Posted by Food and beverages are the most consumed items around the globe. They have been the most marketed products for years, but Social media has highlighted them like never before. I am confident that you have at least seen, if not tried, making the Dalgona coffee popularized by Tik Tok, Ramen burger, Sushi Burrito, Bobba Tea, and more.
Interestingly, social media food & beverage trends are fads; they come and go quickly. They are influenced by socio-environmental, geographical, and cultural factors.
In 2020, people are focused on healthy and sustainable food trends rather than going for fizzy drinks, sugar-loaded food, and drinks that could be harmful to health. People are now more cautious about the ingredients and the nutritional value of their meals.
Sustainability is yet another emerging trend and would be seen around much from here on. Glass bottles, eco-friendly packing, metal straws, and other sustainable items are emerging to help the environment and cut waste
Let’s dig deeper into the upcoming and latest social media trends of 2020:
1. Healthy Beverages
The Internet has made access to information really easy; armed with the knowledge of the pros and cons of each food group, consumers are making healthier food choices. The healthy food trend is one of the most popular trends of the past decade, and it is reflected on social media as well. People are now more inclined towards selecting more healthier choices, even in beverages. There is an inclination towards drinks that are low in alcohol, caffeine, and sugar.
Examples include:
Chicory Root Coffee
Chicory root is a bright blue plant that has a lot of health benefits. The plant is also used as an alternative for coffee. It has gained popularity because it has numerous health benefits, including the ability to maintain healthy blood pressure and heal inflammation.
Mocktails
Millennials are making conscious efforts to reduce their alcohol consumption and move towards healthier choices. Taking a break from alcohol can help the body gain energy and feel better. Mocktails are another emerging trend for 2020 and set to take center stage. Various options are used to make mocktails, including berries, ginger, mint, vanilla bean, etc.
Therefore, if you are a food blogger, a restaurant owner, or a business that’s connected with food in any way, then you should include healthy beverages in your social media marketing campaign.
2. Healthy Fast Food
People lead busy lives; often, both parents are working, and so they don’t have a lot of time on their hands to prepare elaborate meals. Previously, fast food was the selection of choice for busy households, students, and overworked professionals. However, the newfound love for healthy eating has also influenced the fast-food industry.
Many businesses are now offering healthy fast food options. If you don’t have time to cook or need food on the go, you can easily get a fresh fruit salad, a healthy burrito, or a slice of delicious gluten-free pizza for affordable prices.
The fast-food trend has gained even more popularity because most businesses offer free food deliveries. Along with familiar food items like pizza and burgers, you can now get delivery for healthier alternatives like sushi delivery, salad delivery, and burrito delivery, etc.
3. Vegan Food
Plant-based food has become another trend around the globe. People are more inclined to consume plant-based food items as an alternative to meat and, in some cases, even dairy products.
Tofu, mushrooms, eggplant, and beetroots have become popular replacements for beef and mutton. Mock eggs, synthetic Eggwhite substitutes, and plant-based bacon etc. have gained notoriety. Several companies are now producing meat alternatives in the form of veg patties, sausages, and deli products.
Flexitarian or semi-vegetarian trend has become popular in the past few years as well. Experts predict that this trend will continue to flourish in the coming years as well. Initially, vegans had minimal choices when they wanted to shop or eat out, but now Vegan food has become more common as more and more people try to eat responsibly.
The plant-based food producers have experienced a drastic growth is consumption, which indicates that we would be seeing more vegan products in the market in the future.
4. Puffed Snacks
Another food trend to watch out for in 2020 is puffed snacks. Puffed snacks are a healthy snack that satisfies your craving for something crunchy while saving you from a ton of empty calories. Puffed snacks are also time-saving; due to our active lifestyles, it gets hard to spend a lot of time preparing snacks, so we tend to go for the ones we can instantly consume without any preparation.
Studies report that people consume at least consume 2-3 snacks in a day. These snacks can be consumed during working hours or late-night movie sessions. Multiple snack companies have ditched potato chips for puffed snacks; they claim several nutritional benefits for their snacks, including low sodium, lack of artificial flavouring, lack of food colour, and harmful fats, among others. Examples of puffed snacks include; Protein bars, Jicama Chips, Beetroot Chips, and Popped Sorghum.
5. Bold and Instagram able
Bold and bright colours are trending this year on social media foodies’ feeds. These bold and brightly coloured food items allow the younger generation to be experimental and adventurous with their food choices. These days people want unusual food rather than the same old recipes. This generation is continually finding newer things to try and be innovative in every phase of life, including food choices. These innovations have multiple restaurants to emerge all around the globe, and each trying to accommodate the needs of this ever-changing society.
One example of a new bold and beautiful food trend is Ube, also known as Purple yam. Consider Ube to be the latest matcha, Ube is full of nutrients that are beneficial to your health. Moreover, the purple colour can make your food worth putting on social media. Although the colour looks perfect for the Instagram feed, the purple yam is often combined with other ingredients to make a delicious meal. On its own, it does not taste so good. But you can still “do it for the gram.”
Conclusion:
Food trends come and go; consumers are more experimental in their choices and are open to change. Social media has influenced consumer behaviours significantly; it shapes the way we view and consume food. The trends mentioned above are 5 of the hottest social media food and beverage trends of 2020. If you are a food blogger, a restaurant owner, a food truck enthusiast, or a company looking to invest in the food industry, then look out for the food mentioned above trends to find worthwhile ideas.
Lastly, the Coronavirus pandemic and social distancing are also influencing food trends; as consumers are stuck inside their home, they are trying to make food themselves. Many people are trying to come up with restaurants like food in their homes. Social media is full of home-made food items, so home-made food is also a trend worth keeping an eye on.
Shoaib provides ghostwriting and copywriting services. His educational background in the technical field and business studies helps him in tackling topics ranging from career and business productivity to web development and digital marketing. He occasionally writes articles for My Sushi.
With Crowdfire, you can find curated content, schedule your posts, engage with your audience, deep-dive into analytics and create custom reports. Now introducing Social listening. Try it for free.