What We’ll Be Eating This Year: Food Trends in 2022
While plant-based milk and sustainable packaging may be the biggest focus for restauranteurs, culture has always influenced what we eat, and it’s never been more apparent than our popular TV shows, TikTok, music and sporting events.
Let’s take a look at current trends that are shaping the culinary forecast for 2022. Implementing these trends from Umami paste options to crazy cakes will drive business and get customers in your clients’ doors this year.
The TikTok effect
If you want to know what kids will be eating in 2022, tune into the viral video network TikTok. Supermarkets report a direct link between popular videos and increased sales.
Their pesto egg clip was watched by 12 million users, with Waitrose seeing a 108% rise in sales of the Italian condiment in a single week, according to their 2021–2022 Food & Drink Report. [1]
Sales of air fryers increased by 400% at John Lewis Department Store after crunchy fried pasta appeared on TikTok. Cooking shows have always impacted consumers, but TikTok allows food trends to spread far more quickly and further than terrestrial television ever could.
Orders on the rise
British online food delivery company Deliveroo saw orders double in the first six months of 2021 [2], while Just Eat reported that it processed 64 million orders in the UK [3]. As the pandemic continues to interfere with our ability to travel abroad, we can expect to continue following the latest food fads while staying firmly in the UK.
Umami taste sensation
Umami has been identified as the top food trend for 2022 by a number of store forecasts. Umami is an unusual product, it is a taste, not a meal, and it encapsulates the moreish, savoury, flavours we adore in soy sauce, parmesan, and stocks.
Leading UK retailer Waitrose expects umami to become “the prevailing profile in our food” next year, with sales of their Cooks’ Ingredients Umami Paste increasing by 17% in 2021 compared to 2019.
Eating green, fast!
Call it plant-based, meat-free, flexitarianism or, climatarianism, the younger generations want to dramatically reduce their consumption of animal products.
Fast-food restaurants have responded to the rise of veganism by introducing vegan burgers, such as McDonald’s new McPlant Burger and Burger King’s new Vegan Royale and Plant-Based Whopper.
Reduced food waste and packaging are two further measures to climate-friendly eating. According to Ocado, 21% of its consumers buy a refill item, up 10% in the last two years.
Crazy cakes
Britons are a nation obsessed with cakes, which is clearly reflected in love for the TV show The Great British Bake Off and home baking in general.
Pinterest has forecasted consumer trends for 2022, including an increase in “gravity-defying cake concepts,” as well as 3D and art cakes. According to the Pinterest Predictions 2022 Report [4], “people will make elaborate desserts to express any emotion they’re feeling.” “Millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers are particularly fond of this trend.”
In 2021, searches for “gravity-defying cake ideas” increased by more than 70%, “bubble cake ideas” by 55%, and “3D cake ideas” by 60%.
Plant-based kinds of milk
The rise of vegetarianism, veganism and climatarianism — a diet focused on reducing your carbon footprint — is expected to continue, with more plant-based offerings.
Plant-based milk is becoming more popular, according to Mintel data, with one in three Britons (32%) currently drinking plant-based milk, up from 25% in 2020 [5].
Potato milk is expected to be the new kid on the block in supermarkets across the country. Low in sugar and saturated fat, according to retailers,
it’s expected to take over coffee shop menus in the coming months.
Trendy drinks
And it’s not all about food. Hibiscus tea continues to grow in popularity. We know it’s notoriously high in vitamin C content, but now, the flower’s sweet, tart flavour is showing up in fruit spreads, yoghourts, and craft drinks that adopt its hot-pink hue.
Black Cow Vodka from Dorset recently won a BBC Food and Farming award for best drinks manufacturer, indicating that British vodka is evolving as well. Jason Barber, a co-founder, made news by recycling waste from the cheese-making process and developed his vodka utilizing an ancient Mongolian practice of fermenting the whey.
All food places in your hand
With the Places app, you can save time and money by making online orders and getting special promos from restaurants and cafes around. The one app will connect you to all the best restaurants and cafes around you. Start your new food journey here.
Sources
[2] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/11/deliveroo-doubles-orders-in-first-half-of-2021.html
[3] https://www.justeattakeaway.com/newsroom/en-WW/201012-just-eat-takeaway-com-q1-2021-trading-update
[4] https://business.pinterest.com/en-in/pinterest-predicts/
