Future of food: What we'll be eating in 2018
HAVE you gone vegan for ‘Veganuary’, as the charity of the same name has dubbed the campaign to encourage people to try a plant-based diet this January?
If the figures, scant though they are, are correct, it seems that more and more of us are not only boosting our veg intake but are going further still and cutting out all animal products.
It’s a Europe-wide trend and one that has taken hold here. In the last 12 months, vegan food orders increased by a whopping 480%, according to Deliveroo, the online food delivery service.
The vegan cause, although not everyone is ideologically driven, has also been bolstered by the boundless energy of David and Stephen Flynn, the dynamic twins behind the Happy Pear brand.
Their third cookbook, The Happy Pear: Recipes for Happiness, is already available for pre-order, so expect to be hearing a lot more about how to spice up the tofu in your life in 2018.
A continued interest in all things vegan is just one of several trends that are likely to take hold in the year ahead. Expect to see lots of other ingenious and creative food trends emerging, says Liam Cox, Deliveroo’s regional manager Ireland.
“With food-spiration from across the world dominating our social media feeds, Irish restaurants and diners are testing and fusing food like never before.”
While the crystal-ball gazers predict that the love affair with coconut and avocado will continue, here are some of the food trends that will be big in 2018.
Brain and ‘mood food’ will be big as consumers look to their diet to boost brain and physical performance.
Alan Walsh of the Consumer and Market Insight team at Bord Bia predicts that the ‘brain-gut axis’ will become a widespread consumer concern this year. That means the popularity of foods which boost gut health, such as kimchi and kombucha, will continue to be popular. Fermentation and the art of pickling look likely to gain more followers this year, particularly in drinks. Look out for kombucha, kefir and Indian lassis.
The on-trend foodie will stop using flowers as a garnish and use them to flavour food and infuse drinks instead. Floral-infused drinks, of every hue, will be a feature of 2018. Get ready for lavender lattes, rose-infused tea and elderflower cocktails.
Middle Eastern cuisine is going mainstream in 2018, according to the food-trend watchers. You’ll see a lot more harissa, cardamom, tahini, pomegranate and lamb on restaurant menus. There will be more fusions too. Are you ready for porridge with apple tahini, almonds and saffron?
The emphasis on sourcing food locally looks set to grow this year as consumers gain an increasing awareness of the need to go local and a related desire to reduce waste.
In Cork, Kimberley McIntosh is planning to open ECO, Ireland’s first zero-waste supermarket. All items will be packaging free. It will issue paperless receipts and surplus food will go to charity.
Whatever happened to three meals a day? The snacking market has been growing for some time but we’ll see a growth in demand for healthier snacks to satisfy the ever-present munchies, which are most likely to hit between 3pm and 3.15pm – the 4o’clock slump just got all earlier.
Everyone will be talking about Mexican this year and taco will be king. Expect to see a whole new range of tacos – tacos for breakfast, for brunch and for dessert.
Deliveroo predicts the arrival of two traditional dishes from Oaxaca on menus – the tortilla-based garnachas and tlayudas.
Pronounced poh-keh, these bowls full of fish and vegetable goodness are already popular. They are also a favourite with Snapchatters and Instagrammers as well as being supremely healthy – a combination that will see their continued popularity in the months ahead.
Consumers will demand more from food producers of every stripe. They want to know exactly what goes into their food and they will demand that manufacturers tell the truth – and nothing but the whole truth – on food labels. It’s shaping up to be a tasty and transparent year.
