Food: the 2024 industry trends!

1. AI, cooking at the heart of innovation

AI’s appetite : more data please.

Artificial intelligence is making its way into our food, enabling us to develop new ways of consuming and eating better. Applications to avoid waste, to better plan shopping and meals, to create personalized and balanced recipes… There are many uses for this new technology. In particular, AI could be used to develop new products, help restaurateurs with robotic assistants, and support individuals in monitoring their metabolic data, to better target their nutritional needs. What better way to stay on top of your diet!

2. Feed your brain

Keep it sharp.

While AI enables us to develop new ways of nourishing ourselves, our brains need to be maintained. And as we age, consumers are aware that they all have a role to play in keeping our brains healthy, now more than ever before. Over the past few years, “taking care of yourself, your body and your mind” has been the key trend we’ve been seeing everywhere. On networks, with brands, in the media: brain aging is therefore a growing concern, and it’s not surprising that we’re turning to foods that help maintain it. Coupled with brain-building exercises (sudokus, logic games, crosswords), foods such as almonds, green leafy vegetables, turmeric and others have a place of choice in our cupboards. According to forecasts, the market for brain-healthy foods is set to reach $40 billion by 2030.

3. Less alcohol

The Sober-curious movement.

In the spirit of a healthy mind in a healthy body, consumers are increasingly opting for non-alcoholic beverages. For many years, the alternative to alcohol was limited to the classic soft drinks we find in our supermarkets, but now alcohol-free cocktails, beers and wines are all the rage, and the choices are multiplying.But consumers are happy to swap alcohol for non-alcoholic beverages, as long as the taste is right and doesn’t detract from the pleasure of a drink with friends.This is an opportunity for brewers and microbrewers to learn how to reinvent themselves, so as to better meet everyone’s expectations.

4. Putting plants back at the heart of our meals

We are what we eat.

Imitation du goût de la viande ou bien de celui du fromage, nombreux sont les aliments transformés qui sont devenus l’alternative numéro un aux régimes omnivore et carnivore. Ils ont envahi nos supermarchés et les grandes enseignes de fast food s’y sont mises aussi, proposant des burgers Beyond Meat qui n’ont rien à envier à un vrai steak de viande. Mais, alors qu’aujourd’hui la tendance est à une alimentation saine et transparente dans ses produits, il semblerait que les protéines végétales regagnent du terrain. Si les produits transformés avaient du succès, c’était en effet pour leur goût, similaire à celui de la viande. Les protéines végétales, elles, cochent surtout la case du produit bon pour notre corps et notre tête. Et puisque ce sujet est au cœur des préoccupations, il semblerait que les plantes et leur simplicité soient la nouvelle palette de goûts à explorer en 2024.

5. Zéro gaspillage

Less is more.

Climate issues are not new, but their impact on the agricultural sector is unfortunately growing. Coupled with rising prices, the trend is towards zero waste. Firstly, because it’s good for the planet and we prefer quality to quantity, and secondly, because consuming more and more comes at a cost that many people are finding hard to keep up with. After realizing that we needed to change our behavior with regard to the use of plastic, packaging and waste, consumers are now incorporating this trend right into their plates, by learning to cook what we don’t always cook: vegetables in their entirety, peelings, leftovers… So many new ways of cooking that say goodbye to food waste!

Since the pandemic, food has become the star of social networks. The food sector is one of the 100 most talked-about topics in 2023 on these platforms, the 5th most watched theme on Youtube and on Pinterest, with 9.5 million images pinned per day. A universal theme, it touches every country, enabling people to mix cultures, travel while staying at home, and discover new flavors.  It’s a real playground for those who lend themselves to it, and for the industry’s brands.

On social networks, content creators have no shortage of ideas to innovate, proposing offbeat recipes and amusing concepts, in partnership with numerous brands who are aware of the importance of an influence strategy. There’s plenty to keep you entertained, and fed!

Tiktok : the most creative platform

Tiktok has become the most influential platform of all. Video formats give free rein to a variety of concepts. As in many fields, gastronomy has a special place on the platform: the hashtag #FoodTok has been shared over 80 billion times, and #food has an audience of over 672.8 trillion views. A significant international influence and a global reach that must be put to good use.

