CHARTWELLS K12 HAS RELEASED ITS ANNUAL LIST OF WHAT FOOD TRENDS WILL BE POPULAR WITH STUDENTS IN THE UPCOMING YEAR. BY BENITA GINGERELLA 10 FOOD TRENDS THAT WILL BE POPULAR WITH KIDS IN 2024 MENU
W hat will students be crav- ing in the cafeteria next year? Chartwells K12 has released its annual list of what food trends they be- lieve will be popular with young eaters over the next 12 months. The foodservice provider compiled the list using data from serving over 2 million meals a day in school districts across nearly 40 states. Here’s what food trends they believe will resonate with students in 2024. 1 CREATIVE DIPS Dips add a burst of flavor and texture to dishes and can be a great way to encourage students to eat more vegetables, Chartwells K12 notes. Roasted Beet Hummus and homemade “House Special” BBQ Sauces are just some of the dips the foodser- vice provider serves to students. 2 TIKTOK TAKEOVER Social media is influencing students’ requests in the lunchroom. In response, Chart- wells K12 has begun taking in- spiration from recipes that have gone viral on online platforms such as TikTok. The foodservice provider aims to make the rec- ipes served in school healthier than their online counterparts by swapping out certain ingredients. For example, instead of serving a baked feta pasta, Chartwells K12 chefs opted for a penne with spin- ach, bacon and grape tomatoes.
Mini pancakes with fruit.
3 MINI IS MIGHTY sions of students’ favorite dishes into their menus this upcoming year. Students are becoming drawn menu items such as mini waffles, pulled pork sliders and more, the foodservice provider says. 4 GLOBAL EATS Global dining continues to be popular with Genera- tion Alpha. Latin American and Asian cuisines seem to be of par- ticular interest to this age group, the foodservice provider notes. Caribbean Chicken Fricassee and Gochujang Chicken Lettuce Cups are some of the global offerings that Chartwells K12 has intro- duced to its menus. Operators may want to in- corporate miniature ver-
5 SPECIALTY DRINKS eaters. Chartwells K12 is playing up this trend through menu items such as its Avocado Mango Kale Smoothie and Hot Chocolate Milk. 6 BOLD SPICES Students continue to love dishes with bold season- ings. Using spices also allows chefs to cut back on sodium, says Chartwells K12. The foodservice provider uses spices to bring bold flavors to dishes like its Thai Style Chicken & Noodle Salad and Honey BBQ Sriracha Chicken Grain Bowl. Specialty beverages are striking a chord with young
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FSD QUARTERLY
Q1 2024
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHARTWELLS K12
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