Long live the cupcake! Tuck in to these 2012 food trends
1
2
3
4
5
6
By LISA ABRAHAM Akron Beacon Journal
It's the time of year when all of the prognosticators put on their thinking caps, shuffle their tarot cards and try to predict what's in store for the food world in 2012.
Often, these predictions have the accuracy rate of Punxsutawney Phil.
Recall last year when every food expert claimed that the cupcake's reign was over? Here we are in 2012 with more cupcake shops than before, leaving the pie, the whoopie pie, the cake pop and the French macaroon all behind in a trail of dusty crumbs.
But desserts aside, I have read every fact sheet and every trend report for the new year, I've scanned grocery store shelves and restaurant menus, and feel pretty confident about the predictions I'm about to present.
For better or for worse, here is what we can expect in 2012.
Food prices will keep rising.
Crops devastated by weather, rising fuel and packaging costs and increasing global demand will send food prices up 2 percent to 3 percent on top of 2011 increases that exceeded 5 percent for some items.
The poster child for rising food prices this year will be everyone's cupboard staple, the jar of peanut butter.
Because of one of the worst peanut crops in history, peanut butter prices have been on the rise since fall and aren't expected to drop anytime soon. Some estimates show that prices could increase by 40 percent before the year is over.
Aside from being a lunchbox standard, peanut butter is typically an inexpensive source of high protein, but it may disappear from pantry shelves.
Frugality is the new normal.
At the end of 2010, experts kept talking about frugal fatigue, but 2011 has showed us that frugality is really just the new normal for many. Indicators are that the economy is recovering, albeit slowly, but folks who haven't seen pay increases in several years, and whose job safety continues to be precarious at best, aren't rushing out to start charging restaurant dinners three nights a week.
Folks have become used to the frugal habits they've developed over the past four years. We'll keep cooking at home instead of eating out and search for ways to feed our families by doing more with less. Meatless meals will continue their popularity because they are economical as well as healthful alternatives.
When we do eat out, we'll be looking for the best value for our money. Fine dining will be relegated to special occasions and eating out will mean looking for good fare cheap. Look for pasta and other inexpensive grains to become more prominent on menus as restaurant owners search for ways to keep prices down and customers coming in. And, yes, burgers still fit the bill here and will continue to ride their three-year wave of popularity.
The food truck trend will grow nationally, as part of our quest for new and interesting cuisine at affordable prices, especially among the cash-strapped young. Chefs are embracing the trend because trucks free them from the high cost of operating standing restaurants and diners are enjoying the affordable ethnic cuisine they offer.
Healthy eating is here to stay.
Experts predict that vending machines will continue their conversion from chips and chocolate to more healthful offerings. While snack machines in schools and hospitals have seen major changes in the last few years, the ones in your company break room may be looking at a similar face-lift this year.
Look for offerings like bags of mini carrots, nuts, fruit and even hummus to find their way into the spots once held by candy bars and potato chips.
Baby boomers control the cash.
Baby boomers, folks between the ages of 48 and 66, handle most of the money when it comes to food. In the grocery store, this translates to good news for long-standing brand names as middle-agers stick with what they know.
Social media reigns.
While boomers may control the money, youth has the tighter grip on how we communicate. There's an app for all things food and younger folks will keep using their phones, tablets, Facebook and Twitter to tell the story of what they are eating, where they are eating it and who they are eating with. So, no, all of those folks taking photos of their plates in restaurants aren't going away.
Locally sourced everything
A few years ago, tainted food scares sent folks looking for locally sourced produce. We're happy to have farmers, both large and small, to provide our meat, dairy and produce, as our booming network of local farmers markets proves. But now there doesn't seem to be anything that we can't buy from a local producer.
Our desire for locally produced food and drink will only grow in the new year as we begin to see how locally made food not only offers quality, but becomes a boon to our economy as well.
