What's Hot listing released by National Restaurant Association
Each year, we take a look at the National Restaurant Association’s 2022 Culinary Forecast: “What’s Hot” listing. The National Restaurant Association partners with professional chefs from the American Culinary Federation to invite their members to rank food items and culinary concepts. According to the forecast, the National Restaurant Association indicates that attention to health is back at centerstage.
The top 10 trends listed are:
- Packaging: sustainable (reusable/recyclable)
- Packaging: food quality (travels intact)
- Packaging: retains temperature
- Zero waste/sustainability
- Immunity-boosting snacks
- Menu streamlining (fewer menu items, cutting SKUs)
- Immunity-boosting/functional ingredients
- Plant-based sandwiches
- Packaging: food security (tamper-proof)
- Alternative sweeteners (maple sugar, coconut sugar)
In addition, other various meal trends identified included:
- Egg-based breakfast bowls
- Grain-based bowls
- Less expensive chicken cuts (thighs vs wings)
- Less expensive beef cuts
- Upscale potato chips
- CBD desserts and snacks
- Nut “milk” drinks
- Global foods from Southeast Asia, South America, the Caribbean, and Africa
To see the complete report or for more information, contact the National Restaurant Association.