There are four big food and drink trends likely to explode next year—spurred on by the pandemic—which seem unlikely candidates at first glance, but they offer reliable, practical market solutions to an industry which has suffered under Covid-19 and is ready for a little disruption.
According to Forbes.com columnist Alex Ledsom, there are the four main things that we’ll be doing differently in 2021 in regard to what we choose to put into our bodies.
Insects
Insects are high in protein and can be farmed and produced relatively easily and more cheaply compared to meat. They form a large part of Asian diets but because bugs aren't as readily available as they are in equatorial climates, they were never picked up in European diets. Until now.
The term for eating insects is “entomophagy” and the U.N. thinks that eating more of them is key to establishing food security - it published a 2013 report entitled, Edible Insects.
Currently, 2.5 billion people worldwide regularly eat insects, cooked and raw, but many new startups need to get consumers over the considerable “yuck” factor before they will be taken seriously.
However, that day may not be far away. At least one major supermarket now sells insect products in most European countries—Sainsbury's in the U.K., Carrefour in Spain and Kaufland, Germany's second largest supermarket chain.
Other plant-based and alternative meat protein
Whether it be plant-based meat, seafood, dairy and egg alternatives or lab-grown meat or seafood, 2021 is the year this food group will explode in terms of investment and in terms of sales.
Boxed wine
It used to remind people of college drinking or low-quality brands but boxed wine is making an upmarket comeback.
During the pandemic boxed wine has also been a popular choice - it's easier to store wine in boxes, the larger volumes mean people can stock more and go to the shops less, and it's more hygienic for restaurants to use boxed wine, where bottles don't move from table to table. The good news is that it also stores better once open, lasting four weeks longer than wine in a bottle and the quality is now much better.
It's much more environmentally friendly; each three-litre box generates half the carbon dioxide emissions (per 750 millilitres) compared to a glass bottle and it's cheaper to transport boxed wine.
Celebrity alcohol
Just as perfumes and aftershave used to be the must-have celebrity brand spin-off, now alcohol is the new favourite. George Clooney had his tequila brand, Ryan Reynolds his gin and several stars—such as Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz— have launched their own wines and champagnes.
This will become increasingly common in 2021, with champagne houses and vineyards looking to capitalize on the popularity of big names and celebrities looking to extend their brands.
For more information on ingredients used in the food industry contact Chemgrit Food.
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