Reported by foodem.com, the online wholesale food marketplace-
Two words come to mind when talking about 2012 food trends, “sustainability” and “local”. As said in an earlier post, sustainability is here to stay. In fact, Ryan Partnership Chicago and Mambo Sprouts Marketing teamed up and conducted an in-depth consumer sustainability survey which proves it. Out of the 802 respondents surveyed, 63% said they were extremely committed to buying sustainable goods; nearly two-thirds of their purchases were sustainable products. Other key findings led the researchers to forecast three sustainable food trends:
- Shoppers will allot more spending for products and brands that are able to convince them of their sustainable claims.
- Shoppers will not tolerate deceptive information regarding environmental practices of a company or environmental benefits of products and services. A demand for an accurate way to understand and compare sustainable retailers, products and services will be prominent.
- Retailers and brands will focus on three key elements: people, planet and profit, while striving to provide information to their customer base.
To solidify the local, sustainable trend, the National Restaurant Association surveyed nearly 1,800 professional chefs. The association’s “What’s Hot in 2012” analysis revealed sustainability, local buying and children’s nutrition were among the top 2012 trends chosen by leading chefs. Below is the full list of top 10 trends for next year:
- Locally sourced meats and seafood
- Locally grown produce
- Healthful kids’ meals
- Hyper-local items
- Sustainability as a culinary theme
- Children’s nutrition as a culinary theme
- Gluten-free/food allergy-conscious items
- Locally produced wine and beer
- Sustainable seafood
- Whole grain items in kids’ meals
Share with us your thoughts on these trends? Have you implemented any of these trends in your venue? What other trends would you like to see in the food industry?