Marion ELIE 5 July 2021

Micro-trend No. 4: The comeback of the aperitif

With bars, restaurants and terraces shut for many months, the pandemic presented the opportunity to rethink convivial moments and taste.

The aperitif became the definitive pleasurable interlude in this period of lockdown.

In 2020, savoury appetizers saw a 5.6% rise compared with 2019[i], and ‘seeds’ (peanuts, cashew nuts, etc.) enjoyed the best growth.

Virtual aperitifs during lockdowns/curfews and meals mixing up lunch and dinner gave rhythm to and reinvented the daily lives of families forced to cook three times a day, seven days a week. This creativity around the pre-dinner moment has given rise to new taste combinations for sauces, dips and spread, along with the reinvention of drinks to retain the fun of the celebration but without collective inebriation.

 

Proof in products:

 

Micro-trend No. 5: A new form of gastronomy

As we have been deprived of journeys, going out, dining in town, etc., our plates have become unlimited horizons. This has led to an even more massive craze for cooking, which is set to last.

In 2021, nearly one household in five cooks more often with ready-prepared ingredients, and more than one in three cooks 100% home-made dishes more often. Baking is also doing well, with 40% of households stating they bake more often than before the pandemic. A large majority intends to continue, with 61% sure they will keep these same habits, and 29% wanting to cook at home more often[ii].

Organic brands have opened up the barriers to concoct new and surprising recipes with healthy and original solutions.

It’s a way of bringing refreshing surprises into a universe reduced to one’s living area, and exotic new tastes without having to leave one’s lounge.

Proof in products:

  • Les Toquettes par Carreleon, 100% natural cook-ready diced vegetables
  • Organic Volcano Rebel, by Käserebellen Gmbh
  • Jackfruit, chickpea and paprika crumble, by Bonneterre
  • Hummus and cocoa protein-rich spread, without oils or thickeners, by Delikatesse
  • Goat’s yoghurt with lemon verbena hydrolat, by La Lemance
  • 70% cocoa and bergamot crystal bar, by Maison Bonange
  • Black garlic beer, by L’étuverie
  • Responsibly-caught tuna flakes marinated in algae and organic flax seeds, by Phare d’Eckmühl 
  • Granola boosted with cricket powder, plain or with paprika, by Kriket
  • Spreadable nut-free granola made with oats and flax and sunflower seeds, by Nü Morning
  • Gluten-free green banana flour, by Relais Vert
  • Tapi Dream tapioca syrup, by Vegablum
  • Date powder, a healthy alternative to powdered sugar, by Agro Sourcing
  • My first spice mix, suitable for babies and supporting parents in their children’s nutritional education and taste development, by Sienna & Friends 
 

 

Micro-trend No. 6: Very vegan

In 2040, 60% of meat consumed will be artificial or plant-based (Source: Kearney – LSA 06.21). The plant-based food market in France rose by 10% in one year, to €497M (Source: NielsenIQ, YTD at period 4 2021, LSA 06.21).

Veganism, part of the food transition, is revolutionising society and perhaps even humanity because some people, such as Glenn Albrecht, a philosopher of ecology, believe that we are going to tip from “the Anthopocene” to the “Symbiocene”, an era in which humans will stop trying to dominate their environment to live in harmony with it.

In the meantime, in a world becoming increasingly aware of the need to reduce its ecological impact and cruelties, the options for transition are multiplying as newcomers join this growth paradise. The plant-based food market in France rose by 10% in one year, to reach 497 million euros[iii]. In addition, the Plant Protein Plan is a key measure of the agricultural section of the recovery plan, with a budget of 120 million euros. Globally, the segment should reach 15 billion euros in 2025[iv].

All supermarket food categories – cheeses, gastronomy, barbecues and ready-made recipes and dishes – are being and will continue to be reinvented.

Proof in products:

  • Vegan bacon, by Biolab
  • Ya Plant-based Chocolate Mousse, with YA fermented rice and Aquafaba, by Biogroupe
  • Embrasse la vie, the first preparation of ferments (patented), to make home-made plant-based yoghurts using commercial plant-based drinks by Brin de Foli
  • Vegan keftas, by Nutrition et Santé
  • Tapi Dream, a plant alternative to honey, by Vegablum
  • Wheaty Tex Mex Burger, with seitan, a wheat protein, by Wheaty
  • Beef-flavour vegetable stock, by Ecoidées
  • Crunchy Peas Hummus Classic, by Landgarten
  • Minced chickpea, dried tomato, basil, thyme and rosemary and Minced red lentil, coconut, tomato and citronella, by L’Atelier V
  • Complete vegetable protein, made 70% of pea and rice proteins, by Overstims
  • Tempeh d’Okara, a 100% vegetable product made from fermented soya and with a unique texture and mushroom flavour, by Sojami
 

 

Download the Trend #2

 

Discover here the other Natexpo 2021 Trends

 

[i] Iri, 2020, tous circuits
[ii] Etude Shopmium, 2020-2021
[iii] NielsenIQ, CAD à P4 2021
[iv] GEPV, Groupe d’Etude et de Promotion des Protéïnes Végétales