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Every Ridiculous Food Trend Predicted for 2020

From “less focus on the center of the plate more on the outskirts” to lab-grown meat, here’s what the trend-casters predict we’ll be eating next year

by Brenna Houck

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Fingers in gloves use tweezers on a piece of pink meat.
Brenna Houck is a Cities Manager for the Eater network. She previously edited Eater Detroit and reported for Eater. You can follow her on the internet at @brennahouck.

Start blending your beef burgers with mushrooms and clear your throat for some voice-command ordering, because 2020 is almost here. As is tradition, it’s time to consult the all-knowing restaurant trend oracle (aka my inbox) and see what the future holds for dining, drinking, and snacking in the coming year.

The seers of the industry — data mining consulting firms, PR reps, chefs with PR reps, and major brands — each have taken turns divining what’s in and what’s out in food. The prognosticators craft predictions based on trends in the past year, personal preferences, speculation, copying, and, yes, a little bit of witchcraft, too. It’s also the most likely time of year to encounter the term “ethnic” in a press release.

Along with explosively popular trends like plant-based protein burgers and chicken sandwiches, the hive mind seems to universally agree that zero-proof drinking will continue into the new year. Likewise, health halo beverages like boozy kombucha and alcoholic still water are expected to gain even more ground among consumers in the spirit of 2019’s alcoholic seltzers. On the opposite end, some companies such as Uber Eats are predicting the decline of acai, charcoal, seitan, and hummus. Odd, considering many others predicted a rise in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Are these trends the real deal or simply a way for marketers to infiltrate the end of year news cycle and will their future products into popularity? Regardless, Eater has sifted through the many, many lists copying other lists to create a megalist of what will be hot and what will be, well, not in the coming year. Are the predictions conflicting? Yes. Are the words nonsensical? Yes. What is gastrophysics? Don’t ask. See you in hell.

• All Year in Eater Coverage [E]
• All Trends Coverage [E]
• All Restaurant Coverage [E]

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