Take a deep dive into how the month of May has shaped up over the years with research from our new 18 Years In Food & Beverage Trends EBook. Check out five highlights from between 2006 and 2023.
thefoodpeople was established in 2005 rooted in our purpose to shift the future of food and drink by inspiring and informing people, business and institutions to harness the power of trends and foresight. Why do we do what we do? Well, we believe that food & drink connects us all, by working with our community, industry and our collaborators, positive impact in food & drink can shape a better future for all.
Since then a lot has changed across the food and beverage landscape, change that we've looked to capture in our latest edition of the EBook, 18 Years In Food & Beverage Trends. We look at what events, people, culture, regulations, technologies, and products defined these years, as well as the changes and impact on these for the future.
Here are some of the highlights captured from month of May between 2006 and 2023.
May 2009 - This month saw the launch of the world's first and ultimate zero-calorie chocolate ... which was designed to be sniffed rather than eaten. It was also the month in which Sainsbury's playfully renamed its own brand pollack to Colin, following research that showed customers were often embarrassed to ask for the fish due to its cheap reputation. Finally, May 2009 saw Waitrose sign a franchise deal with motorwayservices firm, Welcome Break, to open shops in two of its service stations.
May 2011 - Edible insects became a topic of conversation this year, with the spotlight on sustainability, people were asking if insects would be the meat of the future? We saw the rising trend for alternative wedding cakes, moving away from the traditional three tiered fruit cake design to differing tiers such as chocolate or Madeira cake off the back of celebrity weddings in the US. Finally, ABC Kitchen in New York won New Restaurant of the year in the James Beard Awards.
May 2014 - M&S launched their fish and chip pie as part of their Gastropub range. Creating a quintessentially British fusion, the pie consisted of an all-butter short-crust pastry pie filled with cod chunks, minted pea puree, and béchamel tartar sauce, with chips layered in sea salt acting as a lid. We saw Loaded Cocktails hit our menus and reminded us of boozy versions of our loved freakshakes which were to trend in 2016. Whilst White Mulberries won Best London Coffee Show in the annual Coffee Awards.
May 2017 - This month saw Saliha Mahmood-Ahmet win MasterChef 2017 with a style described by Judge Gregg Wallace as 'East meets West'. The next iteration in the Rainbow Food Trends Franchise was the Rainbow Latte. At one end of the spectrum we had healthful, super-clean and superfood-rich drinks; at the other, we had sugar-loaded, brightly coloured lattes, more akin to milkshakes. And finally, renowned restaurant Noma started its seven week stay in Tulum, Mexico for it's latest international location.
May 2018 - There was a growing interest in Australia's indigenous ingredients, no longer confined to niche and limited audiences, but embraced in mainstream gastronomy. Of particular interest was murnong, a potato-like root vegetable with bags of versatility. Black wine was first spotted as a trend in all things vino. The Saperavi grape, indigenous toGeorgia and one of the world's oldest varietals dating back to 5000BC, is what most people associated with black wine. And finally, we saw Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wed at St George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Cathedral.
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A lot has happened in the month of May over the years - discover more in our 18 Years In Food & Beverage Trends EBook. Find out how you can get your copy here.