5 food trends for 2018
Over the last couple of years, we have seen a wide range of food trends, evolving around health, community and environment – all words that work great with seafood. So what is cooking on the food scene for 2018? Check out our predictions for the foodiest, fishiest trends of the year!
Full disclosure
One of the major trends predicted for 2018 is complete and total traceability from food and drink companies. It is crucial for diners to trust the food served at a restaurant, and to support and enhance this, many restaurants supply the product with origin or even a story on the processing of the different food elements combined in the meal.
The need for reassurance about a brand's trustworthiness and food safety standards has lead to an increase in the use of natural and environmental claims in global food launches. According to Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), 29% of all new food and drink launches from August 2016 to September 2017 had natural product claims such as organic, no additives or preservatives and GMO-free.
According to GNPD the trend is expected to rise even further in 2018, as consumers are increasingly skeptical:
- 45% of Chinese shoppers list food safety as a top 3 concern when choosing where to shop
How to embrace the trend with seafood:
Ask your supplier for products with full traceability and enquire on options for natural products with high food safety such as our Clean Label with no artificial additives or go for the All Natural, which is our promise of pure, sustainable and safe seafood.
Nootropics (or brainfood)
As part of the 'healthy body – healthy mind' movement, the health-conscious will be consuming nootropics (that's greek for 'mind change') this year. So while gut health is still very much in focus, the mind may now start to take over. Think brainfood!
According to trend forecasting agency Pearlfisher, the growing interest in memory enhancers is valued at 2,3 billion USD (yes, with a B) and is expected to increate to 11,6 billion USD by 2024. We are looking to sharpen up and stay focused!
As a result of this demand, London health restaurant Farmacy has paired up with Selfridges Food Hall and has launched the Farmacy Shot Bar. Here you can try 6 different and 100% plant based remedies in syringe shots, all promising to kick start your immune system.
How to give it a twist of seafood:
How to give it a twist of seafood:
Feast from the Middle East
Middle Eastern-inspired food is going to be a massive hit in 2018 with spices such as turmeric, harissa, cardamom and za'atar taking front row on our pallets. Both Whole Foods and The Michelin predict this trend to be a smash hit for this year and luckily, for seafood lovers, the food culture of countries such as Persia, Israel and Morocco have a strong history for serving seafood with a twist of those flavorful spices.
A feast with fish
A feast with fish
Hawaiian Cuisine
Hawaiian food is characterized by the different settlements and migrations on the island in the past and it is known for it's ultra fresh and tasty ingredients. One of the up and coming trends from this kitchen is the poke bowl.
Poke is pronounced, poh-keh, and the word means “to cut.” This quite aggressive verb, however, describes a delicate dish of raw, fresh fish (think: ahi tuna, salmon or shellfish) that are marinated and served cold over rice.
In Hawaii the poke bowl is everyday food, but can still be hard to find in Europe, even in London. This year they are likely to cross over into mainstream because of their obvious street food qualities and endless options for customization.
The most popular flavour combination is the ahi poke with yellowfin tuna. But if you are up for something different, try it with salmon and avocado or be bold and go for a combination of snow crab, green onions and coldwater prawns.
Food sensations
"Think about the perfect coldwater prawn. How the soft pink and white colours attract your eyes when you see it in a perfect prawn salad. Imagine the almost crisp bite that overwhelms your mouth with juicy and sweet shellfish notes of this perfect little mouthful of decadent taste as you chew and let the full array of flavours develop on your pallet."
Could you almost feel it?
The extra dimension that texture and sensory in general provides to an eating experience is predicted to become the next big thing to engage the senses and deliver share-worthy experiences. The sound, feel and satisfaction will simply become more important to consumers and thus companies alike.
Asia is not surprisingly the mother of new textures, and is home to a number of unexpected texture combinations to be sure – but what may be more surprising is that Europe holds the largest share of food and drink launches with descriptions of textures since January 2016. For example, more than 37% of Spanish shoppers are willing to explore food and drinks with unusual textures according to MINTEL.
Try it with seafood
