While some social media trends may seem sudden, volatile and short-lived, others are more consistent and predictable. The latter are particularly interesting to follow: they can inspire content with highly valuable results for your business. To help you create captivating content for your customers, we have identified four major food trends that will be very successful on social media: recipes, vegan/healthy cooking, behind the scenes content and ASMR cooking.

NB: The figures presented in this article were collected on February 20th, 2022. They may have increased since then.

Recipes to Cook at Home

Who hasn’t seen recipe videos on social media? They’re are available everywhere: on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and even Facebook. While recipe videos aren’t a new trend, their popularity is far from waning. The rising cost of living is encouraging people to go out less and cook more meals at home, especially for those between the ages of 13 and 39(1) . It’s no surprise that these audiences are turning to their preferred social media channels for recipe inspiration.

Since TikTok’s rise, many platforms prioritize quick videos in vertical format (Instagram and Facebook reels, YouTube shorts)(2) . We therefore recommend that you share your recipes in this format. Opt for recipes that don’t require uncommon equipment or special technical knowledge, that are fairly quick, and that can be made with easily accessible ingredients. See, for example, this very simple recipe made by Oreo that got over 457,000 views, over 2,500 likes, and was saved by over 200 people.

@theoreoofficial Don’t say it, don’t say it…easy as pie…? #OREO #OREOCookies #OREOTok #OREOPie #Pie ♬ original sound – OREO

As you can see, it can be very useful to share recipe videos made with your products! The craze for recipe research on social media is undeniable: the amount of content shared on different platforms on this subject is impressive.

We should also point out that, since the introduction of TikTok, some specific recipes have gone viral, gaining an exceptionally fast recognition.
This is what happened in 2021 with the baked feta pasta recipe, which took the internet by storm. The video made by the American MacKenzie Smith (@grilledcheesesocial) has amassed 3.4 million views alone. The keyword #bakedfetapasta has reached 204.8 million views. The impact of this recipe has been incredible, even causing a significant rise in the demand for the ingredients needed to make the recipe(3). So feel free to adapt the most popular recipes on TikTok to incorporate your product, whenever possible!

Vegan, Vegetarian and Healthy Cooking

A second notable trend on social networks is vegan, vegetarian and healthy cooking. Corn ribs(4), a vegetarian recipe (like baked feta pasta), is also very popular on TikTok. Many are looking for options to reduce – or eliminate – their meat consumption. Younger people, millennials and Gen Z, are particularly interested in plant-based alternatives for health and sustainability reasons. These are also the generations that are most active on Instagram and TikTok.

Curiosity about plant-based diets does not seem to be fading: in January 2023, “Veganuary,” a challenge encouraging people to try the vegan diet in January, attracted its highest number of participants(6). By 2022, half of the people in some Western countries, such as Canada and England, were eating meat alternatives(7). The desire to see content on these topics is therefore reflected on various social media.

It may be interesting to put forward your vegan, vegetarian or healthy products, and even present some recipes, in order to participate in this trend. Don’t forget to add the right hashtags to your content to make it easier to find!

Behind the Scenes Content

More and more, brands are gaining the respect and trust of their customers by being authentic and “real” on their social media. Showing the “behind the scenes” of your business or restaurant allows you to inform your followers about your products, but also to show your passion and that of your employees, and thus humanize the brand. Your community will enjoy following you in your daily life and feel as if they are part of your journey.

Behind the scenes content is very popular and can take many forms. It can showcase employees, give tours of your workplace, show production processes, show product packaging or orders, offer a sneak peek of your upcoming products, provide access to your photo shoots, and more. To inspire you, here’s a video from Los Angeles restaurant Paina Café posted on TikTok (@painacafelv), which invites its community into its kitchen to show off its donut-making process. The 41-second video is wordless and has garnered over 874,400 likes.

@painacafelv Batch 24 going down ? #mochidonuts #donuts #behindthescenes #foodtiktok ♬ original sound – Paina Cafe

Here’s another example of a video posted by a hot sauce company, Elijah’s Xtreme (@elijahsxtreme), that has reached over 1 million views. In his short video, Elijah prepares the order that will be sent to one of his customers, while talking about the products he packs.

@elijahsxtremePacking your hot sauce order ?️♬ original sound – Elijah’s Xtreme Hot Sauce

These videos may seem simple, but they add value to their brand by making it seem more transparent and open.

ASMR

Finally, the ASMR trend has gained in popularity over the last few years. The acronym stands for “autonomous sensory meridian response”. Popular in America, Asia and Europe(8), and especially aimed at a young clientele(9), ASMR is found on YoutTube, TikTok and Instagram(10).

Now, the ASMR trend has also infiltrated the food industry. In addition to mukbang videos (sounds of people eating), ASMR cooking videos are also emerging with the hashtag #asmrcooking. Taking advantage of the ASMR cooking trend could be an advantage for your business. Get some good mics that will allow you to capture the sounds of the kitchen and prepare your meal, without talking.

For example, here’s a video from the meal kit company Hello Fresh (@hellofresh) that takes advantage of the trend and gets great results.

@hellofresh Your daily dose of #foodasmr ✨ #asmr #satisfying #cooking #tacos #fyp ♬ original sound – HelloFresh US

Of course, you can also partner with influencers to produce ASMR content. That’s the option chosen by Maxi. The grocery store called on the local French Canadian ASMR influencer @asmr_u_ok to make a video where she presents her Maxi purchases for Thanksgiving.

@chezmaxi C’est facile réussir son souper de l’Action de grâce… Il suffit d’y aller au son ? #maxi #asmr #asmrsounds #asmrtiktoks #asmrquebec #asmrquebecois #humour #relaxant ♬ original sound – Maxi

Once again, the video is simple, but it generated a lot of interaction and attention.

Now that you know which type of content is valued and expected on social media, don’t wait! Take advantage of food trends to create an effective and profitable content strategy for 2023. Need help optimizing your food marketing initiatives? Don’t hesitate to contact us to get expert advice.




References :

1.  Sloan, A.E. (2022,1 août). Time and Money Reset Dinner Dynamics. IFT. https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2022/august/columns/consumers-market-trends-time-money-reset-dinner-dynamics

2. Wax, J. (2022, 21 juillet). Social Media’s Evolution: What It Means for Brands. MHP/Team SI. https://mhpteamsi.com/news/social-medias-evolution-what-it-means-for-brands/

3. Wharton, R. (2021, 26 février). The Tiktok Feta Effect. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/26/dining/baked-feta-pasta-tiktok.html

   Wang, L. (2021, 11 février). Is Feta Cheese Really Sold Out Thanks To This Viral TikTok Pasta Dish? Refinery 29. https://www.refinery29.com/fr-fr/2021/03/10368162/recette-pates-feta-tiktok

4. Elizabeth, E. (2022, 25 août). 11 Must-Try TikTok Food Trends We Actually Love. Restaurant Clicks. https://restaurantclicks.com/tiktok-food-trends/

5. Reed, P. (2002, 3 octobre). Veganism Statistics Canada 2022 – How Many Vegans Are There? Truly Experiences. https://trulyexperiences.com/blog/veganism-statistics-canada/

6. Veganuary 2023 Breaks Records with 700,000 Participants Trying Vegan Diet. (2023, 2 février). Vegconomist. https://vegconomist.com/society/charity-campaigns/veganuary-2023-record-700000-vegan-diet/

7. Shor, D. (2023). The Future of Animal Proteins and Meat Alternatives Market Report 2022. Mintel. https://store.mintel.com/report/the-future-of-animal-proteins-meat-alternatives-market-report?_ga=2.17835514.2128751998.1677177178-1179471438.1677177178

8. Google Trends (n.d.). « Autonomous sensory meridian response », données observées le 28 février 2023. https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0ngt1v6

9. Richard, C. (2022, 14 mars). Global ASMR survey by Deezer uncovers helpful data about ASMR. ASMR University. https://asmruniversity.com/2022/03/14/deezer-asmr-survey/

10. Incorporate The ASMR Trend In Your Influence. (2022, 31 août). Atisfyre. https://blog.atisfyre.com/incorporate-the-asmr-trend-in-your-influence/