Sirha, one of the largest international foodservice events, is scheduled to take place between 26 and 30 January 2019 at Eurexpo, Lyon, France.
For the frozen food industry, the trade show has several areas of interest. For example, the 4th French championship of Pastry Arts will challenge contestants to create unique frozen desserts. The competition will be held at the Maison de la Patisserie et de la Glacerie on January 28 and 29.
Additionally, the 9th European Championship of Frozen Desserts will also take place during Sirha 2019. Six gourmet artists will take the stage to present novel gourmet creations combining ice cream, nougatine and chocolate.
Sirha also awards a range of Innovation Awards. This year one of the prizes went to Cub’Eaze Bio by Daregal. This is a range of frozen cubes made only of nutritional herbs that are ready to mix with fruits and vegetables.
The event will also showcase some of the main trends and concepts for the industry. In this regard, the organizers have joined forces with Food Service Vision consultancy to identify the influences that feed today’s catering segment.
“We are convinced that foodservice shapes the way we will eat in the future and it seems important to share with professionals in the industry both the weak and strong signals that we are picking up and decrypting, in particular thanks to our exhaustive network of experts and the events we organize in different parts of the world,” said Marie-Odile Fondeur, Managing Director of Sirha
Some of these trends include:
Flexitarian
The recent years have seen an increase in the consumption of vegetal products, whether through a vegetarian or vegan diet or simply by reducing our meat intake. Consumer demand for vegetal products is strong and the offer available on the market has improved significantly. The new development is that the whole chain of value associated with the trend is also adapting. Industrials are ramping up their vegetal offering with vegetal substitute products based on leguminous plants or meat analogues that are on the rise in the United States.
Sustainability
This is probably the most impacting trend as it will upend the economic model for players in the Food Service industry. The way food is produced, preserved, shipped and consumed needs to be rethought entirely. This includes the issue of plastic packaging and recourse to local sourcing. A growing number of players are innovating in order to adapt. They propose ecological and sustainable solutions to limit their impact on our planet and their carbon footprint, in particular by procuring their raw materials locally and improving their waste processing.
Naturally good
Consumers are aware of the close relationship between their diet and their health. This trend is global, although there are differences from one region to another: in Asia the approach to health through food is more holistic, whereas in western countries some trends suggest eating specific food products separately, which then become a source of wellbeing (super-foods, bowls…). The industry has caught up with this movement and is now developing products and equipment aimed at eating in a more natural and healthy manner.
Locavore
Be it for ecological, economic or identity-related concerns, chefs and guests alike aspire to go local… The trend is even more pronounced in the younger generations. In addition to the freshness of the products and transparency, local consumption is also driven by economic motivations and in some cases by the will to assert one’s regional or national culinary culture. Promoting local gastronomy has become an important aspect for countries seeking to develop their tourist potential.
Globalization
The culinary offering is increasingly diversified in most regions of the world, access to exotic ingredients has become easier, and culinary cultures spread more easily as access to information has never been easier. The mix of culinary influences is a global phenomenon. It is also a consequence of the recent movements of population observed around the world. This has led to the rapid emergence of new gastronomies. Globalization is a source of opportunity for operators who are developing in many areas around the world.
Convenient
The omnipresence of digital is upending Food Service models: the boom of home delivery is changing the out-of-home landscape, virtual restaurants open the way for new services such as click&collect, online reservations and electronic payment enable restaurateurs to offer a smoother customer experience. The number of digital services available is growing fast to better serve customers looking for a simplified experience without irritants: 1 out of 2 French consumers have meals delivered to their home and 45% have recourse to click & collect.
Attractive place
Eating places today need to offer an experience. In order to compete with home delivery and other types of entertainment, restaurants must propose something extra to entice customers to come to their establishments. The impact of digital is essential in this respect as offering a great experience also means greater visibility in the social media.
