Following the success of our food trends blog with Karen Barnes last week, we’ve been lucky enough to interview Jenny Tschiesche, nutritionist and founder of lunchboxdoctor.com.
Here Jenny tells us what took her by surprise this year and what’s going to be hot in 2019.
Jenny Tschiesche, LunchboxDoctor
What food trends have surprised in 2018 in terms of popularity?
The food trend that has surprised me most is the popularity of the Instant Pot. Multicooker sales have risen by 79% in the past year and the Instant Pot is the number 1 selling Multicooker in the UK.
What are your top predictions for the food industry in 2019?
- I think gadgets will feature in terms of food trends. People want quick and easy solutions to create real food meals or meals from scratch. Gadgets that make this easier will be a continuing trend e.g. indoor BBQ’s, pizza ovens, food processors, air fryers, and more smoothie makers.
- Foodwise there continues to be an interest in eating more plant-based foods but not necessarily committing to veganism. From a health and sustainability perspective, this is a wise choice for many. It reverses the trend for overconsumption of cheap animal protein and increases the demand for quality animal products as well as seasonally available vegetables. That’s a win-win.
How influential are bloggers, vloggers and Instagrammers on creating food trends?
Vloggers, bloggers and Instagrammers are influential but more so in the younger age groups. In slightly older age groups social media plays a key role in decision making but more word-of-mouth than follow-my-leader.
How important is packaging going to be in 2019 with the backlash of plastic?
Increasingly food brands are moving to less packaging or more sustainable packaging. At the moment brands can differentiate themselves on this basis but one would hope this becomes the norm.
Photo Credit : Jenny Tschiesche www.lunchboxdoctor.com