There’s a new public enemy in the food department, and it’s Ultra-Processed Foods, or UPFs. People are trying to avoid them, even if it means spending more time in the kitchen and creating dishes without recipes, Waitrose Food and Drink Report find
Awareness of processed foods has grown a little bitsupported, in part, by such best-selling books Ultra processed person, which highlight the risks to mental and physical health.
But the awareness of how people prepare food is decreasing. More consumers are turning to cooking things (from bread to whole meals) from scratch, according to Waitrose’s annual food and drink trends report.
The supermarket chain, owned by Fortune 500 European-listed John Lewis Partnership, uses data from Mintel, as well as Waitrose surveys of 3,200 shoppers.
According to the report, 61% of home cooks are concerned about UPFs, prompting them to start cooking from scratch more than a year ago. This trend is also changing creative content making gum and soft drinks a viral sensation at home.
@naraazizasmith nothing better than a coke! #easyrecipe #home cooking #homemade #fyptsu #cocacola #refreshing ♬ O my dear father (Gianni Schicchi:Puccini:Adami) – AllMusicGallery
Shoppers are increasingly distancing themselves from foods that are low in fat or contain artificial sweeteners, choosing traditional ingredients that were once dismissed as not healthy enough.
“We know our customers are looking for unprocessed or minimally processed foods, and this trend has led to renewed interest in ancient techniques,” said Lizzie Haywood, Waitrose’s innovation manager. As a result, more people are skimming or making butter at home.
Overall, however, “we remain time poor,” which makes buyers reluctant to spend money on components they won’t use often.
“The search for simple scratch cooking ideas has also boosted sales of quality canned and packaged foods, including fish, pulses and vegetables,” the report said, calling 2024 “the year of the bean”.
Centered around recipes using beans they became popular for making sauces, pastas or simply incorporating a new form of protein into meals, thanks also to the excitement sparked by TikTok.
@georgieeats HARISSA BUTTER BEANS ❤️ recipe ⬇️ #foodtok #vegantok #beans #veganfyp #foodfyp ♬ original sound – eating georgie
Most of the pandemic-era hangovers have left us by now, but there’s still more to people’s stay-at-home habits than going out (thanks, cost-of-living crisis). This means that the demand for top-tasting, home-cooked food is on the rise, driving sales of cooking sauces and marinades that enhance the taste of home-cooked meals.
It was also a year when people felt inspired without a specific recipe. They just needed a little time to put the ingredients together without it being a disaster.
“TikTok is full of cooking hacks, with 72% of young people saying they feel confident making a meal without a recipe to follow,” the Waitrose report said.
Home cooks aren’t without options if they want to keep things simple. Condiments like hot honey, chili oil, and toum are on people’s radars to kick an ordinary recipe up a notch.
