The year 2008 seems so long ago in terms of the food service industry. Many policies, procedures, and standards have been change since then but low glycemic, low or sugar free, organic and low carbohydrate foods that have been popular back then are still present in the industry today. The article in titled, "Food & Beverage Trend Report of 2008" discusses each of the sections above in detail and significance to the industry.
To begin with, low glycemic foods have not been given any light in years past. No one gave a concern to the effects of how foods affect your blood sugar and that certain foods increase your blood sugar faster than others. When your blood sugar goes through the roof it converts to fat and with this transformation it is very tough to convert it back to sugar. This article identifies a few foods that help raise your blood sugar a small amount and make it last for a long time. Whole wheat pasta and bread, brown rice, and sorghum are perfect examples.
Next, we have seen many reports about how many grams of sugar are contained in a variety of foods we eat. When all of this said consumers are leaning towards low or sugar free foods and beverages. This has been done with sodas, juices, gums, and cereal but with the increase in amount of energy drinks on the market with incredible amounts of sugar, contradicts the trend.
Then, the organic craze started during the year the article was published growing at an exponential rate but stopped slightly with the decline of the economy in the years following. People were willing to spend extra for foods with no pesticides but found themselves back in the processed isle of the supermarket fixed on price.
Finally, low carbohydrates were once dead with the atkins and south beach diet but they are coming back. This has been a result of the low glycemic and low and sugar free foods. With people not focusing on good carbohydrates that are low on the glycemic index they reduce the amount of sugar they consume due to the sugar content in low glycemic foods. Its like a win, win.
In conclusion, these food and beverage trends are still present in the year 2010. They may not be growing at the same rate as the article explains back in 2008 but they are growing. So lets keep it up with low glycemic foods and that will solve our obesity and health problems.
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Over the past few years the food industry has seen a shift in the way consumers feel about food. In the past consumers were more interested in the speed in which they received their food. Today with the increase in food product knowledge many consumers have begun to demand more from the local quick service establishment. It is not longer acceptable for a meal to be delivered quickly. Today consumers still want their food fast, but they also want it to taste good and be healthier.
ReplyDeleteAlong with making their food healthier many of todays consumers also have dietary needs and concerns. A few years ago the need for speciality items on a menu to satisfy dietary needs was very limited. Over the past five years we have seen a tremenous increase in the number of consumers with food allergies and dietary needs, from peanut allergies too gluten intolerance. Although many fast food chain restaurants have not made menu changes due to these increased need, many quick service restaurants have.
Over the summer, while working in Disney World, I was exposed to the ever expanding number of people with speciality food needs. At my particular restaurant all special food requests from salt concerns too gluten allergies, were handled by the chef. Like many other quick service restaurants, we provided guests with healthier menu choices and speciality foods, such as gluten free meatballs and pasta, to satisfy their health needs.
The overall goal of the food service industry is to provide customers with a unique and satisfying dining experience, in order to make this happen changes need to be made. Although many restaurants offer foods that are gluten free or part of a low carb diet, many do not cater to this customers like those customers without special need. I believe that over the next few years we will continue to see a growing market for those consumers looking for speciality menu items to stay within their dietatry restrictions. Quick service restaurants are going to have to find ways to satisfy these consumers while maintaining their "quick service".
This article is about the growing health trend and how we are moving towards the organic market and moving towards having more and more low carb and low sugar food and drinks in quick service restaurants.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion i think that in the quick service industry there will be a rapid growth in bringing in healthier products to satisfy the consumers wants.
As the health of America dwindles, more and more diet fads and trends pop up everyday. People focus on a few such as organic which is very big. People want to know where there food comes and does not want any preservatives or pesticides pumped into them and at the same time they are eating healthy as well as going green at the same time. Trends they mention are ones such as low-carb and sugar free. People get attracted to this just because they know what they are consuming are healthy and great for them. I think this is great and if more people would try new foods and not be scared of the words "sugar free" thinking that it would taste different. These are the prefect diets to follow because everything your consuming is good for you and not some fad diet.
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