People are paying more and more attention to their health, going on particular diets, going to the gym and using health fitness apps (usage was up from 11% in 2012 to 27% in 2019). Now, very tellingly, the younger generations are buying more healthy foods than frozen foods, as they embrace ever healthier lifestyles – a trend that looks set to grow even further after the pandemic.

No-profit Veganuary has 400,000 members, with more than half of these joining in 2019, and there is growing interest in the so-called Flexitarian Diet: vegetarian diets that allow a little flexibility as regards consumption of animal-based products. And there is a growing market for meat alternatives: non-animal products that come very close to the real thing. Beyond Mince from BMFood is a case in point.

The most popular diet of all right now, according to Global WebIndex, is so-called Intermittent Fasting, followed by the now very well-established Weight Watchers diet, the gluten-free diet and others that go by the name of Keto, Atkins, Paleo, Pescatarian, Metabolic, Whole 30 and Dukan. A league table that the foodservice industry would do well to follow, because these diets can bring new opportunities especially on the delivery front, with one in three employees still working from home – and presumably getting more and more fed up with having to cook every day.
It is no coincidence that the big trend in food delivery is towards healthy and organic solutions, with the likes of Foorban, bio.it and Cortilia now adding ready meals to their ranges.

Companies are picking up on the trend with new food products for preparation in bars and restaurants that are “cleaner” and rich in those all-important essential elements. Spain’s Zummo, for example offers juicers and citrus fruit presses that can make healthy drinks anywhere: in a small bar, from a “healthy” vending machine or at a big supermarket. The US company Cambro offers various solutions, cling films and special containers at restaurants to extend the life of fresh foods being stored: sauces, fresh vegetables or those now hugely popular super foods: fruits of the forest.
A word of caution, though: Euromonitor says we need to guard against the risk of a “double standard”. While it is true that during the lockdown there was more time to think about the importance of a healthy diet, many responded to the situation by making choices that were anything but healthy, relying on convenience foods and gorging on industrially-made snacks. And the recession might well now push many more towards cheap comfort foods. That said, during the lockdown many restaurants did for the first time organise themselves to provide delivery services, with the focus on healthy options. “There is an increase in business opportunities involving the provision of healthy foods, but not everyone is necessarily going down that route,” Euromonitor concludes.