A blink of an eye ago – just over a year ago – we embarked on a review of all the food trends we thought were worthy of mention for the forthcoming year. So now, as we research the same topic again for this year, we have a very strong feeling of deja vu. In fact maybe a little beyond that, perhaps Groundhog Day (pictured above).
Deja vu
Quite a few food futurologists this year mention 2023 trends that were trends back in 2022 and, what’s more, were ones we covered last year. These were…
- Nootropics
- Non alcoholic drinks
- Mushrooms
- Yuzu fruit
- Reducetarianism
- Moringa
- Turmeric
- Potato milk
To save any unnecessary time and effort on your part or ours, we refer you to our previous article on these seemingly continuing trends.
Consensus
Maybe there are only a limited number of people writing about food trends, so it may well be inevitable that there’s a bit of consensus out there about what these trends are. Some of these trends also feature in the deja vu list above.
One particular item really must be a genuine trend, as it was mentioned by no less than four of the trend pundits, and that was ‘butter boards’. Butter boards are proof that TikTok has finally come of age for stuff other than videos of people falling over and/or dancing, but that doesn’t make them any more understandable. Butter boards are simple…
- Find a small preferably wooden board. If it’s shaped like a slice of bread even better.
- Spread a generous amount of butter on the board.
- Throw various food items on it – bits of onion, green salad etc.
- Hey presto! – a butter board.
In case you find yourself with one of these in front of you, you’re meant to mop up the butter board (not necessarily all of it in one go) with a slice of bread – or maybe toast.
Coming in equal second place with three pundits agreeing on these two trends, were non-alcoholic ‘alcoholic’ drinks (see previous article again) and ‘sustainable food’.
Sustainable Food
Mentioned by columnists in Australia and the UK, consumers are looking out for sustainable practices both when out shopping and when dining in cafes and restaurants. They are increasingly looking at anything from the sustainability of packaging to how waste is disposed of to whether foods are sourced locally or flown from the other side of the world. In the UK there is a phrase for this last one – ‘food miles’ which some major supermarkets now show next to the price tag on their shelves. One great local example of sustainable practices in waste disposal is Howard Smith Wharves under the Story Bridge here in Brisbane.
They have won many awards for their sustainable practices, which involve recycling over 90% of their waste, including food waste. Most food waste (including meat and fish) is hot composted on site and the compost is often given to the local farmers to take back in their vans and trucks when they deliver. Even oyster shells are kept and donated to the local OzFish project to build artificial reefs in Moreton Bay which helps with fish habitat restoration.
Lastly, mushrooms were a thing last year and are still in 2023, as well as anything that is ‘plant based’ – like mushrooms. Which begs the question – are mushrooms plants? Short answer – pre 1969 yes, post 1969 no, according to this article anyway.
So what is new for 2023? We spotted a few new interesting food trends that got a mention here in Australia and around the world. These were…
Seaganism
You’d be forgiven for not having heard this term even though it first appeared back in 2016. Seaganism describes a diet where you eat fish but no meat or animal products. It’s different from a pescatarian diet where adherents also eat animal products – if you’re a ‘seagan'(?) you don’t consume any dairy so no eggs butter or milk for you! As a side note there are now quite a few ‘fake fish’ options (which we wrote about here) including an apparently very good smoked salmon alternative made here in Australia.
Jelly
Apparently back in fashion and now you can eat it even if you’re over eight years old. For the grown ups there are even some savoury ones.
Chilled soups
The Spanish, French and Polish got there first with their Gazpacho, Vichyssoise and Borscht (technically Chlodnik when cold) but hey we’re all for reinventions. Apparently chilled soups are better for you than juices as they have a lower glycaemic index.
Tinned fish
Really? This is apparently another TikTok phenomenon although quite possibly only in the US. It all started with a girl uploading a video called ‘tinned fish date night’. We don’t know any more details.
And finally – maybe bye bye best before dates on packaged food? Supermarkets in the UK have already done this in an effort to reduce food waste. Australia next? Read the thinking behind this here.
More Reading
https://www.tryhubster.com.au/blog/6-food-trend-predictions
https://www.delicious.com.au/eat-out/latest-news/gallery/hottest-food-trends-2023/yl6gghxw
https://www.goodfood.com.au/eat-out/news/five-food-trends-that-need-to-stop-in-2023-and-five-that-should-flourish-20221222-h28tw8
https://www.womenshealth.com.au/food-trends-2023/
https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/article/188417/five-food-trends-to-look-out-for-in-2023/
https://www.thewickednoodle.com/food-trends/
https://www.cozymeal.com/magazine/top-food-trends
Main image credit (groundhogs): Ralph Katieb on Unsplash
