Restaurants and food manufacturers need to stay up to date on the consumption habits of people in their area in order to continue making money. These habits involve not only what people eat and drink but how they go about doing so. Here are four current trends in the food industry.
1. More Plant-Based Eating
Plant-based eating can be defined as limiting or avoiding the consumption of eggs, milk, fish, poultry, and red meat for reasons related to health and wellness. Vegans and vegetarians do this too, but for ethical or religious reasons, with health often being a more secondary reason.
There are more and more products appearing on store shelves that contain no meat or dairy. These items include everything from slices of cheese made from cashews or coconut to imitation chicken tenders that look very similar to the real thing. There are even plant-based egg options, which go great with many vegan breakfast recipes.
Try checking some of these products out if you want to cut down on your consumption of animal products or start having meatless Mondays.
2. Less Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol consumption has generally been on the rise in the United States. However, there has also been a rise of a movement known as “sober curious.” This differs from sobriety because it involves limiting or avoiding alcohol for reasons other than being in recovery for alcohol use disorder. Sober-curious people usually do not need to seek medical advice or counseling to limit their alcohol use, although some might for reasons due to stress or social pressure.
A result of this movement is an increased demand for beer and wine that is low in alcohol, or that contains no alcohol at all but maintains the taste and appearance of the alcoholic product. Bars are also starting to have more options like kombucha and homemade root beer, which allows people to easily socialize with those who are drinking alcohol without having to consume the substance themselves.
3. Take-Out and Delivery
Going out to eat can be a fun way to spend an evening. However, some people are starting to avoid going to sit-down restaurants to avoid crowds and the potential spread of illness. Take-out and delivery services are a booming business, with third-party apps and restaurants hiring people to carry food from eating establishments to homes and hotels.
When you order food through an app on your smartphone and select contactless delivery, you can have a meal brought to your house without ever interacting with another human.
4. A Focus on Sustainability
People are beginning to be increasingly concerned about where their food comes from, and the impact that the food has on the environment. People may go plant-based as a result of this concern, or they might begin looking for fish and meat that were produced in a more sustainable way. In addition to the food itself, consumers are also making a demand for more biodegradable packaging and less plastic.
See if you can spot any of these trends the next time you visit the supermarket.
