Grace Binchy
Trends and Insight Specialist, Bord Bia
Fluctuating consumer trends challenge food and drink businesses in guiding their investments. A new tool analyses global qualitative research from over 30,000 sources to monitor consumer behaviour.
Bord Bia has been tracking consumer lifestyle trends for 16 years and, in late January, launched ‘Cultivate’ —a new tool to evaluate behavioural trends in real time. The Bord Bia Cultivate trends report 2023/2024 featured over 10,000 respondents in 10 countries, coupled with an analysis of over 33,000 research reports and case studies. We give a quick snapshot of some of the trends uncovered.
Consumer trend in AI-enabled cooking
People are exploring the role that tech can play in increasing cooking efficiencies and creativity. For instance, they are using generative AI to create recipes and buying AI-powered appliances, such as smart air fryers and smart coffee makers.
Snacking replaces traditional meals
Consumers are replacing mealtimes with snacking for comfort, freedom and flexibility.
The altered social structures and routines emerging in the wake of the pandemic have led to a decline in the three-meals-a-day trope.
Witness the popularity of ‘girl dinners’ (ie. eating a mix of snackable foods for dinner instead of a meal), which speaks to a cultural moment in which people want to treat their foods like playlists they can shuffle through without having to commit to any one flavour, texture or origin.
Consumers are replacing mealtimes with snacking for comfort, freedom and flexibility.
Increasing need for health customisation
Wellness is increasingly being embraced as a holistic concept that extends into various facets of daily life. As a result, people are actively seeking more personalised options for optimising their health. Health trackers, DNA dieting and increasing experimentation with personalised nutrition means people have a more granular understanding of what foods may or may not benefit them.
Foodie fandoms and sense of community
In 2021, The Guardian dubbed restaurant merch ‘the new band tee’ spurred by a rise in support for local businesses. Dubbed ‘delicore,’ the trend served as a way to signal fandom while supporting small businesses.
Fast-forward a few years and it isn’t only the merch people are using to signal status, but the food itself. Specialised, niche or just plain, tasty foods have become a showcase of cultural prowess for Gen Z — as well as a respite from a stressful world and a way to find community.
