FlavorIQ Deep Dive: How to Menu Healthy
Today’s consumers crave food that aligns with a more holistic lifestyle, nourishing the body as well as the mind. Because customers will define health in personal, highly specific ways, operators and manufacturers no longer can simply call out foods as “low fat” or “low calorie” and expect that to appeal broadly enough to grow sales. Innovation in health now involves touting beneficial nutrients, production methods, and functional attributes.
Consumers’ definition of a healthful lifestyle includes more than just losing or managing weight. Eating right is a foundational component for health in most consumers’ opinion, and people set goals not only for a certain weight, but also for managing risks for chronic illness, targeting specific nutrients and functional benefits, and helping with sleep, stress, and mental health. While losing weight is among the key reasons many people reduce animal proteins or add plant-based options to their diets, the top motivator is to improve overall health.B
So how can you take action to meet the varying expectations consumers have when it comes to healthy eating?
1) Broaden the concept of “health” to a more holistic model.
Historically, healthy dining conjures an image relating to dieting, yet this has shifted, particularly when dealing with the fallout of the pandemic. Health is a more holistic concept, encompassing physical and mental wellbeing of the consumer, as well as the wellbeing of the planet.
2) Convenience, value and health cannot be mutually exclusive.
After enduring a turbulent pandemic, consumers are eager to return to foodservice, and they want healthier options, but they want to retain the convenience and flexibility of takeout and delivery and the value of LSRs. The perceived cost of better-for-you (BFY) choices can be off-putting, but mainstreaming these choices will ensure they become a regular part of consumers’ consideration set.
3) Make healthy dining interesting and accessible.
The availability of healthy dining options is a key driver in how consumers engage with the foodservice industry. Current food and beverage trends, including non-alcoholic beverages, global cuisines, plant-based proteins and functional ingredients, are a natural fit for healthy dining and a way to engage patrons across segments and dayparts.A
Mental health and wellness will be top of mind for consumers in the years ahead.
Younger consumers are creating a world where anxiety and depression are destigmatized, while an aging population will place more emphasis on memory issues and neurological illnesses.
Consumers agree: food has an important role to play.A
Focus on key micronutrients that support optimal function.
Keep in mind, nutrients can support a healthy immune system, but cannot 'boost' it to be stronger than normal.
Scores™ Standout: MUSHROOM "MEAT"BALLS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH NOODLESD
THE CONCEPT
Roasted mushroom "meat"balls with spiralized butternut squash noodles, garlic sautéed kale, chilis, and turmeric sauce.
Featuring:
Custom Culinary® Roasted Garlic Flavor Concentrate
Custom Culinary® Frozen RTU Beurre Blanc Sauce
WHY WE LOVE IT
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This item has Specialty Appeal - it's unique enough to really differentiate itself but may only resonate with a niche audience.
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Perceived as exceptionally unique; a five star rating for uniqueness.
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Ability to drive visitation; top performer for Draw among those who like this concept.
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Great for cross-utilization. Swap in vegetables and mushrooms already in your inventory.
Plant Based
Plant Based 'healthy' menu items have grown on US menus a whopping 8,149.3% since 2017.E
TuRmeric
Though turmeric has long been used in mainstream foods as a coloring agent, it is coming into its own as a functional food in health-focused restaurants and retail offerings.G
Turmeric has grown 263.9% on US 'healthy' menu items over the past four years. Datassential Haiku™ predicts Turmeric will continue to grow 51.7% in the next four years across all menu items.E
Garlic Mushroom
'Garlic Mushroom" has grown 209% on US 'healthy' menu items over the past four years.E
SPIRALIZED
"Spiralized" vegetables are one of the fastest growing adoption-level terms on menus, growing +179% over the last four years.C
What are the Fastest Growing Health & Wellness Terms?B
+++ indicates growth over 300%
MenuTrends 2021, PENETRATION: % of restaurants that offer….
Culinary ViewpointS
What is mindful eating?
"Mindful eating is maintaining an in-the-moment awareness of the food and beverage you put into your body. It involves observing how the food makes you feel and the signals your body sends about taste, satisfaction, and fullness.
Mindful eating requires you to simply acknowledge and accept rather than judge the feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations you observe..."
Join Chef Smith as he shares his thoughts around this intriguing topic.
Listen to the Podcast
With the proliferation of plant-based menu additions, patrons will need clarification on specific protein content.
Ensuring that animal protein replacements have comparable protein counts and that protein content is an upfront part of the conversation is essential.A
Food preservation methods such as brining, pickling, canning and shrub-making are gaining greater traction for their gut health benefits as well as contribution to cutting back on food waste. Savvy restaurateurs can use this technique to prolong the life of products that can be a part of the “feast or famine” supply chain.A
B) Datassential, New Foundations in Health Report, May 2021
C) Datassential, The World of Adoption Level, January 2022
D) Datassential SCORES™, "Mushroom 'Meatballs' with Butternut Squash Noodles" report for Custom Culinary®, March 2022
E) Datassential MenuTrends, accessed 4/28/22. US Chain and Independent Non-Ethnic restaurants % that offer Healthy menu items...
F) Datassential, FoodBytes: SCORES™ Preview, August 2021
G) Datassential, TIPS: Winter 2016, January 2017
H) Datassential SCORES™, "Grilled Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl" report for Custom Culinary®, March 2022
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