High-tech ovens. Cooking is going to be much easier in the future thanks to innovative technology and new products. Miele’s Dialogue Cookers allow users to determine precisely how much energy is used – and cook fish in a block of ice without melting a drop
Delivery services. In Germany, only seven percent of people order food via the internet but by 2030, almost everyone will be doing so. That means the way food is presented online, and the transport parameters, will become more and more important. Delivery of meal boxes packed with the ingredients all weighed and measured will also gain in popularity
City farms. Regionalism is a green future trend.Urban gardening projects are popping up more and more in big cities, such as the “ Prinzessinnengärten” in Berlin. Customers want fresh products that haven’t spent a long time being transported.
Modern solutions for senior citizens. More and more, nutrition will be tailored to consumer needs. German researchers are currently testing 3D food printing in two nursing homes. They used pureed ingredients to “print” meat that’s easier to chew, accompanied by potatoes and vegetables. The older people preferred the printed food.
Protein boom. Protein products have broken out of the fitness niche to become this year’s biggest growth segment. They are particularly popular among young and sporty consumers: nearly one in two buys these products.
Scientists predict that milk proteins will be a trend in the future. Researchers in California have now managed to create casein and whey using microorganisms, meaning real milk can be made without cows. The first “ Perfect Day” products are expected to hit the market in late 2019
Tangibly fresh. Supermarkets aren’t going to die out as people like to shop live and see what they are buying. In Germany, 69 percent of people head to the store several times each week according to a government report about nutritional habits (“ Ernährungsreport”)
Soy, oat and so on. The market is expanding rapidly for plant-based milk made out of soy, oats or almonds. In Germany, revenues reached € 235 million in 2018. DMK wants to enter this highly profitable market.
Vegetable Tattoos. DMK believes that there will be less plastic in retail by 2030, meaning new ideas for packaging are welcome, including natural branding. At Aldi, single use bags for fruit now cost 1 cent – it’s one way to nudge customers into a new way of thinking (Source: Modern Farmer)
Food is becoming a lifestyle
Heiko Antoniewicz
Heiko Antoniewicz spells out how we will be cooking and eating in the future. The watchwords are style, individuality and exoticism. He’s a star cook at MILRAM Food Service
Star cook Heiko Antoniewicz: “Food and top products are also fashion, they are ever more stylish, more unusual and more tailored. People spend more time showing off what they are eating and what they can make – that is also partly being driven by social media. That has a lot of implications. DMK is one of the biggest suppliers to food retail and has a strong food service offering. It’s important to be aware of new trends. The art is to draw the right conclusions, to understand your customers and develop new products for them. Food is no longer purely nutrition, to feed us, it has become a lifestyle. In the future, on the one hand, people will want exotic products. And on the other hand, they will want ingredients that make daily cooking easier.”
Heiko Antoniewicz is a cookbook writer and gives innovative cookery workshops. He is part of the MILRAM Food Service and in 2018, he was voted by his colleagues in the gastronomy sector as Trendsetter of the Year, for the third year in a row.
New milk, please! One third (35 percent) of Germans aged between 16 and 34 would like to try new and different milk mixed drinks – including milk with spices, according to a survey by Mintel, a market researcher. Food analysts say “fizzy milk”, which contains carbon dioxide and is very popular in Asia, will also become a European trend.
Transparency. Everyone wants to know what is in their food and more than one million people use the Yazio app to check the ingredients food contains
Eating together. In the future, products are going to have to be original and also easy to use, for professionals and home cooks alike, because we are eating together more and more. People arrange to meet up via social dining apps for special dining experiences at restaurants or at home.
Shopping has to be an experience
Retail expert Daniel B. Werner: “In the future, people will expect retail experiences that are tailored to their needs. How’s retail reacting? With innovative ideas and new shopping worlds. In 2030, shopping will mean: I’ll order my regular products online and by subscription. Because by then, classic shopping will only exist in the form of an experience. It will be all about telling great stories and individuality – anything that makes it special. In retail, companies will become partners with a 360-degree overview of selection, trends and consumer behaviour. Ten percent of all food are dairy products – and everyone buys milk, yoghurt or cheese once a week on average. That’s where DMK has to play in future. Customers will need to find products that suit them. That means that are fun and healthy, that they can eat on the go or during their lunch break. People will also want to buy products with a clean conscience. Companies will need to recognise trends early on and respond with original ideas. DMK for example did a good job of positioning Skyr just as the market for protein was booming. These innovations will matter a lot in the future, too.”
Daniel B. Werner is a businessman, founder and business coach. He was Head of AmazonFresh Marketplace, and has also worked for BMW and Deloitte. He founded and owns Conufactur, a consultancy.
Help in the kitchen. Customers want appliances that can help in the kitchen to make cooking easier. The Thermomix fan community keeps on growing, while more and more new cooking appliances are coming to market. The appeal is that they are easy to use: put the ingredients in, wait, take out your food. People can now use an app to order ingredients for their Thermomix that will be delivered by REWE.
Flexitarianism. Researchers expect a boom. Flexitarians eat lots of vegetables, eggs and dairy products but meat only rarely. They live more sustainably but don't have to go without. That's the new lifestyle.
Trend app. Trends are emerging everywhere: Scouts are gathering ideas for DMK all over the world – including with the ITONICS Inspirator App.
This spells the end of asceticism as people focus more and more on enjoyment. “Consumers welcome the fact that health no longer precludes pleasure. In Germany, health has tended to mean going without for far too long. ‘Healthy hedonism’ feels like culinary liberation.”
The focus is on “edible ethics rather than industrial efficiency.” The forecast: “We are already seeing signs of greater transparency and with that, the food industry is winning back trust again: technologies set to track food from its origin all the way through the supply chain.”
Plant-based foods are now seen as healthy and diverse. The forecast: “ Plant-based products will continue to gain in importance. This trend presents the many advantages of plant-based food. People don’t have to miss out on eating meat but can choose from many plant- based alternatives that taste just as good.”