In its 6th annual Culinary Trends report, the Sterling-Rice Group (SRG) has identified what it believes are the top culinary trends that will stand out on menus, expand into grocery shelves and attract consumer interest in the year ahead.

The report identifies flavours, ingredients and even technological advancements in Artificial Intelligence and farming as components of the wave of dining and eating influences. It also cites a growing interest in food as a health, wellness and beauty partner. SRG’s Culinary Trends Report for 2019 drew insights from over 175 food experts, sociologists, chefs, nutritionists, and other trend-spotters.

“The thread that ties all the new flavours, ingredients and market forces together is how our desire to improve all aspects of the human experience is profoundly influencing the foods we will be eating well into 2019,” said Liz Moskow, Culinary Director at SRG. “We are also seeing extreme diet protocols from keto to paleo and more, giving consumers permission to eat things that were previously considered bad for you. This gives full fat dairy and other foods a seat at the table.”

SRG says to look for these culinary trends – and more - to expand and grow next year as they move from cutting edge to mainstream:

Butter is the New Bacon – Fat Bombs are the new antidote to hunger and ketosis. And now appear on an all time high of 64% of restaurant menus.

Bitter is the New Sweet – Sugar aversion has given rise to bitter as the flavor of choice – menu references to bitter have risen more than 22% in the past four years and are projected to grow over 18% in the next four.

Lettuce is going beyond the salad bowl and into fresh-pressed juice with exotic new varieties and hydroponically grown lettuces being called out by name on menus.

Rooted and Ravishing – The plant-based revolution has taken hold with diners hungry for hearty veggie-centric main dish options with vegetables like cassava, Japanese yams, parsnips, jicama and even the classic white potato served up in delightful new forms.

Data Mining Dining - Artificial intelligence is the hot dish being served up in the food industry now. Technology is being leveraged to foresee food and flavor trends happening in real-time. Tech companies like Spoonshot, Foodpairing, Analytical Flavor Systems, and FlavorWiki are employing machine learning to support new product and menu development to pinpoint ever-changing consumer preferences as they happen.

“SRG has built its business on helping our clients leverage changing food and dining trends to bring fresh new offerings to their consumers,” said Cindy Judge, CEO of SRG. “With insights like these to help guide our innovation process, we have been able to deliver over $10 billion in new revenue to our clients over the past five years.”