WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2022:
Food and Beverage Trends I BY LINDA GARSON
f the last two years have taught us anything - it’s not to make predictions!
We’ve learned, as Robbie Burns so aptly put it in his poem, To a Mouse: “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley (go awry)” and as a result, many of us are just taking life one day at a time for a little while longer. We revisited our trends from last year to see how clear our crystal ball was – and I’m delighted to report that our twelve predictions for 2021 were all completely accurate. Everything from pizza and tacos to donuts, agri-tourism to vertically farmed produce, was spot on – so what’s our crystal ball showing us this year? Two topics are going to dominate the news:
Rising food costs and climate change … and in many ways, they’re linked. Last summer saw the extreme weather patterns of severe heat and drought, and fires and floods, beyond anything most of us have experienced - which means smaller crops. Everything is affected, from grapes for making wine to durum wheat to make pasta; in Canada, our durum wheat harvest was only twothirds of previous years and prices rose by 90 percent. Will there be a shortage of pasta or a rush on pasta machines as we all start making our own at home? Supply chain issues have been in the news a lot, and once they’re resolved we can expect easing of some inflationary causes, but unfortunately we’re going to have to budget for higher food costs, and expect to pay more for our groceries, our libations, as well as meals out at restaurants. 10 Culinaire | January/February 2022
Beef or Bison The cost of beef has risen enormously for many reasons: demand is up but there were processing plant shutdowns and labour shortages, the cost of grain to feed the cattle is higher, there have been increases in transport costs and packaging materials, the list goes on – so what are we doing about it? We’ve seen far more bison and yak on our menus recently (yes, there are five yak farms in Alberta!) and we’ll be talking about more plant-based products later here. Kitchen Gardens Were you lucky enough to find an indoor garden in your stocking or under your tree these holidays? Many of us had a little more time for gardening and growing our own herbs and veggies last year, and this year we think that many more of us will take it up too, but also gardening inside with our salad greens and herbs at arm’s reach.
More grocery stores will be adding their own indoor vertically farmed products too and becoming “Growcers”, for all-year round freshness, sustainability, and to do away with transport costs. Better for you or better for the planet? A divide in generations is becoming more apparent, and as our boomers (born 1965 or earlier) age, they’ll be looking for food and beverages to support wellness and healthy aging, and may be willing to pay more for them. On the other hand, our Gen Next (or Z, born 1997-2008) will be looking for food and beverages that support the health of the planet. Plant-based foods and beverages Now that plant-based foods are mainstream and our choices are increasing by the day, we’re examining how healthy they are and the ingredients
