Food trends for 2020 – A taste of the future

BY NOEL CUNNINGHAM

From surging health trends to hidden vegetables, this is going to be another rollercoaster year in how we cook, shop, drink and eat at home and in restaurants. 2019 was the year where non-alcoholic drinks grew in spirit and South American cuisine, from Mexico to Brazil, rose to prominence worldwide. More chefs started introducing micro-seasonal menus, switching up ingredients every few weeks, and “locavore” was the buzzword as local ingredients took the spotlight. As we wrap up the decade and look forward to 2020, we take a look at what will get us salivating and items we will be tossing into our shopping carts or on restaurant menus.

Cannabis infused food and beverages will be on high
Cannabidiod or CBD is a naturally occurring, non-psychoactive compound found in the resinous flower of cannabis. Fans say that CBD oil can reduce pain, stress and anxiety. CBD-infused drinks are gaining momentum in the form of sparkling waters, coffees, teas, energy drinks, beer, wine and mixed alcohol beverages. The same goes for foods spiked with CBD oil.

Plant-based menus will bloom
Many people are making a conscious decision to make a dietary switch into the “plant-based ecosystem, “and plant-based food alternatives are being developed to replace meat and dairy. Chefs are cooking up meat and dairy flavors from non-meat and non-dairy products such as soy, peas, cashews, and almonds.

Expect a crunchy trend
The wonderful crunch of chips is coming from healthier ingredients, including chickpeas, beets, quinoa and kale. They may not be the most appealing aesthetically but are going to satisfy snack cravings effectively.

Jackfruit will be a meat alternative
The newest go-to meat substitute is jackfruit, a Southeast Asian fruit that is a great source of iron, calcium and B vitamins. The texture of jackfruit mimics pulled pork.

Exotic fruits will flavor drinks
Among the usual sweet flavors found on beverage menus, unique fruit flavors such as cactus are taking mixology ideation by storm, Benchmark says. More specifically, spiny cactus fruits such as prickly pear and dragon fruit are piquing consumer interest, they say. Consumers are also exploring more unique fruit flavor varieties, including bergamot orange, yuzu, calamansi, citron, makrut lime, pomelo, Meyer lemon, blood orange and ugli fruit, a Jamaican form of the tangelo, to name a few.

Oat milk is here to stay
2019 was certainly the year for oat milk. Oat milk emerged as the golden child of all the alternative milks, so, it makes sense that companies are piggybacking off its success and launching other oat milk products as alternatives to dairy, to help minimize the environmental impacts associated with animal husbandry.

Sparkling waters will flow
Consumers who are concerned about sugar but still want to satisfy their craving for carbonation are turning to sparkling water. Benchmark recommends offering unique flavors and both low- and no-alcohol options.

Food will go ‘bright and bold
Color generates emotional appeal with food, it may be as important as taste. Skilled food and beverage operators have an eye for what beverages succeed on social media, where color is critically important, looking for products that are ‘Instagram-friendly.’” Colorful ingredient options include blue algae, beets, matcha, and butterfly pea flower tea, which changes color from blue to purple when acidity is added to it.

Sustainability will take center stage
As news about climate change, disappearing rainforests and plastic in the oceans dominates the news cycle and our social feeds, consumers are demanding sustainability in all forms of packaging, quickly making this integral to today’s food and beverage operating model, Whether it’s swapping out styrofoam and plastic for paper or bamboo, or buying ingredients from sustainable sources, sustainability will sweep the entire industry in 2020. The heightened focus on single-use plastics is not just a fad but a reality that goes beyond the purge of the plastic straw.

Fusion cuisine will reign
Eating the same food over and over is boring after a while. By now a real food lover seems to have tried everything “normal” there is out there to try. This means that, in order to appease boredom with traditional cuisine, more restaurants are beginning to offer cross-cultural fusions. In 2020, expect to see lots of unique fusion cuisine. This includes everything from Mexican and Southeast Asian fusion all the way to French-Scandanavian and even the Caribbean.

See you in 2020 for another year of what’s cooking. Cheers!!!