SugarCreek: Brandworthy Food Solutions

Although American eating habits have changed for the better over the past 20 years (remember all those Twinkies your mother packed in your school lunch?), there is still one special, delectable treat that no health food craze can push into junk food oblivion-- and that is chocolate.

Is there such a thing as the stereotypical, American quick-service (fast food) customer? There might have been in days gone by, but industry experts say that the fast food crowd is become decidedly diverse.

Remember when you couldn’t open up a restaurant menu without seeing a baby spinach salad-- usually topped with cranberries, pecans, goat cheese, and a warm citrus vinaigrette or some other flavor of the day? Well, this go-to green had a good run, but according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, “all food trends have a life span,” and poor baby spinach has reached its timely end.

Also relegated to the dead list? Such also-rans as chocolate lava cake, clear soda, and the earliest incarnation of soft serve frozen yogurt. So what’s next to go the way of the dinosaur-shaped chicken nugget? Read on to find out more about what food service industry trends are on the way out in 2014.

Kale

Whether you run a restaurant, cater for large groups, or are a supplier for the food service industry, the success of your business depends on keeping up with the latest trends.

You’ve probably read all you can about all the hottest flavors and cooking methods of the season— fresh-squeezed juice drinks with added nutritional supplements, products such as snacks, dips, and frozen treats made with Greek yogurt and kale and bacon in almost every kind of dish imaginable. And while these trends give you important insight into how to win the hearts of consumers in 2014, it is just as important to be familiar with the trends that Americans do not find so enticing.

Avoid falling into the trap of offering consumers what they do not want and in the process, forgetting to cater to their tastes.

Gluten-free diets are all the rage among health foodies these days, trending as one of the hottest food crazes in recent years to influence American eating habits. However, researchers say that the benefits touted by adherents to this food trend aren’t what they seem. There's little science to support the belief that gluten is the cause of allergy symptoms and other health conditions.

Americans may be more health-conscious than ever, but their craving for fast food is still going strong. In fact, the typical American adult gets more than 10 percent of total calories from fast food, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The reliability, convenience, and taste of fast food are among the food service industry trends that keep bringing customers back into fast food restaurants, but the fast food industry has a few additional tricks. Secret menus are among the components that help drive fast food success.

The American pork market is in a time of change. Americans are still buying pork, but with cost at an all-time high and plenty of other choices on the market, consumers are not as bound to purchase pork products as they were in the past. Further driving up the cost of pork— and possibly leading to consumer fears of food safety— are recent outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, or PEDv.

While industry experts have, as yet, been unable to control the epidemic, alleviating consumer fears that arise from food safety news may be the best thing that the food service industry can do to help bring the pork sales back to an even keel.

Significance of Food Safety Concerns for the Industry

Americans may be increasingly focused on healthy eating, but you would never know it from the trends in bacon consumption. Bacon not only remains popular as a breakfast meat, but continues to enjoy a place in all kinds of dishes. While new food fads continue to emerge, bacon remains a popular item, and an essential one to consider if you are in the food service industry.

You cannot afford to overlook such a popular trend lest you risk losing customers. A better approach is to learn about trends in American bacon consumption so that you can cater to your customer’s tastes.

The eating habits of the average American are, in no small part, molded by the availability of affordable and varied food items. The inexpensive cost of producing pork has allowed it to be a mainstay of American diets for years, but times are changing. Despite the popularity of bacon, rising prices and potential food safety concerns have begun to put many consumers off of pork.

But even as Americans have started to eat less pork, new markets have been expanding. In China, for instance, the demand for pork has increased. The result may be shifts in American markets.

If recent food service industry trends tell us anything, it is that Americans love their bacon. From traditional breakfast strips to bacon-flavored liquor, this pervasive pork product is now considered a staple by many people in the United States. However, recent increases in the price of pork threaten the popularity of bacon and other meat products made from pigs.