Recalling Top 7 Food and Beverage Trends in 2022

Globalization, digitization, and the COVID-19 pandemic are changing and shaping consumer behavior, needs and preferences. This year, the food and beverage industry is growing faster than ever. It explains why there are so many food and beverage trends 2022.

In this article, we've looked back and identified 7 food and beverage trends in 2022. Sit back, keep reading, and reflect on which trends have had the most impact on your business this year.

Plant-based Foods Growth

When talking about food and beverage trends 2022, we definitely can’t skip this one. Throughout 2022, the demand for plant-based foods continues to grow. This growth is in line with a Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) report which states that the global vegetable market will grow and reach a value of more than $162 billion by 2030, accounting for 7.7% of the global protein market in 2030.

This trend also applies in Indonesia, where the plant-based food market is showing substantial growth influenced by several factors including the development of flexitarian (semi-vegetarian) lifestyle groups and the growing public awareness regarding the importance of animal welfare.

To meet the demand, several brands or restaurants offer plant-based menu options. Plant-based food usually includes soybean processed products – like tempeh and tofu as a substitute for animal protein.

Home Cooks are Everywhere

The second food and beverage trends in 2022 is the ever-growing number of home cooks. In this modern era, information is accessible on the tip of our fingers. All knowledge can be obtained from the internet, including recipes and cooking tutorials. This supports the home cooking trend that we can see in 2022.

Not only the ease of getting information, but meal kits and pre-made ingredients also support this trend. In this busy life, consumers are greatly helped by pre-made ingredients as they simplify cooking processes.

Moreover, the availability of high quality and affordable cooking appliances also becomes another factor that encourages people to become home cooks. The demand for cooking appliances, such as air fryers and food choppers, has increased throughout 2022. And as long as home cooking is still on trend, all those cooking appliances may remain popular with feature improvements to be seen next year.

Global Cuisine

The next food and beverage trends in 2022 that we will talk about is the demand for global cuisine. Thanks to the internet, consumers can easily get to know and be intrigued by other cultures around the world through their respective cuisines. Those that have seen an increase in popularity this year in Indonesia include Korean, Japanese and some European cuisines such as French and Italian.

Fortunately, the internet and social media provide a wealth of information and recipes. In addition, the local creative and innovative entrepreneurs have also contributed in making these cuisines more accessible for Indonesians as we are seeing a lot of restaurants offering global flavors in many corners throughout the country. 

Apart from the global restaurant business from local entrepreneurs, there are also franchising companies that introduce global brands to their countries. One example is PT Sarimelati Kencana Tbk which brings the international brand Pizza Hut to Indonesia.

Read more on how PT Sriboga Raturaya builds global brands in Indonesia: PT Sriboga Raturaya: Beyond A Food Company

Rising Health-Conscious Consumers 

One of the food and beverage trends in 2022 that we can all see is the rise of health-conscious consumers. They tend to focus on boosting their immune system through nutrition. They started looking for immunity boosting food ingredients. Furthermore, the uncertainty of COVID-19 has led many people to live with healthier dietary and lifestyle choices, including their choice of food and drink products. 

60% of consumers worldwide say the pandemic has made them more aware of preventing health problems by leading a healthier lifestyle. Although fewer consumers were concerned about COVID-19 in April 2022 (44%) than in April 2020 (76%), they continued to show interest in making fundamental dietary changes.

Ghost Kitchen

This year, you must have heard the term ‘Ghost Kitchen’ or ‘Cloud Kitchen’ at least once. Over the past few years, restaurant and franchise businesses have been looking for creative ways to lower costs while keeping revenues high. One of the most popular strategies is to adopt ghost kitchen and cloud kitchen systems. These two concepts have become one of food and beverage trends in 2022. 

Ghost kitchen and cloud kitchen have a similar concept, they are simply a restaurant without dining rooms. They focus on selling food online and making deliveries using third-party apps. However, what distinguishes the two concepts is the number of restaurants. Ghost kitchen is a virtual kitchen for only 1 restaurant, while cloud kitchen is a virtual kitchen designed to accommodate various restaurants in 1 kitchen.

These two kitchen concepts can significantly reduce rental and labor costs, enabling restaurants to secure market share at lower production costs. Moreover, cloud kitchens also provide convenience for consumers who want to order menus from various restaurants because they can integrate various brands and restaurants into one platform.

Sustainability 

Sustainability is getting stronger in the food and beverage trends 2022. A survey conducted by the IBM Institutes for Business Value with 16,000 global consumers in February 2022 found that 51% of respondents said environmental sustainability is more important to them today than it was 12 months ago.

The increasing awareness of consumers about sustainability encourages business players in the food industry to make various efforts to reflect the same values applied in their operational system as well as products they offer to the customers. A good example can be seen in businesses that offer the use of paper straws instead of the plastic ones as well as coffee shops that offer discounts to customers who bring their own cups. 

Transparency is A Must!

Nowadays, consumers demand companies to be more transparent. The Transparency in an Evolving Omnichannel World report by The Food Industry Association and Nielsen found that two-thirds of shoppers (64%) would switch from their usual brand to another that provides more in-depth product information. 

This trend is related to the sustainability trend we talked about earlier. Consumers who care about the value of sustainability are interested and even demand transparency regarding the products they consume. Some of the information they want is the history of the supply chain of food products and their production processes.

To meet this consumer interest, brands and restaurants are incorporating high-tech solutions into their packaging. Technologies such as QR codes and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) allow consumers to dive deeper into their favorite products. Thanks to that, consumers can get the transparency value they want, and brands and restaurants can get their favorability.

This trend concludes 7 food and beverage trends 2022 in this article. The bottom line is that food and drink trends change every year — so should your brand. The year 2022 is coming to a close, let’s look forward to fresh and exciting trends we will face in 2023. 

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