Spotlighting the trends and events that have occurred over the years in the month of September, 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 September between 2006 and 2023.
September 2008 - Smart tabletops started to pop-up in restaurants. The high-tech restaurant, Inamo, opened in Soho which features tables you both ate off and where you could also order you meal, a so-called "smart tabletop." Customers could simply order the bill from their interactive table whenever they fancied. You could even use your dining table to order a cab home. Elsewhere, frozen food came into prominence during 2008 as another artefact of the financial crisis. With people having to tighten their grocery belts, frozen foods offered cheaper ways to feed families, ensuring that nothing went to waste.
September 2010 - This month saw Domino's launch their square pizza in Australia, a new Square Puff Pizza, designed to give customers their whole box / quota of pizza. Also in Australia, the first ever restaurant for dogs and cats opened near Sydney - Chew Chew. The creation came from pet nutritionist Naoko Okamoto and proved to be a great hit with the four-legged community and their owners. Finally, the first ever Great British Bake Off winner was confirmed - Edd Kimber, who gave up his job as a debt collector and became a full-time baker and writer.
September 2012 - Pollens were popping up on top chefs' menus and in cocktails. Bee pollen had become a popular staple in the health world, widely touted as a nutrient-packed "perfect food. Fennel pollen, the potent granules harvested from the buds of flowering fennel plants, offers instant umami kick – that deep savouriness we came to crave. We saw the birth of the Designer Baker - on the one hand, rustic bakeries offered a nostalgic comfort and security - but as the craft movement gained more momentum, artisanal recipes, natural ingredients, heritage grains and 'organic everything' stood in sharper focus. Finally, Jamie Oliver was named as Britain's second biggest selling author since records began with total book sales of £126m.
September 2015 - Food waste remained a hot topic this month with some troubling statistics realised, showing that of the 41 million tonnes of food imported to the UK each year, 15 million is wasted. There was more data news, with Prosecco overtaking Champagne as the toast of choice for British weddings. 63% of newly married couples were toasting their nuptials with a flute of Prosecco, compared to just 8% raising a class of Champagne. And finally, Mexican food was the 'it' cuisine in the UK. According to Future Thinking, a survey of more than 2000 people, found that 30% of families bought or tried Mexican food in the past year.
September 2018 - Chocolate maker Barry Callebaut released a pink chocolate. The chocolate from different global regions and offers a distinctively different taste and appearance. Callebaut claimed it offers a totally new experience, different to the usual bitter, milk and sweet offerings customers are used to. We also saw a range of frozen ready meals launched by plant-based brand Deliciously Ella. Offerings included Sweet Potato & Black Bean Shepherd's Pie, Five Bean Chilli, Thai Yellow Curry, Cauliflower & Lentil Dahl and Spiced Spinach & Potato Cake. And finally, in food tech news Ichibuns, a Japanese-inspired diner in London's Chinatown, launched a burger bun featuring a QR code. This enabled patrons to make payments, split the bill and leave tips.
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A lot has happened in the month of September over the years - discover more in our 18 Years In Food & Beverage Trends EBook. Find out how you can get your copy here.