Food trends 2022
Here at Royal Greenland, we believe that food trends for 2022 will be all about getting on track with ‘the new normal’ all the while making our lives (even more) sustainable and spicing it up with some cool, new flavours. Together with our in-house chefs, we share our humble take on, what we expect to see trending on the cooking scene during 2022.
1. Takeaway
Covid-19 is still an unwelcome acquaintance around the world, and Europe is – despite high percentages of vaccinated residents – again seeing increases in the number of daily infected.
Covid-19 has been (and still is) a game changer for the foodservice industry where nobody is able to predict the future, putting adaptability on the agenda for the food scene.
The mentality of isolation and dining at home may still fester in the minds of consumers in 2022, where busy everyday lives and a focus to limit the risk of contracting covid-19 has emphasized the importance of restaurants being able to deliver takeaway. Whether it is through an accessible and efficient online order system or through one of the many apps available on the market seems less important as long as you are available for your customers dining needs.
2. Asian Sensations
Asian and Japanese flavours are on the rise. Think dishes like ramen, sushi, tempura, Kare-Raisu and flavours like soya, umami and yuzu. Yuzu is in particular taking off as a major trend (again), taking the world by storm with its ultra-sour and slightly bitter citrus flavours, making appearances in products such as vinaigrettes, hard seltzers and mayo.
3. Reducetarianism
While some consumers go entirely plant-based and others stay on meat-heavy diets, a group of consumers have landed in the middle with emphasis on moderation and acceptance. If you have heard about flexitarians, reducetarianism kind of resembles it. However, itads a value-based compass for including animal products in the diet.
Reducetarianism is all about reducing the consumption of meat, dairy and eggs without excluding them completely from your diet. So, when you do include them, make them count. Think organic eggs or premium grass-fed meat - think quality over quantity.
4. Fewer and healthier
With this trend entering the scene, we expect to see simpler servings with fewer, healthier ingredients. In with cabbage, beets, and roots – out with rice, pasta and processed ingredients.
The key is to serve a meal, where your customers can see exactly what they eat and preferably are told which local farm the carrots came from. It is based on a ‘what you see is what you get’ principle of simplicity.
In combination with the desire to simplify is also the desire to choose healthy ingredients, that is great for your body. Whether it is the gut/lung axis trend, the earth food trend or something new – as long as it is healthy for mankind or our planet, put it on the plate.
5. Transparency, safety, and sustainability
Although we have talked about sustainability for years, it remains one of the hottest topics on the food scene – also for 2022. And even though the topic stays the same, the underlying themes vary a bit. For 2022, we foresee a rise in the demand for clean label products – whether it is at home or in the professional kitchen – with an emphasis on the environmental impact for the product’s journey such as a product’s carbon footprint.
Within the seafood industry, issues such as minimizing by-catch, harvesting from healthy stocks in the oceans and the carbon footprint of a specific product are key to keep an eye on, if you want to learn more about the products you use in the kitchen. Another thing to notice is labelling, where labels such as MSC for wild-caugth seafood and ASC for farmed seafood can be a helpful pointer.
Our approach to sustainability
Our approach to sustainability
You can read more about, how we operate a sustainable business here in our sustainability programme.
