Food, Food, Food! With the end of the medical pandemic seemingly within reach, there is one positive thing that stuck with people – that is the need to take better care of their health. And food trends seem to follow the same trajectory.
COVID-19 Remains a Food Safety Focus
Last year, the top food handling and preparation safety concern is regarding COVID-19 transmission. This issue has significantly outpaced the number of concerns about foodborne illnesses from bacterial contamination, which was the leading concern before the pandemic.
In 2021, it still seems like the food producing industry is taking food handling and preparation safety, specifically in terms of COVID-19 infections, seriously.
Push for Convenience and Lower Costs
The numerous lockdowns last year gave birth to numerous home bakers and cooks. However, many found that they are not just gifted in the culinary arts and for these people, their priorities regarding food shifted towards convenience and affordability.
This year, expect that there will be a surge in services that provide “semi-homemade” meals. These include canned foods and restaurant-quality frozen foods that you only need to cook or heat up on the stove.
Major Shift in Health Goals
Last year, because of the then impending quarantine lockdowns, many people vowed that they will start following popular diets, or at least promise themselves that they will focus on “healthy eating”.
This year, fewer people made the same health-related resolutions they did last year. You can see only a few who promised themselves to stick to a low-carbohydrate diet and other fad diets. Instead of losing weight, more people nowadays are more concerned about improving their general health and immunity.
The Power of Snacks
People nowadays seem to snack more often than before. More than a quarter of all Americans snack more than several times a day, and this is from a survey conducted in 2019. The third quarter of 2020 even increased this number to more than a third of the population.
In 2021, expect a surge in the number of people who will be replacing regular meals with substantial snacks spaced closer together so that they can more effectively control their appetite.
Coffee Craze
Many people discovered that working from home is not as easy as it seemed. Taking on new tasks and responsibilities aside from their jobs puts a lot of strain on their energy reserves. This forced many to turn to caffeine to help keep them working throughout the day. In 2021, you can look forward to seeing more and more people using caffeine to aid with their “new normal” tasks.
Conclusion
Undeniably, the COVID-19 pandemic heavily influenced food trends for 2021, and it seems like this trend will continue for a couple more years to come.
