As the year comes to a close, marketers across all industries are trying to predict trends for 2016 to get ahead of their customers and be prepared to give their customers what they want.
So what are going to be the top trends in food, drink, and heath in 2016? We’ve scoured several reports to give you the most comprehensive list of what you should expect this upcoming year.
Shareable Foods: If you don’t instagram it, did you really eat it? According to Mintel’s Global Food and Drink Trends for 2016, food is becoming prettier as it becomes shared more often. Cooking and eating is not only for nourishment and health, but rather to share (and impress) your friends, family, and followers. To become more shareable, food has to become prettier. More colorful. Innovation and trends in creating visually appealing foods that’ll boost your social media confidence will emerge in 2016. Hence why the Pinterest Top 100 for 2016 is full of images of food and DIY health projects.
Getting Back to your Roots: According to Mintel’s report, we’re going to see a rise in people across the globe ‘getting back to their roots’ with peaked interest in historical ingredients that connect with people’s own personal heritage and background. Pinterest agrees. Based on their analysis of pins, we’re going to see upscale spins on traditional foods; what Pinterest calls ‘Gourmet heritage cuisines.’ Pins of this nature include pumpkin babka, vegan shepherd’s pie, and a variety of gourme lentil soups. Be prepared to see ethnic food in a big and fancy way this year.
Long-Term Substitutes: With reports that red and processed meat cause cancer this year, and a rise something-free diets, what used to be considered substitutes are now creating a permanent home in our diets. According to the Mintel report, ‘alternatives will become mainstream’ – especially protein and meat alternatives, as well as dairy alternatives. Think coconut and almond milk instead of cow’s milk on a much larger scale. Along the same lines, Mintel reports that this alternative is almost a necessity. Their ‘eco is the new reality’ states that worldwide, we’re being more eco friendly becuase we have to, not only because our conscious is telling us to. This means less reliance on meat, more reliance on plants. And again, Pinterest agrees. They see ‘veggie swaps’ as being a huge trend in 2016. In Pinterest terms, this means people swapping in veggies for other foods, also known as vegan.
Home-shelf over top-shelf: When it comes to alcohol, Mintel didn’t have much to say. However, they did note a growing trend towards eating products with known origins and stories, and putting artificial ingredients behind us. According to Pinterest’s analysis, this is especially true when it comes to booze. Based on popular pins, we’re going to see more more people not only brewing their own beer, but also distilling their own booze.
Sweet to Savory and Healthier Snacks: According to NDP’s Top 5 Future Eating Trends, we can expect that ‘better for you snack consumption’ will take over sweet snack consumption by 2018. Yes, I know, next year is 2016. But if this is where we’re moving, we’re starting now with the switch from sweet to savory. Maybe it’s because everyone got scared this year that the world would run out of chocolate, but Pinterest is seeing a rise in making those sweet dishes savory. Think French Toast BLTs.
What are you looking forward to eating in 2016?
To see more major food and drink trends for 2016, check out the Mintel Report and the Pinterest Top 100.