Dec. 21 (UPI) — While the butter board and rice paper hacks were some of the biggest viral food trends of 2023, Americans were on also on the look out for meals that could improve mental and physical health and were good for the planet. Mostly, though, they ordered french fries.
Citing a 2022 report from Technavio, the Grubhub 2023 food trend list pointed to an overall growth of vegan food demand, some 12.07% between 2022 and 2027, accounting for a projected growth of $21.46 billion in the future market.
Meat and dairy substitutes, like veggie or tofu burgers, realistic pork, beef, and chicken substitutes, plant-based cheese and dairy-free sorbets and ice creams have also gained favor with diners who have lactose sensitivities, allergies, or concerns about sustainability.
Meanwhile, according to Grubhub, 90 percent of customers surveyed said they expect consistent or increased third-party delivery usage in the future, continuing a trend from 2022.
This year, according to DoorDash, Americans relied heavily on fried finger foods, including fries, chicken quesadillas, mozzarella sticks, garlic naan and spicy chicken sandwiches to get them through the year.
Earlier this year, Uber Eats conducted a similar study, finding Pad Thai, Miso soup and the California roll topped the list for most-ordered items. The Uber Eats report also highlighted the most unexpected food combos (Steak + jelly), the most popular delivery requests (no onions), the most unique delivery requests and a sampling of the pickiest customers.
The DoorDash report also took a look back at the last decade of its service. During that time more than 600 million orders of french fries have been delivered by the company. Moving into 2024, it highlighted the popularity of the TikTok-famous Fruit Roll Up Ice Cream hack.
“This year, there was a 1500% increase in orders containing both the fruity and sweet portions of this renowned combo compared to the same time period in 2022,” the report read.
