thefoodpeople: Local Still Big for 2009

thefoodpeople (a UK-based food trends research firm) predicts the Big Food trends for 2009 in the UK. Most of their predictions (transferred here with their original British spellings) probably also apply to the US or can be interpreted for the US:

1. Comfort food - Incorporating retro, nostalgia, feel good foods of the past, treats;
2. Scratch cooking and home baking - More cooking from raw ingredients, cheaper cuts, also more cakes, tray bakes, sponges not just because it saves money but also it makes you feel great;
3. British - British will continue to be big – British regions, traditions, ingredients, breeds and species; [editor: translate this to the US as "Local will continue to be big."]
4. Less protein - Less protein on plates, it is expensive and also there are so many possibilities with vegetable accompaniments;
5. Head to tail - Eating more of our fish, meat and vegetables and throwing less away, using new and forgotten recipes to utilise more of the animal, a principle that can be applied to anything;
6. Sustainable meat and fish - More about new varieties and those that we should be eating more of – rock fish, gurnard, flounder, mahi mahi;
7. Changing drinking habits - Drinking at home rather than out in pubs and restaurants, also big in drink is beer, cider and cocktails;
8. Thirst for food skills and knowledge - More entry level cookery schools teaching the basics and how to get the best out of what you have;
9. Restaurant and farm alliances - Savvy restaurateurs teaming up with farms to bring the consumers food that they know and trust;
10. More miniaturisation - More things getting smaller – greater choice, less cost, more variety, more cute factor;
11. More customisation - More brands and businesses offering consumers the opportunity to customise or tailor their goods, products or services;
12. Health - Instant nutrition, ultra low calorie, health through natural choices.

Emerging Food trends for 2009:

1. Beauty foods - Foods that enhance your inner or outer beauty;
2. Raw food - Foods that are raw and retain all of their natural goodness, raw food diets;
3. Free food - Incorporating foraging, freeganism, growing your own, fishing;
4. Bistronomics - Avant garde cuisine at bistro prices by using what’s in season, not throwing anything away and using modern cooking techniques;
5. Next generation desserts - With less sugar, more flavour from the ingredients and a blur with savoury;
6. More food by mail - More foods delivered to you, personalised as you need / want them by post;
7. Sous vide - Use of sous vide to deliver convenience, consistency and quality as well as colour, flavour, texture to chefs and industry;
8. Community food projects - Power to the people, groups of people sharing land, skills and knowledge to share food within communities;
9. Modernised and interpreted cuisines - Look out for Greek, African, Mexican, Indian and Scandinavian influences in 2009;
10. Anti (this and that) foods - Foods that fight certain conditions and aliments;
11. Fun - Introduction of more fun, personality and informality into brands and the dining room;
12. Multi sensory emotional food experiences - Use of alternative techniques to cook, serve, present food to deliver a more all encompassing food experience that is multi sensory.

Here's hoping the trends toward eating local, scratch cooking, eating more sustainably, developing cooking skills, and restaurant/farm alliances turn out to be more than just trends.