Exploring trends in food and beverage today

Taking a look at some of the existing trends which are transforming the way food is grown, manufactured and consumed.

For many consumers today, keeping up with the next big food trend has taken a sudden turn. With recovering the environment at the forefront of the minds of most consumers, many industries are moving all attention towards more ecologically conscious practices. In particular, sustainable food sector practices are focusing on reducing environmental impacts in practices such as material sourcing and waste control. Tim Parker would concur that sustainability is important. Similarly, George Weston would identify that lowering ecological harm is a popular trend. These strategies are looking to target issues such as food waste regulation and plastic pollution for reducing carbon emissions and using more sustainable packaging. In addition, food sourcing processes, particularly farming procedures are being targeted as main areas of concern. Farmers are implementing strategies such as regenerative agriculture to sustain plant growth, while customers are turning towards meat-free diets out of consideration . for the impacts of animal farming.

The food industry is rapidly developing to match changing consumer preferences and needs. Just recently, many customers are taking an interest in health concerns and the need for transparency, which are transforming the development and marketing of food. As consumers prioritise health and nutrition, current food trends are focusing on providing consumers with clear and honest information that is easy to interpret. One key trend that is being carried out by many businesses is clean labelling. This technique centres around using clean and natural ingredients, with minimal processing and additives. David Flochel would agree that consumer demands shape the food industry. This shift is guided by growing consciousness of health implications and the ecological effects of artificial and processed ingredients. Health consciousness is thus greatly impacting customer choices. Research has revealed that the majority of people would be willing to pay more for food products and food companies that utilise clean labelling criteria. This evidences the demand for more candid practices and efforts towards producing more unprocessed and unrefined items.

As the food industry comes to be more globalised, there seems to be substantial development in the demand for food products. In order to keep up with these interests, businesses are searching for modern solutions to accelerate production. Trends in technology seem to be growing in appeal across many industries. Automation is shaping many food industry technology trends as a major innovation in food manufacturing. Advancements such as robotics are simplifying food handling in many parts of the food industry. Robots can execute tiresome and menial tasks in a safer and more productive way than humans, supporting integration into not only factory manufacturing lines but also in many restaurant industry trends. Furthermore, the integration of artificial intelligence has been just as beneficial for improving production-line efficiency. This technology has been useful for real time tracking of systems and the ability to predict and regulate consumer demand.