INTERNORGA is one of Europe’s leading trade shows for foodservice and hospitality, scheduled to take place between March 15 and 19, 2019 in Hamburg, Germany.
In anticipation of the event, INTERNORGA has partnered up with trend researcher, Karin Tischer to outline some of the top food & beverage trends that are reshaping the industry and will most likely be visible during the fair.
“INTERNORGA is a catalyst for global trends and creative product innovations, the leading trade show for the industry; it is a unique hub and meeting place for decision makers, newcomers, and professionals from restaurants, hospitality, bakeries, and confectioneries. INTERNORGA has commissioned Karin Tischer, food trend researcher and owner of food & more, a research & development agency in Kaarst, to analyze current developments in the international foodservice market, summarizing the results at INTERNOGA FoodZoom. It examined in detail the highlights and innovation in food & beverage and in food service, as customers change their eating habits and service expectations. Karin Tischer presented selected food trends that she has discovered on her global research trips,” explained Bernd Aufderheide, president, and CEO Hamburg Messe and Congress GmbH.
Street food transfer – from street to start restaurants
The rising popularity of street food has impacted restaurants which must come up with new concepts to meet the increasingly gourmet demands of customers. Today many customers wish to try out exotic dishes without venturing far from home. This trend offers local restaurants new opportunities to stand out from the crowd by offering unique dishes, in the context of tougher competition in the foodservice sector.
Foodservice 4.0 – digital solutions for differentiation and higher sales
Digital technologies play a vital role in what Tischer refers to as “Industry 4.0”. Perhaps the most telling example of this trend is the growing delivery market which is now largely based online. Modern food delivery services allow customers to order and track the status of their orders and deliveries online. What’s more, some companies make use of technological innovations for things like smart monitoring and controlling their internal processes including power supplies, the refrigerator chain, and more. In the era of Instagram, restaurants also have to make sure they serve attractive dishes that will look fabulous on Instagram and other social media sites.
Back2Nature
Tischer has noticed that diners today are looking more than ever for the authentic and natural experience. The trend is gaining quite a lot of traction in Germany and is expected to pick up in other regions as well. Thus, there is an increasing number of restaurants that have started to integrate fresh regional products with a transparent supply chain into their menus. An interesting alternative is to grow in-house herbs or salads, which customers can observe growing while dining at the restaurant.
Green & healthy – natural, wholesome food
Another major trend in recent years is diners seeking to incorporate more healthy food into their diets. According to the 2019 Nutrition Report of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, 71% of Germans eat fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, while only 28% eat meat daily.
Interest in vegetarianism is on the rise, although only 6% of the participants describe themselves as vegetarians. In her analysis, Tischer has highlighted the increased demand for plant-based, low-sugar and fat products, as well as “free-from” or products that do not contain certain ingredients such as lactose or gluten. Restaurants that wish to benefit from these new developments in consumer behavior, should start incorporating a varied range of plant-based dishes into their menus.
Other food trends – fermentation, ice-cream, tea
The research also revealed creative profiling as a current trend. Restaurants who are coming up with new ideas such as creating flavor explosions like the rediscovery of fermentation as a preparation method are quite in vogue right now. Additionally, the analysis mentioned a rising demand for new exotic ice-cream and tea profiles.
