Food Brands: 3 Key Trends to Stay Relevant Going into 2019

Food trends come and go quite quickly, but they always reflect advances in technology and culture that your consumers use in all aspects of their lives, including in their daily meals. As a young, self-proclaimed foodie studying digital marketing, I have found two articles that identify some of the biggest trends in food and restaurants today, and I’ve selected three of these trends that I think are most important for brands to know.

The first article, by Cathy Siegner for FoodDive, gives six of the major food trends of 2018. These six build upon trends from 2017, including healthy ingredients, complex flavor profiles, and environmental sustainability. Siegner also notes that consumers today are looking for greater transparency about the ingredients in what they’re eating as well as new international options. Aside from sustainable foods and international dishes, Siegner highlights the use of plants and flowers in food and beverages, more indulgent flavors like butter and other fats or oils, and technology to be used in meat-replacing proteins. The idea of transparency comes into play with trends such as product traceability, which allows shoppers to know where their food comes from and how it was handled along the way.

source: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/restaurants/10648419/Is-it-wrong-to-photograph-your-food-in-restaurants.html

The second article, by Greg Maloney for Forbes, details five similar trends, not only for food and beverage companies, but for retail in general. Maloney explains some of the most interesting concepts that food and beverage brands are leveraging to draw in customers. The experience economy, which Maloney likens to his childhood love of collecting baseball cards, means that almost 80% of millenials would rather spend money on an experience than on an object. Sustainability and transparency are also key trends in this article, and relate to one another in the way consumers value knowing how their food is sourced. Finally, Maloney notes that consumers today look for both convenience and personalization in choosing their meals, both of which can be developed using today’s technology to speed-up the processes of food preparation of delivery.

Based on my reading of these two articles and my experience studying marketing at Northwestern University, I have developed three recommendations for food brands to stay relevant with their customers:

·      Embrace the experience: consumers no longer want to just sit and eat their meals, they’re looking for a full experience to immerse themselves in the meal and then share it with their friends.

·      Convenience is key: consumers want you to make it easy for them to get their food, and you can do this by using the latest technology to make and deliver your product.

·      Show the science: from sustainable options to meat-free alternatives, consumers love high-tech gastronomy that makes eating feel like a new experience.

These three recommendations should help any food brand navigate the rapidly-changing realm of food trends.

Mary Parker is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. She studies sociology, Spanish, and integrated marketing communications. You can connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn.