For the most part, the food industry has been fairly insular in its trends analysis. The easiest way to describe this behavior is that, “food trends beget food trends.” True, research has often been done to understand foodservice operator and consumer behavior and demands—as they relate to food. However, for the industry to truly be innovative, and continue to be relevant well beyond the Millennial boom, insights professionals will need to look well outside of food to better anticipate consumers’ changing relationship with food.
Consider the travel industry. According to a study by MMGY Global in June 2017, Millennial households plan to spend 19% more on vacations during the next year and travel 35% more than the previous year. Based on their findings, international unrest may drive Millennials to take more domestic trips. An increased focus on domestic travel—with many of the top domestic locations ranging from New Orleans and Minneapolis to Columbus, Ohio, and Hawaii—is likely to increase interest in those regional specialties and flavors.