Table of Contents
COVID fundamentally affects how we live. All changes, from how we work to how we interact with people, from dining out to eating home-cooked meals, point in the same direction: food trends and eating habits will never be the same.
As per the study of Mary Ellen Shoup, plant-based eating became more popular last year as people became more aware of the numerous health problems linked with a meat-based diet. The food industry has increasingly shown interest in and begun to adapt to faux meat and meat alternatives, with some of the largest restaurant chains including it on their menus. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak in China, people have begun to think about how they consume food. The ‘thinking’ involves getting familiar with how their food is acquired, ready, and conveyed.
A shift from industrial animal products for human consumption to more sustainable, animal-welfare forms of agriculture, as well as a reduction in the number of animals farmed for food, occurred around the world. This also gave the “vegan food sector” a tremendous boost, propelling it to the forefront of health trends.
Cooking at home has now become a new typical.
The sustained popularity of home cooking can be attributed to several things. Many people are afraid of going to restaurants, but it isn’t the only reason they are turning on home stoves and ovens more frequently. Consumers who work from home no longer stop for breakfast or coffee on their way to work, and they no longer frequent the lunch locations near their offices. For many people, money concerns are also a motivator for eating more, which are less expensive and typically result in leftovers that can last far longer than restaurant meals.
Your health is your most great resource.
This big shift to working from home will primarily affect high-wage workers. Cooking at home more frequently is linked to higher levels of education and income. The pre-covid study revealed that cooking at home resulted in a healthier way of living. It’s even been referred to as a weapon in the fight against the global obesity epidemic. Regularly eating out reduces one’s capacity to control portion size while increasing consumption of processed meats, sugar, and empty calories. Home cooking has been related to a longer life expectancy.
Cooking at home and learning to “make do and mend” can lead to less food waste. This is good for the environment. That is my personal experience.
Cooking at home and learning to “make do and mend” will help you waste less food. This has a clear environmental benefit. That is, in fact, my personal experience. It has also prompted us, along with many others, to seek out new recipes, which often necessitate the use of new and additional spices, as well as a wider range of ingredients. These are not prohibitively expensive increases to a household’s monthly expenditure.
Organic food isn’t going away any time soon. Consumers will grow more committed when they learn more (including recipes) about the impact of food on our overall health and the environment.
Here are 5 food trends that will dominate the food and beverage industry after Covid-19:
Restaurants with Chef-Led Delivery
Many chef-driven fine dining establishments that formerly focused on offering a dining-in experience will now expand into the delivery market. This will drastically alter the landscape of the country’s delivery industry in the long run.
Customers have always felt more engaged to brands that have a compelling story and are open about the people and chefs that work behind the scenes to prepare their meals. This was previously absent from India’s delivery business model, but it will soon be reinstated. Curating a superior experience across the board, from sanitation and safety to packaging and customer-centric content will usher in a new era of food delivery.
Vegan and Healthy Food Delivery Services
In 2020, a huge pattern toward veggie lovers and natural cooking was anticipated. However, with Covid19 sweeping the globe, this practice will soon become a way of life for many. People will be more careful of what they eat, increasing vegan exclusively’ brands on the market. Many small businesses have sprouted up across the country to promote plant-based products, foods, and other items.
Many smaller cafés opened in late 2019 and early 2020, focused on healthy, farm-to-table, and vegan cuisine. As Indians, we already eat a lot of vegan-friendly foods, so adapting isn’t that difficult. In India, however, vegan cheese, mayonnaise, and fake meats are readily available.
Delectable Street Food
People in India are known for their love of street food. In any case, with cleanliness and neatness being the essential area of worry after COVID-19, road food won’t be individuals’ favoured choice for eating out long into the future post the pandemic. Consequently, we will see an ascent of numerous connoisseur road food brands in the coordinated area that can furnish incredible taste combined with cleanliness and accommodation of conveyance.
Mock Meat & Meat Alternatives
Mock meat and meat alternatives will become more popular as people transition from an animal-based to a plant-based diet. Many restaurants will enable clients to choose faux meat instead of real meat, allowing them to acquire the necessary protein level in their meal while avoiding the carb-heavy vegetarian and vegan diet foods. This business has already shown considerable promise in other countries, and it is expected to have a significant impact in India in the post-COVID-19 period, in both the food and beverage and retail sectors.
Experiments in the Home
Because physical separation was severely enforced in India and around the world during COVID-19, many individuals would continue to do so long after the epidemic has ended to avoid another outbreak. Restaurants will be unable to function at more than 30% capacity even after the lockdown is lifted, resulting in an influx of ‘At Home’ experiences from F&B businesses.
This trend was previously only pursued by a few firms in India, but it will soon experience a significant increase. Most hospitality companies will provide private catering services, with the option of ‘cooking at home,’ for groups of 8 to 20 people who want to have an extravagant culinary experience indoors following the epidemic.
Conclusion
Consumers have fallen into patterns that include a lot more home cooking as the coronavirus pandemic progresses, and studies suggest that these behaviours will remain once the outbreak is over. This shift is also causing a shift in shopping lists. Consumers’ requirements may be met by food stores and manufacturers offering solutions that make home cooking healthier, easier and faster as well as adding some much-needed variety to the menu.
