardship. The treats bought most often are posh crisps and nuts (47% of people buy regularly); nice bar of chocolate or pudding (46% buy regularly); and a bottle of wine (36% buy regularly). When it comes to meals people either turn to comfort foods (mac and cheese, pies, creamy curry) or exciting world foods.
‘Cult’ Foods
TikTok Trends
More than half of 18-24 year olds took to TikTok for foodie inspiration this year[9]. TikTok now has 100 billion worldwide views of #FoodTikTok, hits include cloud bread (3bn views), feta pasta (1.1bn views) and dalgona coffee (583 million). Some of this year’s top trends included pizza toast, corn ribs and butter boards. And the current editing style is ASMR – featuring the crunches, slurps and swooshes of cooking.
[1] Waitrose & Partners Food & Drink Trend Report 22-23
[2] Waitrose & Partners Food & Drink Trend Report 22-23
[3] Waitrose & Partners Food & Drink Trend Report 22-23
[4] Pinterest Predicts Report 2023
[5] Pinterest Predicts Report 2023
[6] Lebensmittel Zeitung & Food Service Food Report 2023 – Hanni Rutzler
[7] Waitrose & Partner Food & Drink Trend Report 22-23
[8] Waitrose & Partners Food & Drink Trend Report 22-23
[9] Waitrose & Partners Food & Drink Trend Report 22-23