Food Trends for 2012 (Claire)

Food Trends for 2012

1. Artisan Foods

Leave the discounting to the supermarkets – fresh food retailers in 2011 will benefit by focussing on the growth in high quality home cooking spurred by the many TV shows. Carrying artisan, locally crafted products with unique flavour profiles is a sure fire way to gain customer loyalty and increase visitation.

2. The “Celebrity Grower”

What happens when we run out of celebrity chefs? Time to roll out the celebrity supplier! Centres that quickly grasp and action this trend through using celebrity food producers for promotions and infotainment in Centre will quickly lead the pack as the preferred fresh food destination.

3. Food Channel Knowledge

Consumer demand for information on each product from paddock to plate will continue, and fresh food retailers need to understand and be able to answer questions on the food miles, sustainability, ingredients and organic status of their products in order to appeal to the new consumer.

4. “Mini Size Me!”

Super sizing is just so yesterday! Is it due to the GFC, the changing demographic as Gen Y becomes the most prolific fast food consumer group or are we all just too damn busy to stop and eat? Whatever, it is imperative that every fast food menu has a component of mini versions of the most popular products, available for an extended period of time (instead of just lunchtime), to capitalise on the new 24/7 demands of shoppers. Sales uplifts of 10-20% have been achieved by retailers implementing this strategy, as rather than the consumer “trading down” from a regular to a “mini” size, more customers are being attracted across a larger day part!

5. Less Salt, More Flavour

Demands for healthier foods will continue and the key to success here is to look for menu lines that are a flavour variation on core lines (vertical expansion) rather than looking for horizontal menu expansion. Emerging opportunities for niche cuisines (as long as they have great vertical depth) with at least 50 menu lines are beginning to show potential to survive and thrive in larger food courts.

6. Is There An App For That?

Menus, on line ordering, group discount coupons, real time marketing, fan bases. Savvy fast food retailers will offer multi channels for communicating and marketing to their fan base and it needs to happen YESTERDAY!

7. The Rise Of The C-Store

Expect to see competition from other retail outlets such as convenience stores, chemists etc as they start to wise up to the demand for impulse fast foods. We expect to see strong brand development of “snack foods” such as sandwiches, drinks, pastries and coffees in these non-traditional food outlets.

8. GastroPubs/Niche Dining

We love pubs and we love our food. Fantastic new entertainment precincts will incorporate major GastroPubs as anchors, while the restaurants will become smaller and more niche in offer. A final addition will be to provide common “green space” areas designed to connect the community through socialising, gardening and interactive play. 

9. Grazing

Just like the “mini me”-omenon for fast food, restaurant menus need to dispense with the old “entree, main course, dessert” format and head for shared plates and casual dining options within their offer to capitalise on the growing purchasing power of Gen Y and their propensity to socialise in larger groups, under more “public” formats.

10. Pop Up/Mobile Slow Food

Entertainment Precincts of the future will require an ability to “refresh” their offer on a sporadic basis to meet the needs of the attention span limited younger generation. Integrating some raw space or services to allow for “pop up” restaurants or food experiences will avoid stagnation and boredom as the quest for the “newest” and “tailored” offers continues to grow.

11. Surf Spa Food
Consumer demand for more robust spa cuisine created a niche an inch wide and a mile deep as more and more people (mostly women) want to learn to surf, do yoga, eat well and be pampered.

 

2012 Food Trends in Charts

Trending words include: fresh sardines, uni, yuzu, tamarind, oxtail, hibiscus, arepas, coconut oil, shiso, bao, nduja, green papaya, and huacatay (black mint).

On a larger scale, everything is going multicultural. Eating beef tongue, gizzards, tripe, and chicken livers is no longer a big deal thanks to japanese izakayas, Korean tacos, and authentic Mexican cuisine. So to help take in all this new, crazy food you'll be having next year, let's look at some charts.

Example A: Beer gardens (always trendy), mini things (like cupcakes), and bread-like foods are all taking the multicultural dive with Japanese craft beers, arancini, and arepas, respectively.

 

Example B: Even standard restaurant fare is getting creative. Comfort food is still getting the "gourmet" treatment as well, with fancy meatballs, pork rillettes mac and cheese, and Korean fried chicken.

 

Example C: House-made pickles are trendy and Korean food will soon be ubiquitous. This makes the ingredient of the year kimchi. Enjoy. The Dalily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting fodd news and trends across the country.

(Claire)