5 June 2019
Variety is the spice of life and it’s wonderful to have an array of foodstuffs to choose from these days in the UK. In terms of the choice of food and drink, and the array of establishments serving it (from delivery to fast food, from casual dining to fine dining), we are light years away from where we were even a decade ago.
The media has played its part in making food and drink mainstream, with programmes such as MasterChef and The Great British Bake Off, and the more personal social media effects of blogging and sharing photos of your dinner on Instagram.
The most recent development relates to sustainability and climate change, which has resulted in a reported increase in sale of vegan foods in supermarkets and the development of lab-grown meat.
So, is this a revolution? Are we now all foodies? The rise of Deliveroo, Uber Eats and “Dark Kitchens” seem to suggest so. But is this really the case?
Delivery and casual dining has been around for a very long time, but of course in a much more limited form – the takeaway pizza or curry ordered over the phone rather than with an app. And celebrity chefs were doing their thing on TV back in the 1980s – how can anyone forget watching Keith Floyd, as the red wine intended for the dish invariably ended up in his own glass as he cooked?
People will make food and drink choices for themselves based on their lifestyle. Government policy, for example the introduction of a tax on sugary drinks in April 2018 as part of an anti-obesity policy, can influence behaviour, but if a consumer really wants sugar, they will get it somewhere else – diets and allergen awareness are not new concepts, but receive more media attention today.
Perhaps what is currently being perceived as a food revolution is in fact broadening and deepening of what existed before, as a result of purchasing in a tech driven world in response to greater personalisation for the consumer.
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