FUTURE MENUS TOP 8 TRENDS FOR 2024 1 FLAVOR SHOCK
2 3 4 5
LOCAL ABUNDANCE
In the Low Waste Menus breakout, chefs prepared focaccia made with spent grain.
are something we’re trying to incorporate into our LTOs on a quarterly basis to provide this ‘shock’ expe - rience that keeps our products fresh for our long-time customers.” That’s not to say the other five trends in the Future Menus report haven’t evolved, too. The New Sharing, described as “dynamic and interactive,” is especially intriguing. Here again, the word “community” looms large. Through cross-cultural menus and shareable presentations, diners have the opportunity to enjoy food together, share stories and create a sense of community. Consumers are evolving this trend into snackification, said Klute. The remaining four trends—Low Waste Menus, Irre- sistible Vegetables, Modernized Comfort Food and Feel Good Food—are still going strong, too. Attendees had plenty of opportunities to sample all the trends in action throughout the two-day event at The Hive. We tasted focaccia made from spent grain topped with carrot top pesto; kimchi made with veg - etable peels; shareable Israeli-style platters filled with baba ghanoush, hummus, tahini and puffy wood-fired pita breads; Turkish kebabs sliced from a spit-roast - ed cone of plant-based protein under The Vegetable Butcher brand; and umami bombs crafted from millet in smoked vegetable sauce. Peter Genna, director of global culinary innovation for Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, was particularly interested in the sauce and marinade flavors he sampled as pos - sible menu additions for Popeyes’ international loca- tions, he said. To compile the Future Menus 2024 report, Unilever conducted research with 1,600 chefs from 20 coun - tries around the world, gathering additional consumer input from social media listening programs. The goal of the report is to help chefs stay ahead of the culinary curve and develop the best-selling dishes of the future.
PLANT-POWERED PROTEIN
THE NEW SHARING
LOW WASTE MENUS
6 7 8 FOOD
IRRESISTABLE VEGETABLES
MODERNIZED COMFORT FOOD
FEEL GOOD
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PATRICIA COBE (LEFT) AND UNILEVER FOOD SOLUTIONS (ABOVE)
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