A look at the latest happenings from the food world
Buckwheat
The Japanese in particular have made buckwheat an integral part of their diet over many centuries – growing that soil-friendly cover crop across the cool, moist reaches of the country and consuming vast quantities as the traditional core ingredient of soba noodles. And while soba is popular enough around the world these days, Whole Foods’ annual trend forecast sees that naturally healthy, gluten-free and protein-rich seed being more widely consumed in an ever-broader range of products next year, especially in granola mixes and plant-based milk alternatives.
Properly plant-based
Whole Foods has also anticipated an imminent back-to-basics moment in plant-based eating, as consumers demand vegan and vegetarian burgers made from actual vegetables. Naturally grown pulses, nuts and seeds are now generally preferred for their taste, texture and health-giving properties, especially as various studies have shown that many commonly used substitutes for animal products have proven no better for the body than the real meat and dairy they’re supposed to replace (and sometimes worse).
Hormone-healthy eating
As particular hormones become better understood, medical science has also improved its mitigation strategies for related bodily changes – especially those that come with pregnancy or menopause. Diet is a vital element of most treatment plans, and women’s health is now a particular growth area of the food industry. Certain items such as flax seeds, broccoli, avocado and spinach are identified as especially helpful in terms of improving hormone dysregulation, while studies have demonstrated the pre and post-natal health benefits of certified multivitamin supplements.
Water stewardship
Generally the most overlooked element in food production, fresh water is becoming acutely scarce in many parts, even while agriculture accounts for about 70 per cent of withdrawals. The United Nations’ marked World Food Day in 2023 with the theme, Water Is Life, Water Is Food… and sustainable management of the global supply is likely to become one of the most urgent trends of next year and beyond. Leading bottled water brands have already begun drawing from alternative sources – from plant by-products like carrots, for example, and even from humidity in the air, as harvested and filtered by the Hawa company here in the UAE.
High-tech food trucks
The last decade or so has seen food trucks develop from a fashionable fringe interest to a major sector of the service industry, with artisanal tacos, Cuban sandwiches and other signifiers of traditional street-food culture made to ever higher gastronomic standards (and price points). The latest advance in that scene has been signalled by truck owners’ quickness to adopt tech-integrated ordering, nifty location apps and new point-of-sale systems such as Toast or TouchBistro, which can customise menus, simplify billing and personalise the whole customer experience.
Clean caffeine
Coffee is not getting any less essential to the morning routines of the multitudes, but that wake-me-up effect tends to be followed by a nervous agitation and a subsequent crash that most of us can do without. Considerable thought and investment is now going into smoothing out the physiological downside of caffeine. Four Sigmatic’s Think Organic Coffee, for example, promises to sustain the energy boost and enhance your mental focus with a gentle infusion of lion’s mane and chaga mushrooms, while Nurange produce a canned cold brew enhanced with the amino acid L-theanine that also takes the edge off the jitters.
Whole cacao
An ever-larger quotient of the chocolate-eating demographic has steadily weaned itself off milk as a key ingredient, pushing up the cocoa content by contrast, until a new market opened for what is essentially a different product: whole cocoa bars are now the latest thing. Popular brands like Blue Stripes claim their bars are not really ‘chocolate’ at all, but nourishing natural treats derived from the superfruit that is cocoa itself, which mixes superbly well with coconut, hazelnut butter and cold brew coffee to round out their range. Consider also the recent fashion for using whole beans, nibs, or seeds for cacao water and overnight oats.
Complex heat
Hot sauces have always been popular but these are set to have their own renaissance in 2024. Think higher Scoville ratings and craft sauces made in-house by chefs at their restaurants.
Regenerative practice
‘Agroecological farming’ has been identified as a related trend for 2024 – an increasingly popular movement focused on regional conditions, traditions and knowledge bases built up over centuries among native growers.
Italianissimo
As the global restaurant business returned to pre-pandemic levels, Italian cuisine marked a significant growth, now accounting for 19 per cent (and 228 billion Euros) of the traditional restaurant market. Deloitte’s Foodservice Market Report 2023 identifies the popular perception of Italian cooking as especially reliable for its quality-to-price ratio, its staple dishes offering homestyle comfort food in times of conflict and instability.
Female connoisseurs
The above term was coined by food trend researcher Hanni Rützler in 2018, referring to the rise of women within the traditionally male-dominated field of gastronomy. Men will hold more of the Michelin stars for many years yet, but the cases of triple-starred Dominique Crenn, or Ann-Sophie Pic are becoming steadily less exceptional. As we enter 2024, Rützler notes that “the subtle traces of the gender shift in the food and beverage industry have expanded into increasingly broader tracks”. So we’re not just talking about kitchen positions but bartending, restaurant-owning, innovative start-ups…
Precision fermentation
This may well be the new biotechnical buzzword that defines the future of food production – the process by which proteins, enzymes and various other compounds are replicated by inserting select genes directly into the DNA of certain microorganisms. In theory this cuts out the need for traditional farming by synthesising, say, dairy-free cheeses and sustainable meat substitutes that are even more environmentally friendly than plant-based alternatives. In practice, this tech is set to ramp up in 2024 as more and more precision-fermented products pass through the various stages of testing and regulation.
