Take a deep dive into how the month of December has shaped up over the years with research from our 17 Years In Food & Beverage Trends EBook.
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 17 Years In Food & Beverage Trends E-Book. 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 various months of December between 2006 and 2022.
December 2008 - A drinks product to emerge from 2008 was single-serve wines. Volute being one of these brands offering a single wine serving in a miniature bottle, created by four friends who were frustrated they couldn't squeeze their love of good wines into their active lifestyles. Elsewhere we saw Jamie's Ministry of Food top the charts as best selling cookbook of the year, longstanding high street retail chain Woolworths went into receivership and the recession continued to bite, impacting our food choices.
December 2011 - The number of Food Banks was multiplying. The Trussell Trust charity announced that it had launched a new food bank every four days in 2011 by December, providing emergency food to people in crisis. At the other end of the scale, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester designed a trio of Christmas chocolate baubles priced at £25. Burger and Lobster opened their first restaurant with just two dishes on the menu, and Ferran Adria declared that 'Peru holds the key to the future of gastronomy'.
December 2014 - The gluten-free market was predicted to hit sales of $8.8 billion in 2014, representing an increase of 63% from 2012 to 2014, according to findings from Mintel. Amongst the market, gluten-free snack sales were the biggest growers. The drive for plant-based meat, something that behaves, tastes and even bleeds like meat, began in 2014. Silicon Valley start-ups Impossible Foods and Hampton Creek Foods (now called JUST, Inc.) were pioneering the world of alternative veg-meats. A total of 12 restaurants were awarded three stars in the Tokyo Michelin Guide, more than the nine in Paris. Whilst the average UK house price was at £191,669.
December 2017 - Uber Eats released findings from its first ever "How America Eats" survey, capturing trends from US adults across different regions and generations with key takeouts including brunching out being on the decline and 43% of Americans identifying as picky eaters. Elsewhere in the US, wine producer House Wine released Rosé in a Can, selling 2.4m cans between May and December. Over in London, Rascals opened in Shoreditch, defining itself as a "Millennials 'Paradise" with a zero-tolerance policy for polite small talk.
December 2018 - The rise of game on menus in 2018 was stratospheric. The trend for game-as-the-main-event was largely driven by its traceability, sustainability and wild 'organic' nature. Cannabis, or more specifically CBD or cannabidiol, soared in popularity. Neo-mint was the coolest colour on the block. UK supermarket Aldi launched triple pigs in blankets, aspart of their Christmas range And by now, the average UK house price had risen to £229,729.
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A lot has happened in the month of December over the years - discover more in our 17 Years In Food & Beverage Trends EBook. Find out how you can get your copy here.