July 2019 Food Trends
Food | 11th July 2019
Deirdre Moriarty is the Musgrave MarketPlace trends expert. Below she discusses the July 2019 food trends that have caught her eye.
It is interesting to see how globalised the food industry has become with lots more international chains making their way to our shores, and flavour profiles and ingredients that were so new to us just a few short years ago, now becoming mainstream. This takes us nicely to this month’s trend update! In this month’s update, I look at the rise of the sweet potato and give a quick update on sustainability. Have a great month!
Food Manufacturers Sweet on Sweet Potatoes
If you are a sweet potato fan then you are in luck, as NPD using sweet potato increased by 21% between 2015 and 2018 according to recent research by Innova Market Insight. What’s driving this; the colour, the nutrients, a renewed focus on plant-based foods and the flavour appear to be the key drivers. A recent USDA report showed that there was a 38% increase in the acreage given to sweet potatoes, so it looks like your favourite sweet potato fries are here to stay.
Lots Happening in Sustainability
Sustainability continues to be a key focus for both retail and foodservice operators. Selfridges have announced they will no longer be using palm oil in any of their own brand products. A new sustainable café has opened in Dun Laoghaire called Ink, focusing on local seasonal sourcing, eliminating single-use plastic and reducing food waste by pickling, fermenting and using coffee grounds for compost. I am going to add Ink to my ever-expanding list of places to check out. Finally, when I say London marathon what springs to your mind? Training, achievement, people running in crazy costumes, lots of plastic water bottle on the ground?!? Well, the last could be a thing of the past as this year the organisers of the marathon trialled edible water capsules. The edible pouches made from seaweed by London company Skipping Rocks Lab are also biodegradable.
This month I’ll be:
- Doing a Food Safari in Amsterdam
- Popping into Leon for a healthy, fast and casual lunch
Did you enjoy Deirdre’s breakdown of Food Trends? See what Deirdre had to say last month in her June Food Trends roundup.
