Whoa! As a new year starts, sybarites all over the world are on fire with new ideas, colors, textures and inventions to keep up with the strict market that has a restless palate.

Every year great researchers such as Mintel and Baum+Whiteman go over thousands of surveys, field observation and investigation in order to come up with the products, likes, new tendencies and discoveries that will guide consumer’s trends throughout the following year.

What is new?

I was shocked to go over several documents on what the 2018 will look like particularly because many of the items are fake or lab made, many others are fully sugared and others are continuing the organic tendency…

Will vegans eat clean, deadless meat?

There is a great discussion on what being a vegan represent, many say it is a health matter but mostly vegan chose that lifestyle due to the inhuman ways of getting animal products (basically trough dead and torture). Well next year we will see a lot of fake meat.. yes we are looking at lab grown tissue that looks and tastes exactly like meat but it did not involve an animal’s death.. hard to believe but a reality of the future! Memphis Meats, a company that we expect to grow quite a bit after Bill Gates bought a chunk,  already sell chicken, duck and beef successfully.

Transparency and full disclosure menus

Consumers are becoming bullshit-free and want more and more facts about their food. They don’t want to hear “sugar-reduced yogurt” anymore I mean come on just tell me how many carbs I am eating and let me do the math… In 2018 clients will seek for honest packaging and honest menus.

Controversial cashless restaurants

Many restaurants have gone cashless, you can pay now not only with credit or debit card but also via app, with a QR code that sends your bill to Paypal and many other easy ways, at least for those who fit the wealthy segment.

In Asia there are several businesses that work this way and there was no problem with embracing such practices but in many other countries there was a huge complaint since it was considered discrimination not to let cash users enjoy their products. Will this trend survive? I think YES, online money transactions are the future.

 

No stress is the priority

Well being is becoming the most important thing for consumers, this is feeling good and it not only means having a healthy diet but also pampering yourself with treats like desserts with alcohol and products that promise ingredients to calm you down (even when it may have a little too much sugar like a ready to drink chamomile tea). It may sound contradictory but it works.

There is a balance between physical feel-good and emotional feel-good. My perfect example would be a coconut matcha latte from Starbucks, you feel good because you are having green tea that is detoxing and coconut milk which is non dairy but at the same time giving yourself a warm sweet treat.

Social media and food, lovely mergers!

Snapchat+Opentable+Uber= Posts on snapchat will be able to redirect you to make a reservation via Opentable in the restaurant posted to the have an Uber pick you up. 

Facebook+Doordash= Liked a restaurant page? Simply click buy and have it ready at your door.

Instagram+Eatstreet= If you see a post that makes you drool and you find a button to order then you are lucky and will enjoy it at home.

Trip advisor+Grubhub= Enter trip advisor to find a great Chinese restaurant, read peoples opinions and simply click to order a delivery to you.

 

Airbnb+Resy= If you stay at an airbnb and would like to eat somewhere near now you can make restaurant reservations together with your accommodation.

Soooooo

Healthy but unhealthy.. vegan but not vegan.. the 2018 is full of interesting and tasty contradictions that will somehow come to a conclusion which is: everybody does that! You may embrace a certain lifestyle but occasionally it is nice to have a treat..

Check out the VEGAN ARISE post coming soon for more news on this super trend!

This are 5 of the many  many trends that will hit the food and beverage industry in 2018. I am still waiting on a couple publications to be able to write Part II, keep posted!

Your host,

Italia