Instagram : le réseau le plus utilisé par les marques

Tiktok may have overshadowed Meta in its early days, but Instagram is still the social network most used by brands. Its various formats, photos, videos and stories enable brands and influencers to offer multiple content and tell a story in its entirety. It accounts for 63% of publications and 90% of interactions, all networks combined. While photos allow us to work on a precise aesthetic, stories are made with spontaneity, and reels are an opportunity to try out new things.

There are several trends to note when it comes to engaging audiences and having a relevant influencer strategy:  

1. Co-create recipes

Users like things simple and easy to do. You don’t have to be a great chef to eat well and easily reproduce aesthetically perfect recipes at home. In fact, some recipes have gone viral, as in the case of the famous Crookie, the cookie croissant that has taken the networks by storm, and the Smash Burger, whose hashtag has been seen 1.8 trillion times worldwide. As a brand, collaborating with an influencer on this type of content is a way of ensuring that your products are a permanent fixture in people’s kitchens, and a must-have on everyone’s shopping list.  

4. Decoration & tableware focus

If we love good food, we also appreciate the decor that goes with it. In an ever-increasing quest for aestheticism, we appreciate pretty ceramics, dishes from elsewhere and table linens to welcome our guests. It’s the perfect way to create a unique world around a particular product. It’s the perfect opportunity to sublimate your dinner party!

5. ASMR, petfluencers, etc.: trends that can easily be adapted to the food industry if the content strategy is well thought out.

ASMR : Stimulate your ears to delight your taste buds

Example here

ASMR has been all the rage on social networks for some time now: a sensory experience designed to soothe, the aim of ASMR is to relax and plunge the listener into a state of relaxation, concentration and, for some, even near-trance. While the trend was first applied to natural sounds (the sea, birds, the wind…), it is now being applied to all subjects, including food! In line with the #foodporn movement, some people like to listen to the sounds of cooking and preparation, enabling content creators to offer formats that are both visual and sonic.

Petfluencers : Petfluencers : What if our animals had something to say too?

Example here

Pets have a special place in the home, and are an integral part of any family. Their well-being has become an important concern, and many brands offer products developed especially for them. And because they’re so important, we’re also seeing more and more of them on social networks, whether in playful, touching content or in everyday life. The engagement rate of a publication on Instagram is 3 to 6 times higher when an animal is featured. So they’re a great way to grab attention and stand out from the other types of content we’re familiar with.

Over time, influencer marketing seems to be maturing, and so are the partnerships that make it up. Brands are focusing on long-term collaborations rather than one-off campaigns, gaining in credibility and quality. In particular, this evolution enables brands to truly define the contours of their identity and to inscribe themselves in a specific universe, engaging the public at their side. What’s more, surrounding yourself with talent from a wide range of backgrounds ensures that you’re always on the cutting edge of different lifestyles and cultures, giving you the opportunity to better respond to the needs of a wider audience.

Del Monte x Clark Influence

Del Monte, a fruit and vegetable distributor, has been working with Clark Influence since 2020 on influencer activations across Canada to promote its various products: from canned corn, to the new range of chia seed products. Thanks to a team of ambassadors, Del Monte benefits from year-round visibility and exclusive new recipes with its products throughout the seasons.
For this influencer campaign, the strategy adopted was to create a real relationship between the content creators and the brand: the long-term commitment between the brand and its ambassadors makes it possible to prioritize quality over quantity and make the brand part of everyone’s habits, while helping to develop its image across different universes. This strategy increases the commitment and authenticity of the collaboration with the audience.

In a hyper-connected world, where audiences are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of technology on their daily lives, it therefore seems important for brands to stay connected, while putting the human and authentic at the heart of their strategies. Indeed, while the arrival of AI risks reshaping our consumption patterns, audiences, conversely, demand to understand the brands they buy, their story and their vision. Social networks and influencer strategies thus become a real means of connecting and getting closer to consumers, especially in the food sector, when we know that eating is at the heart of every individual’s preoccupations.

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY CLARK INFLUENCE