New research conducted by supermarket Waitrose has predicted that so called ‘seaganism’ will be one of the biggest UK food trends of 2020.
Although we’ve still got a couple months left of 2019, companies are already trying to predict what will be the biggest food trends for the year ahead. The Waitrose Food & Drink Report, which is partially determined by analysing the most searched for products on the supermarket’s website, predicts that many more people will follow a seaganism diet in 2020.
Wondering what seaganism is? Well, it refers to those who mainly follow a vegan diet, but do allow for the consumption of seafood which is sourced sustainably. To us, it sounds a lot like pescatarianism, which is when people give up meat but still eat fish and seafood. The trend is apparently gaining momentum, and goes some way to explaining the renewed popularity of ingredients such as seaweed, which is more sustainable than traditional seafood. In fact, searches for aonori seaweed were up 127% on the supermarket’s website.
There were several other trends that have been predicted to make big waves in the coming year, including posh takes on the humble crumpet. The trend appears to have come about thanks to chefs such as Tom Brown, Yotam Ottolenghi and Marcus Wareing crowning crumpets with luxury ingredients. At Brown’s Cornerstone restaurant in Hackney Wick for example, buttered crumpets are topped with shredded crab.
Elsewhere, the report says that sales of organic celery have been boosted by 30%, crediting the rise to Instagram influencers who share juicing recipes with their followers. Shoppers also seem to be more aware of their environmental impact, with sales of vegan ready meals overtaking that of their vegetarian equivalent for the first time.
The Waitrose Food & Drink report has been released annually for seven years and is based on its supermarket and online sales this year, as well as a poll of 2,000 adults who shop across a range of retailers.
Tempted by seaganism? Check out our pick of the best fish and seafood restaurants in London.