TRENDY

Rosetta Country Market

To say that artisan food is the international food trend at the moment is rather stating the obvious. Free range chicken and organic vegetables aside, the big news this year according to the US National Restaurant Association is craft beer, charcuterie, non-wheat pasta and noodles, farm-branded goods and locally sourced meat and seafood.

First off, the artisan food trend is much bigger than we imagine.  It is no longer a passing fad. The New York Times referred to the 'gastronomic youthquake' where local food is ubiquitous, chefs are the new rock stars, food books are constant best sellers and food programmes continue to dominate television, less Celebrity Chef and more substantial content.

Matthew Peach on his brilliant website Lost in Catering calls this a "generational shift in culinary awareness" much of it driven by the Millenials (that generation coming of age in the 2000's) who are into 'faux-stalgio' (looking for food memories they never had) and transparency in food provenance and production. Millenials also love 'sharing' their experiences through Instagram and Twitter (see Food Gawker for example) which has unfortunately also had some downsides on service as you can read in this fascinating article about the impact of smart phones on restaurants. According to Crowdsourced Kitchens however, 50% of chefs still approved of photos being taken of their food.

There have also been key shifts in consumer behaviour. Peach says of the 2015 customer: "They do not want more choices. They want exactly what they want - when, where and how they want it. Period".  This makes understanding food consumer trends absolutely critical, as it's not so much about choice (a given) but the flexibility and range to 'personalise' the delivery of products - be it in a restaurant, vegetable box or bakery shop.  Knowledge of provenance of the product itself is also important, as customers want to know where it comes from, how it was harvested/processed and who was doing this.

Interestingly from a taste point of view Millenials have gone beyond the 'theme park' approach to food and are focused on deeper flavours and 'ethnic ingredients' - 'Asian 2.0' as one writer called it: Spicier, authentic ethnic fine dining, food trucks and more complex tastes. 'Hip' cuisines include Northern Thai, Japanese Okonomiyaki and Filipino food: "Funkier, fatter and hotter flavours".

Other trends are barbecued, charcoaled and wood-fired everything. 'Burnt' food is also particularly trendy at the moment as was keenly spotted in the latest Masterchef Professional series! Chicken is also big big big.

The love affair with 'super foods' continues as does wellness through diet and consumer driven interest in digestive health. This is strong with Millenials but strongest with the aging Baby Boomers, who we have seen flocking to the Banting Diet here in South Africa and the Paleo diets elsewhere.  'Wellness' ingredients are big: Gluten free flour, pro-biotics, anti-oxidants and plant-based proteins. Other ingredients which fall into this category include coconut oil, coconut sugar, matcha tea (still considered big) lentils, turmeric and beetroot.

Finally 'crowd-sourced cuisine' is growing.  Communal dining, pop up restaurants and rotating hubs for chef competitions and aspiring chefs, supper clubs and good 'foody catering at festivals, concerts and other large crowd pullers replacing soggy hotdogs and cardboard hamburgers.

South Africa is right up there in respect of these trends and it's very good news for all that the market for real food - local, sustainably and sensibly grown ('high welfare' I've seen good chicken been called) will continue to grow.

Farmer's Markets and local food networks are moving beyond the 'Hippy' image and are becoming legitimate business enterprises. They are an excellent source of good and affordable food and a showcase for small artisan producers and enterprises. Much like the music industry has its 'A & M men' who go around talent-scouting small venues for the next big 'new thing' - so should  supermarkets and deli's do the same at the markets. The channels to market should be both a push and a pull.

Remember - "I want exactly what I want - when, where and how I want it. Period"