3 Upcoming Trends for Sustainable Food Experiences

While sustainable food production and sourcing is not a new concept, this trend in the hospitality industry has cultivated a newfound interest in foodies and managers alike. Sustainable food production and consumption not only benefits hotels to reduce their environmental impact, but also supports local communities and builds consumer loyalty.

In this blog, we’ll look at the three hottest trends in sustainable food experiences from the local sourcing of products to urban farming to zero-waste creations. Together, these three trends are setting the scene for the future of innovative sustainable dining experiences. Read on to see how!

First, what do we really mean by “sustainable food”?

Many restaurants and businesses are following the trend of sustainability by restructuring their business practices to implement changes in their supply chains, production methods, distribution channels and even packaging. Generally, the core values of sustainable dining are organic, circular, seasonal and local not to mention vegetarian and vegan. New sustainable innovations have pivoted towards climate smart food sourcing, food waste reduction and self-sufficiency, which may be mentioned in menu concepts. These practices, among others, can be labeled as sustainable, circular or environmentally friendly.

Now that you know what sustainable food production and consumption looks like, let’s unpack how the following three trends are looking to transform the food and hospitality industries.

Trend 1. Supporting Local Producers and Indigenous Ingredients

Sourcing locally from local farmers and producers is the cornerstone of providing sustainable food options. Locally sourcing products reduces the environmental impact of CO2 emissions that come from long-distance transport of produce and food products.

Hotels like the Hilton San Diego Bayfront and Hilton San Francisco Union are stepping in to do their part to reduce their environmental footprints by providing locally sourced items while preventing food waste. Leftovers and half eaten meals that are generated as a result of big breakfast buffets and events, typical of hotels, all unfortunately contribute to food waste. Hence, these hotels have come up with strategies to reduce their food waste through smart and local purchasing, composting and food recovery programs.

Tip: Keeping on trend of providing locally sourced nutritious and sustainable green and vegetarian options to hotel and restaurant menus is a great way of supporting local business. Better yet, buying in bulk from local producers can lead to lower operational costs, which is a win-win for the environment and the local community, not to mention, your business!

Indigenous local ingredients

Travelers have become more keen than ever to choose locally-sourced and indigenous ingredients listed on their favorite restaurant’s menu. Guests and tourists can learn about different cultures through their food and local indigenous ingredients.

For instance, in Mexican cuisine, cactus is a staple. Cactus is used in all sorts of food offerings from fine dining to street food to home kitchens. Cactus is used for juice, tacos, fajitas, eggs or as a side dish.

In West Africa, recipes continue to remain deeply rooted in local customs and traditions too, which can be seen in their cuisine. Ingredients like native rice (Oryza glaberrima), fonio, millet (a key ingredient of edible cutlery), Bambara and Hausa groundnuts, and root vegetables such as yams, cocoyams are the main ingredients of many delicious cuisines. Local ingredients are likely to become more and more integrated into cuisine offerings at destinations from high-end establishments to street food as tourists increasingly search for authentic dining experiences.

Tip: Providing traditional and local dining experiences will make a trip to your establishment unforgettable and enriching to learn more about these types of ingredients and cooking methods. This will give guests an authentic taste of the destination itself and keep them coming back.

Trend 2. Urban Farming: the new farm-to-table

Urban farming has taken off during the pandemic sparking the trend of self-sufficient food sourcing. Urban agriculture can be categorized as growing herbs, veggies and fruits right on location at your restaurant or hotel.

For example, inTokyo, mini urban farming cubes provide a functional habitat supplying an adjacent restaurant with produce for their kitchen. What is so extraordinary is that this urban farm is in the middle of Roppongi, which is considered central Tokyo. People who visit this restaurant can see the process of how vegetables grow right from their table, bringing them close to the production experience.

Similarly in Copenhagen, the founders of the farm co-op, Østergro, have swapped the rooftop bar for a rooftop garden. The organic produce that is harvested goes straight onto the seasonal menu at the restaurant Gro Spiseri, providing organic vegetarian breakfast options with menus catered towards winter or summer.

