As we are almost nearing the end of the year 2019 its time we pondered over some of the latest food trends of this year in the USA. Food, as we all know, is a hot commodity that sells like hotcakes and every year it’s not surprising to see new changes and trends and 2019 is no different. From the mainstreaming of Marijuana to the automation of dining experiences and the introduction of new flavors, 2019 is a year with several path-breaking food trends that are here to stay for a long time. I’m now gonna list the most popular food trends for the year 2019 that have been catching up in the USA.
#1 More people have been eating at home
More people in the USA have been opting to eat home-cooked food or buy readymade meal-kits from supermarkets rather than dine out at fancy restaurants. The rising costs of eating out in the USA are compelling more and more people, especially millennials to buy their raw food essentials like meat, fresh vegetables, and dairy from supermarkets which are priced reasonably. The year 2019 has seen the trend of supermarket ready foods catching up with the people in the USA and thus dining out at restaurants as an option to eat has greatly reduced in the nation.
#2 Increased automation of dining experience is on the rise
Face-recognizing automatons or AI-powered ordering systems are no longer regarded as the latest automation trends in the hotel industry. Restaurants & cafes in the USA like Café-X (San Francisco), and Spyce (Boston) are using Bots to serve their customers, the Bots can perform the job duties of the hotel employees including escorting the customer to the specific table, taking food orders, preparing the food and even room service. According to the New York Times, this new trend of Bots automating the work of the hotel employees is posing a big threat to the job security of hotel employees.
#3 CBD infused food products is on the rise
Even though CBD infused products are still illegal in the USA they are available everywhere in the USA. The year 2019 has seen a shift of the consumers’ preferences from usual sodas, beers to CBD infused waters and teas. The 2018 Farm Bill legalizes the use of CBD from hemp but there’s a lot of ambiguity about its use. Hemp-derived cannabidiol is considered safe and can mellow you while the THC compound extracted from Marijuana leaves can have harmful effects on you. More and more millennials in the USA are getting attracted to this new trend and you can find restaurants in the USA offering CBD cocktails and CBD tasting dinners on their menus.
#4 Lab-grown “motherless meat” will be the new way of producing meat
Lab-grown meats is still a concept that is in its inception and is predicted to become a reality in the coming months of this year. The concept of lab-grown “motherless meat” is simple, rather than slaughtering an animal for its meat you pluck two or three cells of the animals and breed it artificially on an enormous scale. The biggest merits of lab-grown meats are the elimination of slaughterhouses and ranches, the reduction of greenhouse gasses, and energy consumption.
#5 Sour tasting foods are increasingly becoming popular in the USA
The rising popularity of Korean, Persian and Filipino cuisines which are characterized by a strong sour flavor in most of their dishes has paved way for American dishes to include the same sour element in them. Now it’s quite common to find foods like kimchee tacos, quesadillas, and Ice cream which are strongly influenced by the Korean cuisine; marinades and sauces influenced by Filipino cuisine. Recommendable restaurants for trying sour-tasting foods in the USA are Sofreh (a Persian restaurant in Brooklyn), American Cultures in Denver, and Sari Sari store in Los Angeles.
