April 15, 2024 – Innova Market Insight’s #6 trend for 2024, Home Kitchen Heroes, shines a spotlight on eating at home, a trend that began during the COVID-19 and has evolved in recent years into a discernable movement. A combination of consumer trends research and launches of new food and beverage products serves to inform and support this trend.
Budget-Friendly Home Hosting Benefits
Home cooking has become a viable and welcomed option for eating and entertaining. Findings from consumer research support the trend toward dining at home, with consumers globally eating at home more often, especially in light of post-pandemic rising food prices and general inflation.
There are numerous possible benefits in hosting home cooked meals. Consumers have improved their cooking skills, are eating a greater variety of foods, and can enjoy socializing with family and friends at home. They also are propelling the growth of chef-inspired food and beverage launches and convenience foods. These offer easy solutions for less experienced cooks. Another home hosting solution is convenient seasonings and cooking sauces that enhance variety and boost confidence.
Inflation Impacts Spending
The cost and value for money of food and beverages is important to consumers. Consumers are looking for more value for their money in food and beverage, especially with global food trends research showing that two-thirds of consumers report spending more on food and beverages in the past year because of inflation and higher prices. Home cooking can allow consumers to better control their food expenditures when compared to eating out. However, inflation does not occur at the same level from region to region. It is felt least in Asia and most in Europe, according to consumer trends research.
Spending Priorities
Global consumer research shows that time spent socializing with friends and families is seen as highly important. When consumers were asked about priorities for disposable spending, they mentioned social time with family and friends as a top priority after spending on health, saving money, and enjoying the holidays.
Eating at Home More Than Eating Out
Eating at home is becoming an increasingly common food trend, with nearly half of consumers globally, especially in Mexico, Brazil, and Indonesia, saying they increased home meals over the past year. This is three times as many consumers who increased eating at home compared to dining out. Confectionery and hot drinks are the fastest growing food and beverage categories for socializing at home.
Cooking From Scratch Means Freshness
As part of eating at home, growing numbers of consumers globally are also cooking from scratch using fresh ingredients. The proportions of consumers cooking at home and cooking from scratch using fresh ingredients has continued to go up even after the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers who are confident about their cooking skills, along with the Boomers generation, are the ones who are most likely to cook meals at home from scratch, according to global food trends research.
Chefs Inspire
Food and beverage launches that were inspired by chefs and also restaurant quality grew in number and availability after the COVID-19 pandemic. These types of products make meals cooked at home seem more professional. Sauces and seasonings inspired by chefs grew the fastest. Parents serving food at home also seek high quality baby food options.
Convenience Foods
Convenience foods make scratch cooking easier for consumers. Global food trends research shows that a solid proportion of consumers report using convenience foods daily. Pre-prepared convenience products like cooking sauces and meal kits also help consumers make food at home. In fact, consumers – especially those who are less confident with their cooking skills – consider using a meal kit to count as cooking from scratch. Consumers, led by Millennials, are becoming more interested in meal kit subscriptions delivered to their home. These consumers also utilize convenience meals and pre-mixes.
The fastest growing convenience foods are main dishes, sandwiches, and instant noodles; ready meals, side dishes, and meat substitutes also are expanding. Sandwich launches are most prevalent in Europe while launches of instant noodles are highly common in Asia, where instant noodles are part of many ethnic cuisines.
Making Choices
Various economic factors affect whether a consumer decides to cook from scratch at home, spend a bit more for chef-inspired or convenience foods, or go out to eat in a restaurant. Consumer choices could skew away from scratch cooking at home and toward more expensive options if inflation and food costs go down and disposable income goes up.
However, as Millennials and consumers of other generations become more confident in their cooking skills, they may choose to cook more from scratch and entertain family and friends. Those who are less confident and skilled likely will continue to use convenience foods that are easy to prepare and serve for small groups or parties.
The Power of Seasonings
Seasonings, cooking sauces and similar products to enhance flavor can raise the quality and sophistication of convenience cooking and make it taste like cooking from scratch. As with cooking from scratch, spices, seasonings, and cooking sauces appeal most to Millennials.
What’s Next in Global Food Trends?
More Nutrition Value
Inspired by freshness, meal kits, and the quality of chef-inspired products, consumers may demand better, more nutritious ingredients such as fresh vegetables to improve their health and wellness. Sustainability also is a hot button issue for consumers. They are consequently likely to seek local meat, poultry and fish, as well as meat substitutes in the ingredients that are delivered in meal kits to their home.
Expansion of Chef Inspired
Food and beverage product launches that are restaurant or chef-inspired are becoming more popular in consumer kitchens. Although sauces and seasonings are driving growth as favorite quick fixes in 2024, other categories, including food for babies and toddlers, cereals, desserts and ice cream, fruits and vegetables, and meat substitutes also may be enhanced using inspiration from chefs or restaurants.
Global Diversity
Watch for launches of a growing variety of packaged products from a broad range of global cuisines, including African and Asian. Popular dishes today include main dishes, sandwiches, and instant noodles from various regions. All regional cuisines show positive five-year growth except East Europe.
Generational Maturity
Differences among generations in part reflect the characteristics of their life stages. Generation Z cooks will become more confident and look for adventure and excitement in global foods cooked at home. Millennials who use convenience meals, pre-mixes and meal kit subscriptions but also rank fresh ingredients highly could evolve their home cooking skills, and eventually use more raw, fresh ingredients.
This article is based on our report, “Top 10 Trends 2024: Trend #6 – Home Kitchen Heroes – Global.”
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