Another example is in Mönchengladbach, Germany, where PURiNO opened its first urban garden. It’s claim to fame is in providing everything fresh and homemade from pasta to fresh vegetables, spices and herbs keeping traditional Italian recipes alive.

Tip: Depending on your climate, you can choose to grow seasonally or year-round from plant stems or seeds on your rooftop or in an allocated space. Self-sufficiency in growing is the new farm-to-table concept for city dwellers who are looking for a sustainable menu and unique story to your offerings. Ideas for urban farming can range from the gardening concepts that were previously mentioned, or even by opening your rooftop garden to bee-keepers or by growing your own coffee beans. Be creative and use your out-of-the-box ideas to help your business differentiate itself!

If not, you can partner with a local urban farming community, like this one, to source produce for your menu.

Trend 3. Waste Reduction: Zero-waste creations

There are a lot of creative solutions for zero-waste that have recently been incorporated into restaurant and bar menus including turning food scraps into delicious and interesting recipes, giving them a second life. Scraps include kitchen waste that would normally be thrown away or composted like orange and lemon rinds, apple cores, herb and vegetable stems, seeds and more.

To put zero-waste into practice, Chef Dan Barber took his farm-to-table practices to the next level to temporarily transform his restaurant, Blue Hill, into a pop-up eatery called wastED, where he created a menu around food scraps. For example, leftover bits of pasta dough were used to make fresh bread and bruised bok choy and fennel peelings were used for a vegetable salad and desserts with charred pineapple core were served alongside a dollop of lime leaf ice cream. His ideas were considered truly inspiring and have served as an example of zero-waste creativity.

Another way that the hospitality industry has taken part in the zero waste movement is via saving “ugly” produce. This is the idea behind Wtrmln Wtr. After finding out that millions of pounds of watermelon were disposed into fields to rot because of being judged as “too unattractive” for sale, the founders of Wtrmln Wtr decided to create a product that could help avoid waste by making ugly watermelon into juice. Sales rocketed as a result of their innovative approach and marketing.

Another interesting example is ReGrained. When grain is made into beer, the brewing process takes out sugar—leaving behind protein, fiber, and micronutrients. ReGrained takes these byproducts and turns them into a flour called“SuperGrain+” which is then incorporated into items like snack bars. The company also sells the flour to other manufacturers and is currently working on launching other unique products.

Tip: Repurposing byproducts into zero waste food and drinks is not only creative and authentic, but also can provide another revenue stream for producers in your supply chain, which is beneficial for people and the planet alike!

Conclusion

So there you have it, three ways to up your game and incorporate the hottest trends in sustainable food experiences into your menu!

The hype around sustainable food is only expected to expand. There are increasingly more and more podcasts and documentaries on the origins of food, the value of indigenous ingredients and knowledge-sharing on the importance of keeping these stories and traditions alive. Therefore, it is important to keep up with these trends and incorporate them into your operations and menus to set yourself apart.

Providing sustainable dining options and experiences for guests not only adds to the authenticity of your brand, but also shows your contribution towards the local community and the planet.

We, as diners and travelers, can keep encouraging these trends by supporting and promoting sustainable consumption habits while communicating to our favorite establishments the kinds of sustainable dining experiences that we’d like to see on your next visit!

Looking to provide guests with a unique sustainable dining experience? We've got some ideas.

References and further reading:

https://puripangan.co.id/sourcing-sustainable-food-in-hotels-part-2/

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4093442.html

https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/529/186475.html

https://gran.luchito.com/food/facts-about-mexican-cactus/

https://dornob.com/tokyo-urban-farm-eat-while-watching-your-food-grow/

https://www.brit.co/food-scrap-restaurant-wasted-dan-barber/

https://www.fastcompany.com/90337075/inside-the-booming-business-of-fighting-food-waste

https://www.instock.nl/en/