Coming in at number two is the full on pursuit, by many, of "food justice" and integrity from millions of people across the country in their investigation to find solidarity between social, environment, unbalance and equality in our countries food system. This movement has been moving strong for quite some time, but I believe 2012 we will see a bit more clarity in their message and more focus on the objectives around our food ecosystem.
As an industry veteran I've never heard the back room chatter this loud around people and companies that are trying to embrace more efficient practices or how to spin their message to dupe the eating populous. See the new Mcdonalds PR campaign around their lettuce, beef and potatoes. In one clip, they feature a farmer emphasizing family cooperation and rotational grazing to showcase the idealistic heritage of "real farmers" that support our industrial food chain. I think the ad campaign is a good move in the direction of transparency and connecting consumers with the farming origins of the food we eat. The farmers share a bit about their dedication to family, the land and environment, and making sure they produce quality food. As with most new campaigns from large companies, there will be critics and some blasting of how they are full of shit, literally and figuratively. Some question the honesty and motive of the ads, while others tie it right back into the big food company brute force and hypocrisy.
Whatever it is, this movement has legacy companies such as McDonald's throwing millions of dollars into a real food campaign to put a message out there. These boardroom MBA's and strategic consultants don't make decisions like this if they don't think that there's some potential Return on investment. Big companies in the food business can't seem to grasp that they're not the front line of innovation anymore and they have to play catch-up to trends that make brand sense. You can be assured the McDonald's of twenty years ago would have never thought they would be spending a big chunk on their Ad budget, touting their farmers and suppliers for a national television audience.
This year you will see a loud and expeditious voice of people making decisions with their wallet as they shift into different eating and purchasing habits. There's still a lot of work to be done, especially in our inner cities and in communities where real food is not an option.
2012 Food and Dining Predictions:
#5 - Cloud Eating and Cooking
#4 - Grains, Grains. Grains and .....more Grains.
#3 - Grow your own
