When we speak of every cloud having a silver lining, the Covid-19 pandemic comes to mind immediately. All of humanity has virtually been shaken by this outbreak. Businesses have been adversely affected, household incomes have plunged, and social life has come to a halt. Yet, we have united in our efforts to embrace healthy eating, sustainable brands, and simpler living. The health food trends 2022 and other positive consumer leanings are certainly the silver lining of the Covid-19 cloud.
Owing to the pandemic and other related factors, here are the top 5 food and dining trends that are going to rule beyond 2021:-
A Rise in Demand for Homemade Meals and Baked Goodies
A sizable chunk of the market for restaurant takeaways has been captured by home chefs. Consumers are more eager to spend money on hygienically-prepared, small portions of comfort food by home chefs, rather than the mass-produced restaurant food that they have been accustomed to all these years. This includes everything from fresh homemade meals and grandma’s specialties, to home-baked muffins, pies, and croissants. The touch of personalization, warmth, and care has struck a highly positive cord, besides the love for authentic cuisine flavors by native home chefs.
Health Food Trends 2021 encompass Immunity Boosting Nutrients and Ingredients
The health food market has witnessed a massive boom, unprecedented in history. Consumers are willing to spend a good amount of money on immunity-building foods. Even erstwhile regular food and beverage brands have repackaged their products, fortifying the same with Vitamin C, Vitamin B Complex, Zinc, and so on. There is also a huge demand for wellness-inducing herbs and immunity-building spices like black pepper, nutmeg, ginseng, turmeric, cinnamon, and so on.
Abstinence from Animal-based Foods
Be it meat, seafood, or dairy, there has been a consistent decline in their global consumption over the last couple of years. In terms of nutrition trends, plant-based diets are gaining popularity for multiple reasons. Firstly, they are far healthier than meat-intensive diets. Secondly, the carbon footprint of plant-based food and beverages is far lesser than that of animal-based foods and beverages. Global sustainability consciousness has arisen in full swing, in addition to ethical concerns, as advocated by animal rights organizations like PETA.
Virtual Kitchens as opposed to full-fledged restaurants
Restaurant owners have faced massive financial losses owing to the pandemic-induced lockdowns. As a result, the concept of a ghost kitchen has gained prominence. The idea is simple- to prepare and deliver restaurant food online with only a kitchen-based establishment. Such virtual kitchens have no provisions for dining or takeaway. Only online or telephonic orders are accepted. The cost of running a kitchen is considerably lesser than that of running a conventional food outlet.
Special Meal Kits for Ease of Cooking
The newfound popularity of home cooking is expected to proliferate in the coming years. Food start-ups have come up with innovative meal kits that ease the consumer’s cooking experience at home, making it therapeutic, engaging, and delicious. Be it with monthly meal kit subscriptions, customized ‘meal for one’ packs, or gourmet cooking hampers, an entire mini-food industry is thriving on this popular demand.
Conclusion
While the initial tough phases of the Covid-19 situation have passed, the pandemic is far from over. Scientists have also raised concerns that unless we adhere to sustainable living. Our future as a global populace is wrought with further, deadlier disease outbreaks. This has led to the emergence of specific nutrition trends, overall health consciousness, and sustainability drives in 2020 and 2021. As per leading data analysts, these trends are expected to last long, at least for the next decade or so. Hence, for any food and beverage business to succeed in the coming years, keeping pace with these developments is essential.
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