Flavours, ingredients and meals — what'll be hot in 2016

Convenience, health and sustainability are all predicted to be big players in the ready meals and high-volume catering industry in 2016. Read on to find out what your clients are likely to want in their meals this year.

Convenience

The ready-meal industry already offers convenience in spades — all consumers have to do is heat and serve or simply serve. However, competition is looming on the horizon for how consumers will access their ready meals. The traditional access methods are expected to be disrupted by order-and-pay apps, third-party online ordering and delivery services. Amazon and Uber are already muscling into this market.

Furthermore, food halls, food trucks and quick-service restaurants will offer another alternative to traditional ready-meal consumers. These outlets, which offer a bridge between traditional fast foods and restaurants, are keen to snaffle up business from the ready-meals sector.

In the US last year, quick service restaurants (QSR) were the strongest performing segment, representing 79% of all foodservice visits. The QSR Fast Casual category increased visits by 8% and retail convenience store foodservice traffic grew by 2%. These two top-growing QSR categories are on opposite ends of the price spectrum, but both are meeting consumers’ needs for quality, convenience and value. Total growth for the QSR segment was 1%.

Another option for the convenience junkie is meal kit start-ups. With all of the ingredients supplied and ready to use, the purchaser simply constructs the meal. The main reason these meals can compete with ready meals is that purchasers often have the inner glow that have prepared a ‘home cooked’ meal.

These trends should not be taken lightly as it is anticipated that investment in on-demand delivery services and meal kit start-ups will rise from $600 million in 2014 to over a billion dollars in the US in 2016.

Health

So what will you need to put on your plates to not only keep your client base but grow it? It seems that the thing consumers want most alongside convenience is health. They want to incorporate more ‘good-for-you’ products into their lives and can justify indulgence if the meal includes more wholesome ingredients.

Consumers don’t let science get in the way of belief when it comes to their food choices. The rise of ‘gluten-free’ is a classic example. Many consumers don’t actually need products that are free from gluten but are demanding them anyway, as they believe them to be healthier. This has led to an explosion in the availability of alternative and wheat-free flours. Gluten-free flours are made from legumes, ancient grains, teff, amaranth and nuts. Chickpea flour is a quick riser, while other legume-based flours are showing up in bean-based pastas and other packaged goods.

The ‘free from’ trend is not limited to gluten, with dairy and sugar among other ‘no-go’ ingredients.

Genetically modified (GM) ingredients are also out of favour. Many consumers are voting with their feet and demanding non-GM ingredients or, at the very least, menu labelling that clearly identifies if meals contain GM ingredients.

This will present problems for some manufacturers as they try to be honest and transparent in their labelling, as some crops and animal feeds fed to livestock have been genetically modified to boost yield and productivity. This means you will need to not only be aware where your meat, poultry and seafood came from, but also what they ate.

Food manufacturers will have to continue to make food products that are less processed as consumers demand more transparency and foods that are closer to their natural state. But they still want instant, feel-good cures — often there is no sense in what becomes a trend.

Fermented foods and probiotics are very much in vogue, and will continue to be in 2016. The belief is that such products not only improve intestinal health but that there is a gut/brain connection so probiotics may also be helpful in treating symptoms of depression. Spicy products like kimchi and gochujang will continue to gain steam, while innovative options like chiogga beet kraut and non-dairy tonics will add variety to the fermented foods options.

Sprouted grains are also expected to become more mainstream as consumers believe that sprouting creates enzymes that make plant proteins, essential fatty acids, starches and vitamins more available for absorption.

More and more non-athletes are wanting the benefits they believe come with the protein and energy ingredients in sports nutrition products. So these products are also entering the mainstream convenience market.

On a positive note, while consumers are demanding fresher and more wholesome meals, they are willing to pay a premium for this. Gourmet ready meals, preferably created by a hatted chef, are one of the fastest growing sectors of the market.

Sustainability

Natural and minimally processed

Artisan or centuries-old food processing practices that bring a natural and authentic image to foods are in vogue. These products counteract some of the negative perceptions consumers have about heavily processed foods.

This is partly why heirloom ingredients (and not just tomatoes) are making a comeback. Ancient herbs like thyme, peppermint, parsley, lavender and rosemary are back in fashion along with ancient grains like amaranth and quinoa.

Consumers seem to like foods that come with a story. It seems that the magical properties of a berry that has been known ‘only to the elders of a remote tribe’ gives credibility to the consumption of particularly expensive ingredients.

A follow-on from the minimally processed and natural trends is ‘morally conscious foods’. These products are not only clean label but also humane and kind to the planet. Cage-free eggs are just the tip of the iceberg — grass-fed is another trend. Grass-fed beef is being joined by grass-fed eggs, yoghurt, butter, cheese, meat snacks and even protein powders.

The selling power of morally conscious is best summed up when you realise that even McDonalds is moving towards cage-free eggs.

Fresh and locally sourced

One of the biggest trends is for locally sourced produce. As a differentiator from the mass-produced approach of supermarkets, consumers are responding to locally grown produce or specific area produce (Manning Valley eggs, Gippsland cream) or to specific breeds (Angus beef etc).

But what ingredients will be in vogue?

Vegetables

Consumers know that they need to eat more greens but are not always keen. The addition of hidden vegetables in foods like fusion smoothies or high vegetable pastas is allowing people to increase their vegetable intake without facing the fact that they don’t really like to eat vegetables.

Broccoli, brussels sprout, carrot, radish, beetroot and parsnip chips are just some of the dehydrated vegetables that are available.

Ethnic experiences

Well-travelled consumers are looking for authentic products from all over the globe.

Sriracha, a hot sauce from Thailand, is already a popular way to add instant ethnic cachet to everything from a simple sandwich to whole dishes. Ghost pepper from India, sambal from Southeast Asia, gochujang from Korea and harissa, sumac and dukka from North Africa are all predicted to rise in popularity this year.

Charred, burnt or smoked

Smoked is becoming a bit passé as consumers are now going for charred and burnt foods. Charred vegetable sides, desserts with charred fruits or burnt-sugar toppings, cocktails featuring smoked salt, smoked ice or smoky syrups — this trend is covering all food groups.

This is quite interesting when you consider their simultaneous drive for healthful foods, as charring and burning foods is known to create carcinogens.

Uncommon meat and seafood

Lesser-known meat and seafood options and unusual cuts of meat are still featuring on menus across the country.

Less sugar

In the attempt to eat less sugar, natural sweeteners like stevia, maple syrup, agave syrup, monk fruit, date sugar and coconut palm sugar are in high demand. Even though the sugars in most of these products are metabolised in exactly the same way as the sucrose in cane sugar, they still appeal to consumers and are perceived to overcome the horrors of ‘added sugar’.

Full-fat dairy

There is a distinct trend away from fat-free dairy product to full or reduced fat and it is forecast that full-fat will continue to gain favour.

Pulses

The United Nations has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses, bringing awareness to these crops harvested for dry grain — lentils, beans, chickpeas, etc. The UN’s goal is to heighten public awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production, aimed towards food security and nutrition.

Pulses fit in with the ‘healthy 3’ trend as they are truly functional foods, not just because of their protein and amino acid content, but also because of their positive impact on the environment.

So, there you have it, 2016 on a plate. Admittedly a full-fat, clean-label, no added sugar, morally acceptable, charred, healthy and convenient plate.