images of graphs and metrics on a wooden table surrounded by food

Published by: Lawrence Breindel | 30/12/2015

December 30, 2015

Industry insights of the latest food trends for 2016

Industry insights of the latest food trends for 2016

The collaboration of social media and food and drink is a harmony made in foodie heaven. Given that we eat with our eyes it is no surprise that social media feeds are filled with filtered and framed images of gastronomical goodies. But, rather than luxury chocolate cake or calorie laden burgers increasingly figures like Deliciously Ella and her healthy peers are inspiring a new generation to eat well and feel better. Interestingly, according to Hashtracking almost 10% of all food hashtags are #vegan with close to 6% being #healthy. Given that the majority of food posts use the simple use #cooking, these figures are impressive and symbolise a powerful trend. Increasingly, public figures are using Instagram to incredibly successfully promote healthy eating. It seems to be having a tangible effect on the way people eat.

This trend is epitomised in the online sensation Ella Woodward. Woodward is a health food blogger boasting over 650 thousand followers on Instagram and almost 70 thousand followers on YouTube. Her online success has even spilt over into print as she broke records with her fastest ever selling debut cookbook. It was reprinted six times before it was released due the high level of pre-orders and was the number one best-seller in the UK book charts in 2015. Ella acts as a pretty powerful symbol that the health and wellness market is well and truly a multimillion pound industry.

Looking forward into 2016 the health trend looks set to continue its ascent with a heavy emphasis on roasting and baking (which use far less oil than the traditional method of frying.)

Healthy popcorn is leading the way – viewed as a healthy alternative snack and marketed as fat free and slimming the market is now worth an impressive £42 million. Supermarket giant Tesco have stated they sold seven million more bags this year than in 2014 and there is still massive potential for this to further expand as popcorn is still only regularly eaten by 40% of the British market compared to 90% in the United States.

Meanwhile rival brands that offer a more traditional snack option have faced a dip in sales. Established snacks like Hula Hoops have seen a 16.2% decrease. Party favourites KP snacks have also faced a significant drop in sales suggesting even celebration food is veering away from classics and moving towards more alternative options.

The rise in Popcorn sales has been accompanied by a far more favourable market towards other, healthier, premium snacks. Tyrell’s’ and Kettle chips have both found public favour especially with their baked options which have considerably less fat than their fried version.

A1 Equipment Hendon London follow the trends within the food and drink industry immensely closely, ensuring

A1 Equipment follow the trends within the food and drink industry immensely closely, ensuring we continue innovating and ensuring our products add value to all of our customers. For the past few years we have been creating bespoke appliances that cater to the healthier market – both our popcorn and waffle machines are oil free. Creating delicious food with less fat and fewer calories. The perfect accompaniment for the health conscious cliental.