The biggest trends in food and dining for 2018 might not only be about what’s on your plate.
The University of Guelph’s new food trends report spells out six areas it sees changing in the food arena over the next year.
According to the report, the up-and-coming trends are the emergence of ‘micro-markets’ as producers offer more niche products, increased consumption of plant-based proteins and other non-meat protein sources, more attention being paid to the use of antibiotics in meat production, Canadians eating more of their meals in restaurants, minimum wage increases affecting the restaurant industry, and increasing food prices in general.
A pair of themes run through the six categories: Increasing costs and increasing choice.
The report notes that food is becoming “less and less a commodity and more and more a specialized, individual choice,” with it becoming easier than ever for people to eschew big-box supermarkets in favour of finding the specific products they want, even if doing so is less convenient.
Restaurants typically don’t have the same ability to diversify their selection, often offering their customers only slight variations on their dishes. However, the report says, they can still influence people toward changing their eating habits based on their menus, which shape perceptions of what a typical meal entails.
On the protein front, the report says there has been a 25 per cent decrease in demand for red meat over the past decade, with other proteins like soy and pulses making up a large part of the difference. In the future, cultured meats and insects could becoming more popular as meat alternatives.
Michael von Massow, one of the study’s authors, says the increasing popularity of alternative proteins will be one of the most noticeable changes to people in restaurants and supermarkets over the next year.
For people who do still eat meat, the Guelph team expects to see much more discussion about the use of antibiotics. While the report says antibiotic use can be reduced on farms, eliminating the drugs’ use entirely could adversely impact animal health.
“Great care needs to be taken to strike the right balance between human health needs, consumer preference, and animal health needs,” the report reads.
The report also highlights the upcoming increase in Ontario’s minimum wage, noting that it will affect many people who work in restaurants and the retail food industry.
As a result, restaurants could end up increasing their prices, decreasing their portions, or cutting back on their hours of operation. Similar changes could be seen in retail – with some independent stores potentially at risk of closure.
Automation is another option. Von Massow says fast-food restaurants may increasingly move toward self-serve order kiosks, while sit-down restaurants may look more closely at tablet-based ordering systems.
“That probably won’t eliminate the server entirely … but it will allow restaurants to have fewer people on staff,” he says.
Still, he warns, some customers might not take kindly to losing the personal touch of a server.
“Restaurants are going to have to be very careful not to let cost compromise the overall experience,” he says.
“It doesn’t matter how much money you save if people aren’t enjoying going there anymore.”
With reporting by Tina Yazdani
