Back-to-basics — meaning a focus on buying quality, basic ingredients and building a menu from there — leads the Food Channel’s list of top food trends for 2010 according to a story in Marketing Daily.
This version of back-to-basics “isn’t about retro, or comfort food, or even cost — it’s about determining the essentials and stocking your pantry accordingly,” say the channel’s food gurus.
In fact, in addition to more of the eating-at-home trend, they predict a shift away from convenience foods and toward real, from-scratch cooking, “now that we have more time than money, and more food knowledge and concerns.”
When people do go out to eat, they’ll be experimenting more than ever. Restaurant concepts are in flux as people redefine what going “out” to eat means, they note. New formats/concepts that are likely to do well include gastropubs, fusion dining, “shareables” and communal tables, and those built around “fresh” and do-it-yourself themes.
Grocery stores will continue to see growth in private label and a revival of emphasis on the in-store butcher, as well as upgraded delis and fresh take-out sections, say the trend-watchers. Bulk buys will continue, but frequent — even daily — purchases of fresh meal ingredients will become more common as a means of making meals special and minimizing waste. Using social media, apps and online sources to get real-time tips on where the best grocery deals are and to score coupons will become more prevalent.
