What’s Next: The Impact of Covid-19 on Food Trends
Lake Superior State University in Michigan wants to banish the word “unprecedented” from our language due to it being overworked, a light-hearted nod to a year filled with an abundant use of that term. Still, it’s hard to ignore the pandemic’s startling, unfamiliar impact, yes, aptly described as unprecedented, even in the world of food.
Food trends, many emerging because of changed behavior during the pandemic, at times seem to contradict what we have traditionally aligned with good food and practices. Suddenly, the characteristic of being “homemade”, which has implied quality, now raises a more negative connotation – the possibility that food has been touched and perhaps not fully sanitized. Even our collective focus to reduce single-use plastic and non-compostable packaging took a backseat as we awaited our home deliveries or sat in cars as take-out containers were placed in our trunks.
Elizabeth Moskow of Bread & Circus, Ltd., who partnered with Spoonshot, a food intelligence platform, outlined ten top food trends for 2021, many reflecting the seismic shifts in the behavior of consumers this past year. Food companies – producers, packagers, purveyors – as well as restaurant operators – were thrust into adapting to these changing behaviors and will continue to introduce innovations that consider the pandemic’s more long-standing effects on consumption.
Her trend predictions:
- Packaging design, labeling and messaging take center stage (more visually compelling for contactless review of the product)
- Differentiated design for the digital shelf (strategies for competing in a more robust online marketplace)
- Handmade has become a tale of the past (Companies are claiming use of bots and ultra-sanitizing protocols in the production of food to satisfy consumer desire to know that their food is safe. “Handmade” descriptions may not conjure up images of sophisticated sanitization methods.)
- Sustainability “light” (Consumers understood the need for single-use, less eco-friendly containers for delivery and takeout during the pandemic, but efforts are underway to provide more recyclable packaging that can be strong and more environmentally considerate.)
- Digital restaurant influence and impact (The market is analyzing what kinds of food can be delivered well, with the expected growth of ghost kitchens and more creative menu choices that can be easily customized.)
- Direct-to-consumer faster and fresher (Farmers, ranchers, fisherman are all getting into the game of food delivery as they explore ways to sell their products beyond their previous B2B channels.)
- Experiential dining to doorstep (Forward-thinking chefs and beverage masters are conceiving ways to bring their specialties to consumers who miss their dine-in experiences.)
- BIPOC food companies matter (highlighting minority-owned suppliers and businesses)
- Over-the-top vegan (Plant-based foods and beverages continue to push forward as this research accelerates and products are commercialized at a faster rate and with improvements in taste and variety. In a recent report by S2G Ventures, the plant-based market is projected to grow from $5 billion to $14.2 billion by 2022.)
- Building back better (a trend for this year and the future of food-related enterprises)
While consumers often turned to comfort food during the pandemic, giving iconic brands a lift, some industry data shows that consumers also embraced new ingredients and brands which were more readily available, as they expanded their home cooking while sheltering in place, working remotely, or in between employment. This translates into further opportunities for those aging “comfort brands” to find new audiences, and new brands to get a foothold in the marketplace in 2021.
Going forward, we can expect to see more emphasis on how foods and beverages contribute to a person’s wellness goals and offer personalization options. According to The International Food Information Council’s 2020 Food & Health Survey, 54% of all consumers care more about the healthy qualities of their food and beverages than they did a decade ago. The findings suggest that it is becoming a more important factor than taste and price in the selection of a product.
A survey conducted by Global Data last year indicated that consumers are interested in immune function and muscle health among the top benefits they seek from their food sources – following weight management, energy, and digestive and heart health. Foods containing Vitamin C and supplements to boost immunity are predicted to experience growth in the coming year, along with products that can be personalized to help address one’s physical concerns. A recent entry is Viome’s Precision Supplements that are made-to-order prebiotics, probiotics, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes tailored for an individual, based on over 30 different health scores from a customer’s test results.