SAPi Predicts The Food Trends Of 2023
SAPi Predicts The Food Trends Of 2023
Are you looking to capitalize on future food trends as a food business? Maybe you’re the foodie always searching for the next Instagram-able oddity?
The insatiable desire for humans to mix up their food habits makes 2023 a thrilling year for foodies which will see sustainability take a front seat, fruits you may have never heard of, and dining habits that will make #solodate the hashtag of the year.
Over the past several years, we’ve been on a rollercoaster of food habits. So if 2020 and 2021 were the years of home cooking and comfort foods and 2022 was a triumphant return to dining in, delivery platforms, and events, what might food trends for 2023 bring us?
Will we stay on our health kick? Will the nostalgic plates of yesteryear dominate menus? Or will fusion flavors and exotic ingredients shape our palates? Let’s dig into the list below and find out.
SAPi’s Top Ten Food Trends For 2023
We consulted professional foodies, tastemakers, grocers, and market analysts to predict tomorrow’s flavors and trends.
1. Seafood Alternatives
Across all trends we looked at, sustainable food options were at the top of the list for 2023. Our planet’s population is growing, and with it, our need to feed almost 8 billion mouths. However, the goal to create a good life for all within planetary boundaries requires us to promote foods that will create the lightest carbon footprint. With our national intake of 6.3 billion pounds of seafood annually, comes with it the carbon footprint of fishing vessels and farms.
Seafood alternatives like Ocean Hugger Foods imitation sushi Sophie’s Kitchen crabcakes, and New Waves will have you forgetting that they didn’t come from the ocean and reduce your “foodprint” on the earth.
2. Mood Foods
We’ve been moving toward mood-based food experiences for some time, but 2023 will see this becoming a more mainstream event. The Food Institute forecasts a surge in meals complimented with CBD, THC, and even psychotropics in 2023. With the legalization of cannabis and the penetration of CBD in multiple food categories in the United States has come an acceptance of plant-based mood changers within the food and wellness culture.
Per The Food Institute:
“The easing of attitudes towards CBD has boosted interest in THC, its psychoactive cousin. Thanks to relaxed restrictions and regulatory loopholes, THC has made its way into a number of different menu items and consumer packaged goods.”
Examples we’ll be seeing in restaurants are beverages and cocktails featuring cannabis and derivatives that target relaxation, improved sleep, stress reduction, and more.
3. Mexican Spirits
Mexican spirits have been an uncontested food trend streak since the Aztec Indians first fermented agave to make a ceremonial wine that we now call Tequila. You can be sure to see more derivatives of the Mexican hard alcohol artistry in 2023.
Mezcal is the more smokey and savory cousin to tequila. It saw a surge in 2022 that doesn’t look like it will slow down as we round the corner to 2023. In addition, Sotol, made from the distillation of a Mexican shrub called the “desert spoon,” will be on all the cocktail menus in 2023 when Lenny Kravitz drops his Nocheluna brand of the spirit.
4. Seamless Order and Delivery
The Food People forecast a continued lean in on frictionless food service. This means Food APPs like Save A Plate, Inc (SAPi) will be working harder than ever to accommodate people who want to connect with local food businesses seamlessly. We’ll also see expanded use of QR codes, direct delivery from restaurants, and possibly even drone deliveries in 2023.
5. Potato Milk
Almond, oat, and cashew milks – remember when those were a novelty? If you think you’ve all the possibilities of plant-based milk, you probably weren’t expecting potatoes to come through. According to the National News, potato milk is the plant-based alternative that should have gone global in 2022, but we think 2023 is going to be the year you see your ultra-hip friend posting about it on social media.
Potato milk is known to be low in fat and sugar, cholesterol-free, and easier to produce making it a sustainable option. If you compare dairy milk to a potato-based alternative, the climate footprint of the potato drink is significantly lower. In fact, switching to a potato-based alternative reduces the climate impact by about 75 %. And no, we hate to disappoint, but it doesn’t taste much like potatoes.
6. Repurposing Pulp
Whole Foods annual trending foods list declared repurposed pulp the future hit of 2023. The byproducts of plant-based milk production mean the often-wasted pulps have seen an influx of brands begin to innovate in the repurposed pulp space. By upcycling byproducts like oat, soy, and almond pulp, brands are creating new products for the modern baker, for example, alternative flours, baking mixes, and sweets.
7. Solo Dining
According to Country and Town House if you enjoy a “solo date,” 2023 will be your year. Coming out of a restrictive pandemic and into the age of self-care, solo dining is seeing a surge in growth. As evidence, hashtags like #SoloDate and #DiningAlone have amassed over 150 million views on TikTok.
Restaurants have been making solo dining easier in we’ll likely see counter seating becoming more common.
8. Gut-Friendly Foods
According to tastemaker food magazine, Delish, gut health-friendly foods will continue their blazing trail to mainstream stardom in 2023. The trend-making evidence lies in Tik Tok’s analytics, where the hashtag #guthealth has over a staggering 2.4 billion views and counting. And it’s with that growing interest in gut health that we will begin to see a new wave of gut-friendly biotics: “postbiotics.” While “prebiotics” help feed the beneficial bacteria – known as ‘probiotics’ – inside your gut, “postbiotics” work in tandem with pre and probiotics in helping support the healthy gut, your immune system, and even your mental health.
Look for all the biotics in more functional foods like kombucha, fermented vegetables, and living yogurts in 2023.
9. Yuzu
Industry APP Lova predicts that the Asian citrus Yuzu will be the flavor profile of 2023. Yuzu saw a 49% increase in searches on the internet in the last year, meaning people’s interest is spiking for the exotic fruit. As the primary flavoring component, Yuzu is known for it’s bold and zesty taste. You can look forward to seeing it in a wide variety of flood applications such as beverages, ice creams, and marinades in 2023.
10. Yaupon
The final entry in our list is one recommended by food future sage; Whole Foods. They predict that the only caffeinated plant from North America is poised to unseat coffee in 2023. Ok, nothing is likely to take coffee’s crown, but you can be sure that Yaupon will make waves in the coming year with its mild, earthy flavor and unique health benefits.
Look for it as an ingredient in kombucha, ready-to-drink teas, and on artisan cocktail menus everywhere.
For more trending foods and how to connect with a local plate in your neighborhood, follow SAPi on Instagram at @sapiapp.