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Literally Every Single Food Trend Predicted to Take Over 2019

We can see into the future and there’s insect protein, coffee beer, and… “healthy” soul food

by Brenna Houck

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Sarot Chamnankit/Shutterstock

Dust off those crystal balls. It’s that time of year again, when literally every corner of the food industry — from Nicole Kidman’s personal chef to fruit and nut bar manufacturers to pretty much every food and beverage PR company in the universe — place their bets on which dishes will reign supreme in 2019.

The prognosticators use vastly different methods to develop their list of in-items. Some, like Pinterest and Uber Eats, for example, employ the data they collect from users to make predictions about what pinners and delivery-lovers are gravitating towards at the end of 2018. Other lists cite anecdotal evidence. Some just use pure gut instinct and a cheat sheet that’s generally from the same playbook as the National Restaurant Association (it’s easy to spot the copycats based on its gratuitous use of the word “ethnic” year after year) or perhaps grocery chain Whole Foods, whose annual list of 2019 trends is a favorite for pickup by national magazines.

While some of these predictions may be a shot in the dark, the hordes do seem to agree on a few trends for next year. CBD drinks and other beverages infused with beneficial herbs will likely continue to make there way onto grocery store shelves and into cafes. Vegan food — or as buzzword-wielding publicists refer to it, “plant-based” — will become even more mainstream, along with its cousins “faux meat snacks,” heme protein (the ingredient that gives the Impossible Burgers its bleeding quality), and lab grown meat. Forecasters also seem to be going all in on “gut healthy” fermented foods. And oat milk is also growing even more popular, despite the fact that it’s so elusively rare no one can even get their hands on enough to taste it.

Other trend spotters have gone a step farther by alerting followers to what’s so last season. Uber Eats observes that its users have a declining interest in brussels sprouts, aloe vera, dragonfruit, acai, avocado, sushiritos, millennial pink food, and cold brew. However, the delivery app’s predictions that “Unicorn” foods and seaweed are out contrast sharply with other outlets that say these items are still very much in their prime. Insider adds pickle flavored foods, glitter, Tide Pod-inspired treats, broccoli coffee, pizza stunts, bowl food, activated charcoal, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, gold leaf, and avocado toast to the list of outgoing trends. Not all diviners agree on that last one, but if it’s true, maybe millennials will finally be able to save for a down payment on a house.

Will everyone be sipping Aperol frosé next year while feasting on “choco,” or is this stuff all junk engineered to advertise a brand on a slow news day? Either way, Eater has compiled it all into one megalisticle. Below, find a compendium of every prediction about food, restaurants, and dining culture for 2019.

• All Year in Eater Coverage [E]

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