Food industry is among the fastest growing industries in India. The industry is seeing widespread changes in the food and beverage trends every year. While this year we are witnessing health and sustainability at the top most prominence in on-going trends.
From veganism to healthy drinks, let us unleash 13 popular food trends of 2022:
1. Veganism
A vegan diet devoids all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty. More and more people today are eshewing from consuming animal food and switching to vegan diet. People have started giving more prominence to animal welfare by adapting ethical food habits such as plant-based food. Although veganism isn’t a new concept , it has shown a rapid increase in 2020 due to animal- originated covid-19. This trend will encourage people to shift from meat to other sources of protein.
Actress Sonakshi Sinha turned vegan because of her love for animals, and she confessed losing weight and living a healthy life by making this shift. Many more celebrities like Viral Kohli , Sonam Kapoor , Kangana Ranaut et al have shifted to vegan diets. Veganism is worth adapting for a better society, and is surely a trend this year.
2. Frozen Food
Freezer can be a source of joy if it stores your favourite food. There’s a big misconception stating frozen foods as unhealthy. It is claimed to contain sodium chloride and that it is always processed. But it is untrue. Today, many companies have started producing healthy food, which contain lots of nutrients and is often unprocessed.
Frozen food has seen a trend in 2020 , people have started storing and consuming these more due as it can be made ready to eat in a few minutes. Some of the most selling frozen food items include peas, veggies, meat and who can forget Mc Cain fries?!
In the coming times it is going to see more spike as more and more women are shifting from being home-makers to breadwinners.
3. Baked Not Fried
Fried food is often high in saturated fat. Shifting food choices are more focused on consuming healthy. Thus, baked food is a new food trend. The demand for baked chips has been consistently increasing.
Viral Kohli’s obsession- TOO YUMM has seen a rapid incline in its sales. Even donuts, which were traditionally deep- fried in oil are now being baked.
Similarly, cookies, bread, muffins too are loved by people over fried food which is generally more oily and less nutritional. Baking is usually done in oven. Even veggies can be baked to retain their original taste and nutritional contents.
4. Alternative Flours
As more and more people have started realizing that wheat flour can make us gain weight, a shift towards alternative flours can be seen more clearly this year. People have started using corn flour or makke ka aata, gram flour or besan, rice flour or chawal ka ata and semolina or sooji. These are considered healthier. And for chapattis, 100% wheat flour is not shifted to multi grain flour, which includes millet or bajra, sorghum or jowar and finger millet or ragi. Even YouTubers have started using wheat flour instead of all purpose flour in pizza, momos and other popular dishes.
5. Instagram-Worthy Food
Have you ever scrolled through your feed and saw mouth-watering food which made you crave for it or order yours that very moment? Well, Instagram- worthy food pictures can never go out of trend. There’s no such definition of Instagram-worthy food , simply the food that appeals to your emotions and makes you run to order it due to its tempting appearance and photo composition. And in the era of internet, it’s never going to be a flux.
6. Healthy Breakfast
Although the trend of fast food is no way seeing a decline, breakfast is becoming more healthy these days. People are preferring filling, less carb snacks such as oat meal, corn flakes, besan chilla, sprouts etc. As we see more health consciousness among people, this trend is certain to follow in the coming years too. And most of us already know, breakfast largely affects our body for the entire day, and should be like a king.
7. Home Delivery
With the introduction of food delivery applications like Zomato and Swiggy, home delivery of food has seen a rise in the past year. However, due to the spread of covid-19 , increasing fear, resulting lockdown and closure of dine-ins, food delivery has seen a huge spike and is likely to continue at least this year. The simpler and user-friendly process of ordering and delivery has also contributed positively.
8. Low Sugar
As consumers are increasingly opting for nutritious snack options, the demand for sugar in food has declined. The artificial sweeteners or added sugar is now replaced by natural sugar , honey, or no sugar at all. This was a much needed trend, as the number people suffering from lifestyle diseases is consistently increasing every year.
Diabetes is among the top three causes of mortality in the world. Although companies have started producing ‘no added sugar’ juices and carbonated drinks, you should not blindly follow the trend of consuming these snacks in excess, as a product with label ‘no added sugar’ means it doesn’t have any additional sweetener, but the natural sweetness of the item is present. For example, lactose in an ice cream. Companies have been using misleading labels to deceive customers, so you must be cautious!
9. Organic Food
Organic food has taken over the everyday goods in the last decade and the trend is seeing no looking back. Organic food is the food produced by complying with the standards of organic farming, which largely emphasises on ecological balance by use of natural, instead of synthetic fertilizers. Although organic food costs a few pennies more than inorganic, but isn’t it better to spend a little more throughout the life than spending huge on medical expenses? You are wise enough to choose!
10. Less Single-Use Plastic
As plastics are non-degradable, they are accumulated into landfills and water bodies, causing pollution. Single use-plastic is seeing a major abandonment due to two major reasons: firstly, the government is taking initiatives to ban its use, and secondly, people are becoming more aware of its negative impact on pollution and animals. This plastic is mistaken as food by innocent creatures and its consumption leaves them in fatal condition and ultimately death.
The increasing trend to adapt with less use of single-use plastic can be seen as food applications like Zomato have been using eco-friendly packaging and giving options to order food without cutlery.
11. Ghar ka Khana
Ghar ka khana, or home-cooked food which used to be an essential feature of Indian cuisine had started losing its value with the boost in food industry and home- delivery options. However, with the Coronavirus outbreak, the trend has returned. As people are clueless in their homes, they are trying out different recipes and satisfying their hunger for fast food, which they earlier used to have in the form of street food.
Ghar ka khana is indeed the need of the hour, when social distancing, hygiene and health concerns should be emphasized the most to fight this pandemic, and of course for the overall health of individuals.
12. Reading Food Labels
The increasing health consciousness and awareness has resulted in a new food trend which is- reading labels.
Food labels contain information about the food which enables consumers to make choices whether or not to shop that item. Important information like calories, number of servings, and nutritional contents gives an idea about its values. Also, increased consumer awareness and rights have also encouraged buyers to read labels and check MRP or maximum retail price and expiry or best before dates. This trend has definitely lead us to better consumption patterns and will be growing in the coming years.
13. Healthy Drinks
In the previous decade, cold drinks were all over. People were obsessed with these drinks alongside junk food. But these carbonated drinks contain high amount of added sugar and artificial flavour and colors, which not only increase the chance of developing diabetes but also cancer, heart diseases and liver damage if consumed frequently.
But today, as youngsters are becoming for conscious for their health, they have shifted from carbonated drinks to healthy drinks. Some of these are green tea, black coffee, medicinal drinks like aloe vera, giloy or tulsi juice. A shift towards these drinks won’t just reduce the chance of developing lifestyle diseases, but also build up immunity and body resistance for fighting other viruses and diseases. This trend is definitely for a good, and you must follow.
We hope you can relate with these food trends and are up to date with following these. Even if you are not, go with the flow now!
Also, do comment down which of these trends you are loving and wish to continue forever.
