Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) has released its first Future Menu Trends report (Link to report), developed with a team of industry partners and chefs from all around the world. UFS anchored the trends report around eight core themes based on global data, extensive inputs from more than 1600 chefs, global social media analytics and the expertise of hundreds of chefs who offer practical, real-world applications.
The report covered the major trends and demonstrated how these trends can be brought to life with recipes. The top eight trends identified in the report are 1modern comfort foods puts a new spin on timeless dishes, while keeping that sense of connection to one’s culture, 2irresistible vegetables that take center stage as decadent and indulgent plant-based dishes, 3wild & pure use foraged ingredients to create tasty and sustainable dishes , 4flavour contrasts bursts with unexpected multisensory dining experiences, 5feel-good food is about vitality and the key to this is diversity and balance in the food we eat, the 6new sharing is about bonding around generous dishes that are food for the soul, 7mindful proteins is about diversifying to include different sources of protein and 8low-waste menus aim for minimum waste and maximum flavours in dishes.
Four of the eight big megatrends that Unilever has identified are linked to the food service industry and come from 178 trend report sources, analysing 44 000 food occasions, from more than 15 countries. The megatrends are conscious choices, healthier living, cooking renaissance and indulgent experiences that represent big shifts in the world and that will stay with us over a few years. The trends are being brought to life with recipes, created with inspiration from a variety of different food cultures and are well tested recipes for professional kitchens and possible home use.
“Identifying the hottest global trends is critical in our quest to provide solutions for chefs, who are contending with challenges ranging from labour shortages to tackling sustainability issues like food waste,” said Hanneke Faber, President of Nutrition Unilever. “With the release of the Future Menus Trend report, Unilever Food Solutions is not just sharing future trends, but also offering solutions-based insights and adaptable recipes to inspire chefs and help them feel prepared for the future.”
With the launch of the ‘Future Menus’ Report, UFS is setting trends and helping chefs to bring them into action on their menus through recipes, techniques, and training. As an integral part of Unilever’s Nutrition Business, UFS is contributing to the ambition to be a ‘World-class Force for Good in Food’. This means delivering top financial performance whilst helping people transition to healthier diets to help reduce the environmental impact of the global food chain. This includes reaching our net zero target across our value chain by 2039 ‘Future Menus’ will provide an additional space to build towards greater sustainability in food service, empowering culinary professionals and inspiring the dishes of today and tomorrow.
For more information, please visit http://www.ufs.com/
