New year – new trends. Dynamic lifestyles, climate change, new challenges and increasing consumer awareness are undoubtedly having a huge impact on people’s diets. In 2023, shoppers’ habits will be shaped by both the desire to eat healthier and nostalgic food prepared by their parents or grandparents.
Flexitarians boost demand for plant-based food.
The rise of plant-based food is the most significant trend in the food industry in recent years. Concerns about the environment, health and animal welfare are encouraging people to give up meat completely or at least partially. There is a growing number of ‘flexitarians’, whose diet is based on plant-based foods, but who also sometimes supplement their diet with animal products.
New ways to consume caffeine.
One new emerging trend is nasal spray stimulants. A nasal spray stimulant delivers caffeine directly to the bloodstream through the nasal passages, providing a faster and more potent effect compared to traditional methods like coffee or energy drinks. We can expect to see this faster method of caffeine consumption grow in 2023 and beyond.
Prioritising naturalness and health boosting
The pandemic and increased health concerns have reinforced the changing habits of shoppers: people are more concerned about a balanced diet and are increasingly paying attention to ingredients and not just taste. Healthier eating is an ongoing trend that will become even stronger in 2023. It is safe to say that people will increasingly look more carefully at the ingredients in foods and will prefer those that are lower in sugar, fat, gluten, less processed and have a shorter list of additives. It seems likely that organic products with benefits for the body will become an increasing part of shoppers’ baskets.
Choices that save time and money
The ready-to-eat segment has grown rapidly over the past two years: during the pandemic, they were bought by those who wanted a break from the constant cooking at home, and after the end of quarantines, shoppers realised that they could save both time and money.
The return of nostalgic food
New trends don’t always mean reinventing something new. While we are keen to experiment and embark on the path of culinary innovation, in 2023, we predict a return of nostalgic dishes – the ones our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents used to make, but with a modern twist.
It’s not just the ingredients and taste that matter, but also the packaging.
Sustainable food packaging, not just production, will be important to shoppers in the coming year. This is supported by the growing ‘zero waste’ movement.
Make way for ‘swicy’ dishes!
It looks like there will be a new term in the gourmet dictionary in the year 2023 – “swicy”, which means nothing less than a combination of sweet and spicy flavours. From appetizers to desserts, every dish will have unexpected but distinct notes of sweet and spicy. Chocolate flavoured with chilli peppers has been a gourmet favourite for some time now, it’s time we followed that up by honey that bites the tongue, spicy chicken flavoured with strawberry jam, chilli and miso caramel biscuits, and burger sauces with a distinctive flavour made from cayenne pepper, garlic, and brown sugar.
