Food trend spotting and reporting has become a ubiquitous tool used by many kinds of marketers over the past several years. Trend spotting and reporting used to be driven and reported mainly by experts deeply knowledgeable about and entrenched in food and beverage operations. Today, any foodie with a forum on social media, or a SAAS data platform engine will release trend reports in order to gain media attention and/or to funnel leads into sales. Consumers, hungry to be in the know of what’s new and exciting, consume these top 10 trend lists with fleeting interest, as many of the trends spotted tend to actually be fads, rather than lasting trends. Chefs, recipe and menu developers, restaurant and non-commercial food operators are being inundated with data about trends from so many sources, they don’t even know which to trust, or what to even make of this kind of information, let alone how much time, energy and money they should invest in learning and implementing any given trend.
Three years ago, in an effort to support and guide their customers with informative information and actionable solutions that support operations, Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) ventured to create their own proprietary trend report curated and driven by chefs, for chefs. This UFS trend primer was intended not only to report on what trends are worthy of their customers attention, but also to provide valuable resources and recipes to operators on ways to best activate these trends in myriad ways.
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UFS has truly carved a unique niche in trend reporting. Rather than relying solely on market data and consumer insights, UFS has cultivated a global network of internal and external culinary experts who work together to report on, execute and help shape the future of foodservice. This approach, dubbed “Chefmanship,” has positioned UFS as a leader in trend forecasting and is rapidly helping Future Menus to become not just an annual report, but the trusted gold standard primer for trend information that food service operators can count on, reliably from year to year. As they build on their repository of trends year over year, the Future Menus Report of this year, helps populate a relevant culinary trend repository that food professionals can refer to and rely on.
Set to be released in 2025, UFS’s third annual Future Menus Report is promised to be overflowing with real-world solutions for operators on how to best leverage on-trend menus and recipes designed to entice and delight diners, wherever they eat; whether in a restaurant, a cafeteria, or any food service establishment.
This Future Menu Report is built and codified at an in-person annual gathering of over 30 UFS chefs from around the world. For four days, these culinarians descend upon one of the Unilever global offices to brainstorm, experiment, collaborate and refine the top 32 food trend recipes for the coming year. This chef-to-chef activation fosters a unique blend of creativity, wisdom, and camaraderie, resulting in curated, unique, yet accessible culinary concepts.
The process begins months prior with the identification of four overarching food trends gathered from many different sources, from chefs reporting in from their regions where they have boots on the ground, to using data collection tools and industry reports and observations to glean relevant insights. The trends selected are then funneled to UFS chefs who are hand-selected to best ideate on one particular macro trend. Tasked with developing recipes that best embody the spirit of each macro trend, each chef brings their unique perspectives, inspired by their local cuisines and customs to create dishes that specifically represent the macro trend.
I was lucky to be invited to witness the formation of the third Future Menu Report this year at the New Jersey Unilever Kitchen. One of the first things I witnessed about this remarkable all-hands gathering was the level of sincere collaboration that existed in the kitchen. As a trained chef myself, it was surprising to see how calm, cool, and collaborative the UFS chefs were as they all shared the kitchen. As the chefs showcase their ideas, they each provide feedback, and learn from one another, creating a dynamic and enriching environment. As Chef Kees-Van Erp from the Netherlands observed, “This isn’t just a classroom; it’s a bootcamp, keeping us all at the top of our game.” “There is magic that happens here as we each aim to support each other’s ideas and recipes to make them the best they can be for our clients.”
The chefs’ creations are not merely culinary experiments or ego-driven examples of high end hoity toity cuisine; they’re designed to be easily executed and adapted by foodservice operators. Chef Gili Haim, of Israel was particularly inspired by a humble preparation, core to many families in Israel. “There is culinary creativity that is unlocked by these trend lenses, even the most basic of dishes, becomes exciting and a prized menu item when you look at it with fresh eyes. This helps us to help our clients bring high margin, yet on-trend recipes to their menu, bringing more to their bottom line.”
As Chef Dana Cohen, the corporate marketing chef at UFS, explained, the “Chefmanship” exhibited at this event and throughout UFS, is not just about chef camaraderie it’s also about craftsmanship and how we apply our culinary expertise to reinvent dishes; by approaching even old standard items, differently. Chef Dana was inspired by something Chef Philip Li of China was doing. “For example, I never thought about using steaming before with main proteins like Chef Li does. I’d been trying to attain a certain tenderness to my lamb shank with sous vide, and it wasn’t coming out quite right, when Chef Li suggested steaming, it was a total unlock for me and for the dish.” It’s about inspiring each other internally and by extension, inspiring our customers to also see things with a fresh perspective. It’s all of our collective expertise and skill coming together.”
Chef Rudy Smith highlighted his excitement surrounding ingredient-driven innovation, sharing his techniques for manipulating ingredients into new and exciting forms. The combination of ingredient experience, culinary prowess and continued education, to him is what Chefmanship represents most.
Chef Thais Gimenez from Brazil, underscored the value of Chefmanship by explaining that the UFS chefs enter the back of the house kitchens of so many different establishments each year that they get to learn from such a diverse set of customers, chefs, establishments and also teach them what they learned both at UFS HQ and from fellow customers’ operations. “It’s a full chef-to-chef ecosystem that we bring to the table. By activating the vast chef network UFS has enabled, solutions are reached more efficiently and effectively. It’s truly global and my customers see so much value in it.”
To me, one of the most striking aspects that a focus on Chefmanship brings to the creation of the Future Menus report, is that it places the emphasis on practical solutions that can be provided from leveraging the trends. The chefs’ creations are not just culinary experiments; they are designed to be easily executed and adapted by foodservice operators. This emphasis on practicality, really struck me as a value add to the trend report space.
While the foodservice world already has more than their fill of social media clickbait trend lists, and technical trend reports generated by data-driven software platforms, what UFS has created with the Future Menus report is drastically different, and in my opinion, a much-needed resource for food service operators who need support. The fact that it is being generated and expressed by chefs for chefs is what will make it stand out from all of the others. Look for the 2025 Future Menus Report to land in early March 2025. In the meantime, the Future Menu report from 2024 is available here to peruse and use as soon as right now.
Liz Moskow is a Food Futurist and the founder of saase. With over 25 years in the food industry, her journey has evolved from marketing to pioneering the future of food and restaurant technology. At Bread & Circus Ltd, Liz leveraged this extensive experience to guide companies at the nexus of food services and tech innovation. Her role as Principal allowed her to empower businesses, boards, and investors with insights to navigate the dynamic landscape of on and off-premises dining, restaurant technology, menu creation, and consumer packaged goods.
