Data: From potato milk to ‘climatarianism’- Waitrose unveils the biggest food trends of 2022

Casting its eye ahead to the new year, Waitrose said that sustainability would continue to take centre stage in food retailing in 2022, with more customers being driven by a desire to put “people and the planet over profit”. 

To do that, Waitrose said it customers would be increasingly looking at “closing the loop” when it comes to single use plastics and would be clamouring for retailers and other businesses to go fully electric as soon as possible. 

In terms of new food trends and products, Waitrose said that its data showed that potato milks were set to overtake soy, almond and oat milks in popularity and “dominate coffee shop menus in the coming months”. 

Amongst other trends, such as the return of the big, communal breakfast, and the increasing prominence of the “umami profile” in our food, Waitrose also flagged the emergence of a new customer movement of people more committed than ever before to offsetting their carbon footprints: “climatarianism”. 

“A diet focused on reducing your carbon footprint is gaining popularity,” said the report. “We asked shoppers whether the carbon footprint of their food is important to them. Nearly 70% of them said either “very” or “somewhat” important. It’s people’s way of keeping tabs on their personal impact on the environment”. 

In terms of ebbing and flowing food trends, Waitrose said that canned fish, barbequed watermelon and sushi were all in the ascent. Meanwhile, with more people either continuing to work remotely or adopting a hybrid working lifestyle, one time office staples such as the sandwich on the go and ironing water came off many customers shopping lists this year. 

The ‘homebody economy’ 

While major restrictions on socialising were lifted in July this year, Waitrose data from this year shows that customers have enjoyed staying at home more than pre-pandemic. 

Around 53% of Waitrose customers said they were staying in more now than before the coronavirus struck, while just under half of respondents said that when they did go out, they were returning home earlier than in the past. 

Much of this is down to the effects of the last 19 months on the nation’s psyche. More than 60% of Waitrose customers surveyed said the pandemic had made them reassess their lives.

Many of these people have rediscovered what Waitrose calls “the joy of cooking”, with just under 60% saying they are taking “greater pride in how their meals taste”, while 41% say food is more important to them now than before the pandemic. 

As a result, John Lewis saw sales of cookware jump 23%, while Waitrose customers hemmed in by ongoing international border restrictions chose to travel to far off destinations through exotic ingredients and cookery school lessons - both in person and online.

Nearly half of respondents too reported having developed awareness of food provenance and more appreciation for local produce than before. 

Waitrose executive director James Bailey said: “People have rediscovered some of the joy and the fun and the connectivity that food in the home brings. A lot of that will stick”. 

Eating in the rain

Despite the UK’s reputation for wet weather, the second year of the pandemic has further cemented Britons as a nation of al fresco entertainers. 

Outdoor space purchases:

Waitrose found that 34% of customers have been using their outdoor spaces to entertain more this year, and many have been willing to put their hands in their pockets to upgrade those areas. 

A whopping 12% of respondents said they had invested in a hot tub over the year - equating to more than 3 million hot tubs across the UK. 

Outdoor barbeques were also in hot demand, with 19% of respondents investing in a new grill over the year. However, customers also turned to slightly more exotic cooking equipment to help entertain friends and family outdoors. 

Pizza ovens [12% of respondents], planchas and outdoor grills [11%] and outdoor fridges [11%] were also in great demand, while 10% of respondents went the whole hog and installed entire outdoor kitchens or bars. 

While outdoor dining has been king this year, customers are enjoying the chance to entertain at home more generally. Waitrose noted that 25% of customers plan to have more dinner parties than pre-pandemic, while 32% of respondents plan to entertain in smaller groups than before. 

Return of the store

Last year was marked indelibly by the rise of the online food shop, as millions of customers turned to the service for the first time during the pandemic and found it to their liking. 

Online food shopping:

Waitrose found that 23% of customers had shopped for food online for the first time in 2020, with 41% of respondents shopping online for grocers at some point. 

However, as restrictions lifted over the summer, customers are keen to return to stores once more, with more than 50% of respondents saying they planned on shopping in physical stores more.

Frequency of food shopping:

The report also found that double the number of customers shopped for food every day in 2021 [8% up from 4%], with the leap being particularly pronounced amongst young (18-24 year old) customers. 

It’s perhaps not surprising though, as 27% of that age cohort said they shopped for something every day this year, which Waitrose said “reflects a proliferation of convenient ways to shop - through our app or website, through our partnership with Deliveroo, or in our network of 331 shops”.