Three of the biggest food trends in 2024. (2024)

1. Plant-based meat and fish substitute.

"As in previous years, plant-based nutrition will be a key topic in 2024," says Louis-Philippe Audette. More and more people are developing greater environmental and climate awareness and therefore want to reduce their meat consumption, pay more attention to quality or avoid animal products altogether. However, although consumers can already find a large selection of plant-based substitute products on supermarket shelves and menus, the final breakthrough has not yet been achieved, according to the food tech experts at DigitalFoodLab: In addition to the high price, the flavour is often not convincing, but this is to be solved by developing new ingredients and recipes. "It will be particularly exciting for fish lovers," says Audette.

"After plant-based meat substitutes, fish substitutes are increasingly coming to the fore." His tip: Modern cooking systems such as the iCombi Pro or iVario Pro prepare the alternatives in the same quality as the animal products. This is because they recognise the size, consistency and condition of the food and adjust the cooking process accordingly. "This makes the plant-based fish burger just as crispy and delicious as the original."

2. Less food waste.

According to Welthungerhilfe, around 931 million tonnes of food are thrown away every year. As nutritionist Hanni Rützler writes in her latest Food Report, more and more catering businesses and start-ups are developing concepts to counteract this. The circular food trend, for example, is all about eliminating waste in the first place and reprocessing individual components such as seeds, pulp or peelings. Technology also helps restaurateurs to produce as little waste as possible - an example from Audette: "The intelligence in the RATIONAL cooking systems continuously monitors the cooking process, adapts it to the food and gives specific recommendations for action. This gives you excellent results and at the same time reduces production errors and therefore food waste."

3. Focus on health.

In addition to the health of the planet, the health of the individual has increasingly become the focus of attention in recent years - and for good reason: According to the World Obesity Federation - a global organisation for obesity research - more than four billion people worldwide could be affected by excess weight and obesity by 2035. This not only has personal consequences, but also leads to problems for the economy and the healthcare system. According to DigitalFoodLab, one solution could be personalised nutrition: The aim is to use DNA analyses, for example, to determine needs and tailor food and supplements to individual requirements. “However, it will be a while before this becomes part of our everyday lives,” says Louis-Philippe Audette and advises: "Incidentally, raw foods already contain everything a person needs for a healthy diet. With the right cooking method, most of the nutrients and vitamins are retained - for example when steaming with the iCombi Pro or sous-vide cooking in the iVario Pro."

Innovative cooking systems make it easy to respond to current developments and therefore to the demands of guests - for example, to prepare high-quality plant-based substitute products, reduce waste in the kitchen and prioritise healthy and nutritious food. "For restaurateurs who want to react quickly to trends, it is therefore worth investing in modern and flexible appliances,” says Audette. Further information on the iCombi Pro and iVario Pro can be found here.