5 Healthy Food Trends You Need to Know in 2018

8th May 2018

Consumer trends amongst the food and drink industry are always changing. What should you be adding to your shopping list in 2018? Suttons, online gardening retailers of evergreen shrubs and more, investigates:

Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

New alcohol trends

When we hang out with friends, or go out for dinner, we often have a tipple or two. However, we are becoming more health conscious and calorie counting doesn’t go well with a taste for liquor…

Enter the latest alcohol trend — low-calorie drinking. This new trend allows us to drink and be sociable without consuming extra calories. The low-calorie option amongst alcoholic drinks has been a rising segment for many years and will continue to grow as we increasingly monitor what we eat and drink.

You might’ve seen some healthy beer on the shelves in supermarkets already and good-for-you cocktails could be the next thing. Now, 78% of bars offer cocktails which is up 12% on 2016 — driven by social media and people’s willingness to post photos of their fancy drinks. Zach Sasser, a head bartender, predicts that ingredients such as beetroot juice, kale and pureed carrots will be popular. “Going into this health-conscious age that we live in, I believe integration is inevitable,” he says.

When 700 chefs were questioned on what they thought the latest culinary trends would be, they said that the relationship between the bar and kitchen is to become stronger. Can we expect vegetable-infused cocktails in 2018?

The magic ingredient

Fungi has been under scrutiny in recent research. It’s been discovered that fungi such as mushrooms are good for you as they produce ‘adaptogenic’ compounds — assisting in anti-stress and anti-cancer treatments. For this reason, we predict that mushrooms will be the next big thing in 2018. In fact, Food Navigator found that year-on-year sales of food products that include medicinal mushrooms have risen between an outstanding 200-800%, depending on the variety.

In fact, the mushroom market is expected to surpass $50 billion (£37 million) over the next six years. Making its way into the food and drink sector through mushroom-infused coffees and mushroom smoothies, many cafes and retailers are already profiting from the trend.

We’re not only expected to see mushrooms in food either. They’re likely to crop up in hair and beauty products due to their special features. Different species of mushrooms are chosen for their varying properties — for example, shiitake mushrooms are known for their richness in antioxidants and high vitamin D content, and the reishi mushroom is selected for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Less meat-based diets

You may have noticed that more of your friends and family are ditching meat in favour of a vegan or vegetarian diet. In fact, the number of vegans in the UK has risen by 350% in the past decade — predominantly driven by the younger market, with half of those opting for this diet falling between the ages of 15 and 34. Some people are enjoying the best of both worlds with a flexitarian diet — primarily vegetarian with meat and fish occasionally.

When we think of a vegan or vegetarian diet, we often think it is very health focused. But, with so many people transforming to a ‘flexitarian’ diet, there is a new market for vegan fast food.

This may mean that we see more plant-based ‘meats’ in supermarkets. These may be similar products to those such as the innovation that Leonardo DiCaprio has invested in called Beyond Meat. This could come in the form of burgers or fried food. Expect to see other indulgent food too, such as extravagant vegan desserts.

New types of protein

Last year, healthy smoothies saw a large boost. Finely ground tea leaves, matcha and powdered super vegetables such as kale, spirulina and spinach have been popular too — their texture making it easy to add to soups, smoothies and salads. Registered dietician, Abbey Sharpe, explains their popularity: “I think people love a quick way to get in their healthy-eating fix, and powdered substances are seen as an easy way to pack in the nutrition.”

This year, we can expect to see more plant-based proteins. One of the newest forms of this is pea protein which has many benefits including its neutral taste — making it favourable for regular consumption.

More grow-your-own

Britain had been presented with an uncertain future with regards to trade regulations and costs due to the upcoming Brexit negotiations. Brexit is already changing our views on food shopping. In April 2017, one in five said that they were more likely to buy British food after leaving the EU to support the economy. However, this was dependent on pricing, and if prices rise, many will go for cheaper alternatives.

We already became subject to food increases in 2016. Vegetable prices rose by 6.6% and this was explained by climate problems in Europe which led to shortages in some items. Can we risk facing these soaring prices again? Many think not. Instead, keen and amateur gardeners are heading to their back yards to plant their own vegetables and it’s expected that this trend will continue.