Food UPTrendsFood trends 2018: Amazon bar, the first without a menu

It is estimated that the food sector represents about 40% of the GDP worldwide and that it will employ more than 35% of the workforce in the coming years. Food – no longer just a source of nutrition – will therefore be more present in technology’s and economy’s unstoppable branching. Today we speak about sectors, macro-areas and trends related to food that will, one day, dominate the industry. Let’s have a look at 2017’s most googled keywords and see what the future holds.

The most popular keywords on Google in 2017

A few days before the new year kicks off, journalists and entrepreneurs seek to figure out what people’s interests will be in 2018. According to Google Trends, in Italy the most searched for term in the food sector in 2017 was the Neapolitan migliaccio recipe – a semolina and ricotta cake made during carnival whose origins date back to the nineteenth century, – followed by the Roman carbonara and Sicilian caponata.

Despite new Novel Food laws marketing new foods such as insects, algae and synthetic meat, Italians continue to have a deep interest in traditional recipes and the typical ingredients of their territory.

It is therefore necessary not to underestimate the attention of the latter towards the genuineness and use of homemade products that move on the theme of well-being and a healthy and balanced health.

Hi-tech food and virtual sommeliers: the first Amazon bar

2018 will be characterized by an evolution in the relationship between man and technology which will not be solely based on new devices. In Japan, online giant Amazon will soon open a pop-up bar without menus. Located in the Ginza district of Tokyo, the digital refreshment point will offer customers virtual sommeliers. Instead of having a traditional menu, costumers will be asked a series of questions about their preferences on a tablet and an algorithm will recommend a beverage. It is an innovative system that will allow Amazon to learn about Japanese drinking habits.

Consumers have become increasingly aware and demanding, researching and analyzing what they buy, but often have little time to prepare healthy meals. A new food preservation technology will allow Amazon to ship ready-to-eat, wholesome, additive- and preservative-free meals directly to customers’ homes. How? Through Microwave Assisted Thermal Sterilization, or MATS, a system developed by researchers at Washington State University.

“Our technology allows us to sterilize or pasteurize foods without altering their nutritional and sensory characteristics. The packs subjected to our treatment can be stored at room temperature for long periods, just like those that have undergone traditional high temperature treatments,” explains Mike Locatis, founder of 915 Labs, an American company based in Denver.