What Is On the Menu for 2023?

​Many things come and go, but some things tend to stay the same.  Food is one of the few things that bring people together – by sharing a communal meal and by having a home cooked meal at home.
 
Food creates a unique bond and creates endless opportunities to build deeper relationships with friends, showcase gratitude, celebrate special occasions, and so much more.   Food is such a key part of our everyday life that this industry has also generated “US $8.6 trillion and it is expected to grow by 6.71 percent between 2022 and 2027,” according to Statista. 
 
In this blog, Allen Marketing Communications, Inc., a boutique food and beverage public relations agency based in New York City, highlights the top six food trends for 2023. 
 
Butter Boards
 
If there’s one food trend that’s been swirling around social media lately, it’s the butter board. For those who aren’t familiar with a butter board, it’s essentially a far more simplified version of a charcuterie board.
 
Butter boards are just another creative approach to communal dining. At its core, this family style way of eating touches on the same notion of putting the same thing in your body as everyone around you.
 
Butter boards pair well with almost everything and it requires easy prep work. It can be prepared as either a savory, sweet, or spicy board. Using ingredients such as roasted garlic, honey, or red chili pepper flakes are just some ways to design a butter board.
 
Edible flowers are a nice way to finish your selection.
 
Sweet and Spicy
 
They say opposites attract.  In the food industry, opposite flavor profile pairings, such as sweet and savory or sweet and spicy bring out different notes of flavor within each other.
 
Sweet and spicy food combinations such as a mangonada, which “is almost like a Mexican sorbet and incorporates blended mango (fresh or frozen), chili lime salt (called Tajín), chamoy sauce, lime juice, and sugar.” (Source: Mashed).
 
Sweet and spicy is a classic combination that will not be going away anytime soon. Who knows? It might even inspire news food combos.
 
“On the spice side of things, chaat masala—a spice blend from North India made with dried mango powder, cumin, coriander, dried ginger, salt , black pepper, asafetida, and chili powder—is a salty-savory-sweet combo predicted to take off” according Spoonshot’s Food Brain 2023 report.
 
Sustainable Eats
 
You know that moment when worlds collide, this is one of those moments. Recently, there has been growing support and efforts toward keeping our planet sustainable. There are several ways to incorporate sustainable practices into your everyday life and your eating habits are definitely not an exception.
 
Buying in season is also another admirable effort towards sustainability. People are always looking for ways to be more sustainable, and whether that be through buying food that does not need a lot of water or supporting hyper local farmers markets, this is a trend that will be here to stay.
 
Meatless Mondays are just one of the various forms to make a conscious effort to not eat as much meat. This is popular among those who are not vegetarian or vegan, but would still like to limit their impact.
 
THC and CBD Mood Food
 
“A fancy way of saying ‘ordinary food with cannabis infused’, mood food has been growing in popularity,” stated the Wicked Noodle. As cannabis continues to be decriminalized and legalized at varying levels throughout the United States, a new market opens for the cannabis industry.
 
With technology advancements, dispensaries are now able to measure exactly how much THC and CBD are within any butter or oil they create. Such exact measurements allow for safer medicated and recreational use among users.
 
Retro Eats
 
If we’re not worrying about the future, chances are we’re thinking of the past. Seeing as it's impossible to go back in time to the “good old days”, one of the best ways to take yourself back to those times is eating nostalgic food. According to Better Homes & Gardens, “Whole Foods reports [you’ll] … start seeing remixed versions of childhood favorites with more wellness-focused twists in stores. Think macaroni and cheese, pizza bites, prebiotic soda, and more.”
 
Since the pandemic, people have become more conscious of the true effects of anything they decide to put in their bodies. With food being the main source, people are valuing healthier options, which is a trend predicted to stay. It makes sense these two trends would mesh together and allow for some innovative meals to be reinvented.
 
Pasta Alternatives
We have heard the old adage of eating fruits and vegetables.  Pasta, historically, has been made using unleavened dough often consisting of “durum wheat, water or eggs.”
 
During the last couple of years, there has been an explosion of plant-based products on the markets. Pasta alternatives such as chickpeas, cauliflower and zucchini are nothing new. 
 
Whole Foods predicts consumers will see “noodles made from spaghetti squash, hearts of palm and green bananas” popping up in pasta aisles (Source:  Everyday Health).
 
Food  makes you feel closer to those you just shared a meal with because you can find out about all the different people you each have encountered during your journey of life.  Our food and beverage public relations professionals are here to help food marketers introduce, grow and expand their product lines.  Give us a call.
 
By Rania Perales at Allen Marketing Communications, Inc.
 
Image:  Pexels

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