Popular Food Trends in the Health and the Food Industry

As the waistlines of individuals around the world expand, the desire and interest for healthier meal options and expanded menus is ever growing. To compete in the modern restaurant business, many dining establishments are having to dramatically vary their traditional menus to meet the demand for healthier food options and controlled portions.

Nutritional Value is Becoming Central To The Dining Experience

In order to keep up, you and your business need to tweak and innovate. Instead of falling back on staples of restaurant service, like butter, mayonnaise or eggs to add depth and flavor, consider making more plant based meals. For the ever growing pool of conscientious consumers who are worried about their caloric intake, you may need to consider such options.

The yogurt industry is a prime example of modification to existing products and services in order to meet the demands of this new trend. Across the board, yogurt has grown tremendously as a go to snack for the calorie conscious eater. Instead of focusing on sugary treat images and packing their yogurts with accompanying cookie crumbles or sprinkles, as was normal not even a decade ago, we’re seeing the rise of “Greek” yogurt, which is lower in calories and sugar while being denser in protein and healthy fats.

Many pizza companies are becoming healthier and moving away from the traditional white flour crusts. More and more pizza and Italian food restaurant menus are including whole-wheat and gluten-free options as the demands of the consumers are asking for healthier options. This including whole wheat, high fiber and allergy-alternative crusts. In this same vein, companies across the board are reducing the amount of sodium as well as chemical preservatives in their products.

What Tweaks or Innovations Can You Make With Your Menu?

Chief among industry innovators is Jamba Juice. Their health and menu options are going way beyond their food choices; they’re expanding the services they provide to be much more physical. They have their fingers on the pulse of these trends in a big way with strict nutritional variance options on their menu. From the moment you order through getting your drink or food, you’re involved in every decision in the food making process. Need a vitamin boost or protein supplement? That can be added to whatever you ordered to fit your specific nutritional needs. Likewise, they’ve done a great job of keeping an eye on the rising popularity of low and zero calorie “mocktails”.

To succeed in the food industry, you have to be nimble and adaptive. It’s not enough to provide excellent service and good food; you have to meet the growing speculative demands of your consumers. Keeping a watchful eye on these emerging and continuing health trends is vital to continue to grow and thrive in the restaurant industry.