WATCH: Data expert introduces 'future of food' at Zomato event
MANILA, Philippines — We’ve seen it all: 16-inch-tall burgers oozing with red meat goodness and stuffed with a hundred different ingredients; searing spicy Korean pulled-pork noodles, and literal hole-in-the wall columns of donuts.
Today’s concerned consumer is less impressed by the array of towering servings and imaginative food pairings. If yesterday’s motto was “bigger is better,” today, we opt for subtlety.
Fortunately, five global cuisine trends shared by Pamela Pacete-Garcia at the recent Zomato "Future of Food" event reflect an increasing move to watch what eat without forgoing flavor.
1. Healthonism rising
When we think of indulgence and decance, the image of drinking ourselves out or downing a whole pint of ice cream at midnight comes to mind.
"The millennials and the Gen Z, and even the Gen X like me, when we go out or when we leave... we still want to drink alcohol, eat ice cream," said Garcia, Executive Strategic Planning Director of creative, data and technology agency Eunderman Thompson Philippines. "But we want it healthier this time."
The big picture of self-care as we know it is changing dramatically. “Healthonism” - a portmanteau of health and hedonism (the pursuit of happiness) is on the rise.
Consumers have found ways to adjust their diets and lifestyles without sacrificing the familiar pleasures of binge-eating and midnight snacking, said Garcia.
For instance, MiiRO’s “nice without the naughty” vegan ice cream is free from dairy, gluten, soy, refined sugar and preservatives. Its secret lies in the frozen coconut milk, nutritional nuts, natural coconut sugar and Italian grapes, all blanketed in a delectable layer of raw-chocolate coating.
The trend makes us wonder a future where restaurant brands offer guilt-free selections that never fail to stimulate appetites.
2. Everyday food elevated
Of course, healthy living isn’t as sustainable as it sounds when we’ve got bills to pay, places to be, and are only afforded about five minutes to whip up a cup of instant noodles or microwave some frozen pizza.
Today, fridge items, bread, and even water have all leveled up to provide a wealth of nutrients to our on-the-go consumer.
Convenience has never been packaged as cleverly as, for example, Daily Harvest’s frozen food delivery subscription. True to its word, the brand caters to the time-starved but health-conscious individual with “undeniably delicious” selections of smoothies, soups, harvest bowls, and other cold concoctions.
The trend is a vision of what could be for instant, easy-to-prepare food, which we otherwise associate with detrimental bodily effects.
3. Shape-shifter food
Sounds impossible? Not so.
Industry professionals have turned to scientific experimentation to augment the properties of the food we consume, maximizing shelf life as much as our amusement.
Food products are being optimized for nutrition and so-called “biohacked” foods are gaining popularity with the public. With undisputable health benefits and lack of side effects being reported, consumer support for “shape shifter” food looks good.
Impossible Foods has proved its name wrong once again by crafting a totally meat-free, organic burger culled from plant proteins. If all burgers were cooked from the same “cloth,” we’d pretty much all be vegan.
Bombas & Parr have also invented a reportedly non-melting popsicle. This ice lolly was imagined from pykrete (a frozen material made of sawdust and wood pulp) and it’s fashioned from edible fruit fibers that keep the popsicle from melting.
4. Nutritional snapping
Az bizarre as it may sound, taking pictures of our food can actually prove to be healthy.
The rationale behind this emerging trend, beyond the confines of Instagram and social media climbing, is a growing involuntary concern to watch what we eat.
Photo-sharing, health and fitness apps uncover a realm of possibility in the world of nutrition.
With just one snap, we can find out the complete value of what we eat without taking drastic turns from our schedules. It’s 2019 and there’s an app for that.
It certainly shuts down the notion that technology only deals adverse impacts to our lives.
The Pinto app can decipher those tricky nutrition labels and help us digest the information we need, even using artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor a person’s nutritional plans.
What would arguably take this idea to the next level is the new Zomato app, which developed a feature where users can integrate their "food-scapades" with their daily health routines.
5. DNA dinners
If you thought it couldn’t get any more personal, this health trend is custom-fit for all personalities and bodies.
DNA dinners are specially made for just about every combination of us.
“Personalized nutrition," said Garcia, is making waves as food and drink brands harness the power of AI, big data and the newest social media trends to originate choices for each consumer. — Video by Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo, editing by Erwin Cagadas Jr.
