2024 food trends

It’s never too early to start thinking about food, so here we bring you some of the hot trends for 2024. This year has been all about tinned fish, butter boards and climate-conscious foods, so what will feature on our plates over the next 12 months? Read on to find out the big food trends for 2024, as predicted by the experts.

The Plant-Based Revival

This year, Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) have come under fire, with new research highlighting how detrimental they can be on our bodies. We all already knew sugar-heavy foods like doughnuts and fizzy drinks were bad, but now experts are stressing that seemingly ‘healthy’ foods are often packed with harmful ingredients – including some fake meat products. Whole Foods predicts this will lead to a return to the ‘OGs of plant-based cuisine’: veggie products made from actual vegetables, like mushrooms and walnuts. Plant-based milks, too, are simplifying things – with some labels cutting down to just two ingredients.

Mushrooms have been big news in the wellness world for a few years now, and interest will continue to surge in 2024. According to Holland & Barrett, sales for medicinal mushrooms are on the rise – searches for a variety called ‘lion’s mane’ increased by 585 percent in 2023. Next year, though, the names to know will be turkey tail and tremella, two types of functional mushrooms which have been used in Chinese medicine for many years, renowned for their cognitive benefits. The hashtag #TurkeyTail has already amassed over 60 million views on TikTok – expect to see this wonder ingredient popping up in powders and supplements, and sprinkled on soups and in smoothies.

According to restaurant booking platform Resy, mushrooms will continue to dominate food menus too. Its 2024 trends report says: ‘expect to see them taking the main character role in savoury desserts like Native’s apricot and mushroom ice cream sandwich and dedicated tasting menus like the one at Parilla.’

This is echoed by The Sustainable Restaurant Association’s managing director Juliane Caillouette Noble, who points out: ‘Food trends will include a bigger focus on beans/pulses and mushrooms. Wahaca is now combining Hodmedod’s carlin peas with cauliflower stems left over from their buttermilk cauliflower bites to create a new Oaxacan hummus. The PIG Group, Fallow and the Edible Utopia programme are all cultivating their own mushrooms.’

Source: Country&Town House