Spotlighting the trends and events that have occurred over the years in the month of August, as featured in our new 18 Years In Food & Beverage Trends EBook. Below, we've pulled together five highlights and moments 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 August between 2006 and 2023.
August 2010 - This month saw the launch of a new iPhone app helping those suffering from allergies - MyFoodFacts, allowing users to identify and shop for allergen-free products. It was the first app of its kind that focused specifically on allergies. We also saw Eataly open its first store outside of Italy in New York near Madison Square Park this month, in partnership with Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, creating the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace in the world.
August 2013 - Mug cakes started to trend in 2013, made popular because of their ease, convenience and accessibility – even the most unconfident of bakers was able to knock up a mug cake. We saw Restaurant.com, America's largest dining deals site, reveal theirTop 25 Most Popular All-American Cuisine Restaurants. Whilst in the UK, Shake Shack opened its first location, in London's Covent Garden, hot on the heels of their competition Five Guys.
August 2015 - New Wave Coffee was a hot topic in the summer of 2015 as coffee was entering a new era - using a combination of science and tech to ensure that every aspect behind coffee making was controlled and perfected; the grind, pressure, temperature control, filtration, time, water purity, and milk preparation. Healthy fats were well and truly back. No longer afraid of the so-called health risks of fat, we began to shake off old beliefs that "low-fat" was best. Whilst ginger became the flavour we all wanted in our drinks, particularly juice shots. Its growth in beverages was linked to the growing demand for bolder flavours, spices and warming heat across our food and drink.
August 2016 - 3D printing dining became a thing in 2016 as London welcomed its first 3D-printing restaurant, Food Ink.The restaurant brought edible art to life at £250 a head. Watermelon became the newest trend icon of 2016.Hailed for its impressive raft of health benefits, plus its enviable hydration boost, this trend hit our Instagram, our juices, our menus and even our fashion. Also in London, Waitrose opened the UK's first cashless store. The Little Waitrose opened in Sky's flagship head office building in Osterley.
August 2018 - The UK's first vegan supermarket opened in London. Plant-Based Supermarket in Homerton, Hackney, sold exclusive ranges of vegan on-the-go options like wraps and sandwiches, as well as frozen pizzas and ice cream. Talking of ice cream, Data from YouGov Omnibus revealed that the nation's favourite ice lolly was Magnum. Of those who claimed to have a favourite ice lolly, more than one in four said it was Magnum. And finally ... get ready for it, Chicago's Duck Inn was serving up their version of the Mai Tai cocktail: with added Spam, thus dubbed the SpaMai Ta.
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A lot has happened in the month of August over the years - discover more in our 18 Years In Food & Beverage Trends EBook. Find out how you can get your copy here.