News and Events

10 upcoming food trends for 2019

I love this time of the year. Besides the Christmas festivities, it's a great time to reflect on the year and look forward to the next. What fun plans are in the pipeline and what new food trends are we going to see? We've spotted some new food movements in 2018, but we predict they'll breakthrough next year and become mainstream. Here's our forecast:  

1. Celery (juice)
Celery is a real up-and-comer. Although it hasn't had a high profile like avocado in the past, lots of food bloggers, celebrities and health coaches are sharing a fresh glass of celery juice on their Instagram feed these days. Starting the day with celery juice is suggested to have a healthy effect on your intestinal flora, blood pressure and inflammations. While we can't endorse health claims, we do agree that drinking a green juice in the morning is a refreshing start to the day, and it combines perfectly with other fruit and vegetable drinks. We expect to see this food trend continuing in 2019.


2. Vegetables cooked like meat
Vegetable burgers have been on the menu for years and new variations of meat-substitutes made from vegetables are continually being introduced. Take for example a vegetarian shawarma, (similar to a donor kebab) made from thinly sliced celeriac that was created at the Copenhagen restaurant, Noma. The dish was a huge hit on the 22-dish menu and is also called “shawarma of the future”. Or what about an eggplant served as steak or cauliflower prepared as chicken wings? The possibilities are endless.

3. A multitude of preparation options
Chefs today use a much wider array of preparation methods, which ensures a more adventurous menu and more excitement when eating out. An added benefit is that vegetables lend themselves perfectly to a variety of preparation styles because of their diversity in textures, colours, tastes and seasons. For example, we're seeing restaurants increasingly use cooking methods that involve open fire, smoking, fermentation, pickling and sous vide (vacuum sealed).

4. Plant based is the new organic
While we have become accustomed to a range of organic vegetables on offer in the supermarket, vegan or plant-based food is also more commonplace. Consumers are becoming ever more critical about foods sourced from animals and are seeking sustainable ways of eating. We don't foresee consumers changing en masse to plant-based food anytime soon, but making more conscious decisions about food and purchasing will certainly increase in 2019.

5. Fish free
Although the range of meat substitutes on supermarket shelves continues to increase, the offering of fish substitutes lags behind. But this is about to change. More and more products are being marketed such as imitation salmon, fish-less tuna in a can or fish-free sushi. Whether it is just as tasty as real fish is open to debate.

6. Circular cooking
Sustainability is a hot topic in all sectors. At first, it was all about sustainable packaging and non-sustainable industries (take meat, for example), and now it has shifted to a broader approach in the kitchen: circular cooking. Circular cooking is about eating more vegetables, eating from head to tail, from root to stem, and seasonally-based cooking. Leftover products are conserved, and you are more aware of where products come from. This type of climate-friendly cooking ensures less waste.

7. The hummus shake
Hummus  has been extremely popular for years so it's crazy that it took so long before a derivative was produced. The 'hummus shake' trend started at the Hummus & Pita Co. chain in New York and will most definitely spread to other places. A simple milkshake, available in a variety of flavours, which you can make at home from chickpeas, almond milk, dates, tahini and banana. Totally on trend because it is also gluten free and vegan.

8. Healthy colours and flavourings
Matcha (green tea) powder gets competition. We are seeing more and more powder concentrates from vegetal products. They are not only used to give food an unnatural colour in a natural way, but often contain healthy nutrients too. For instance, the purple Acai berry from the Amazon, the bright yellow of turmeric, and various powder concentrates from mushrooms.

9. Gut heath food
Fermenting has been popular for years but it's now become even more attractive by placing fermented products under the gut health food label. It is said that products like kombucha, sauerkraut and kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage) also contribute positively to your intestinal flora. Will fermented food finally hit the fashion high stakes?

10. Food swaps
Replacing carbs with vegetables, such as pizza dough made out of cauliflower or spaghetti made from zucchini, might not be considered a 'new trend', but this movement is continuously developing, and we see increasingly more on offer in this area. How about 'mushotto' (riceless risotto with celeriac and mushrooms), beetroot focaccia, butternut crinkle fries and Portobello burger buns?

Which of these food trends have you already tried? Or which one would you like to try?