Chef Stephane Frelon cooking up a storm for guests at the Future Menu Trends report launch event. The top three ‘makan’ trends in Malaysia are flavour contrast, feel good food, and the new sharing.
UNILEVER Food Solutions (UFS) has released its Future Menu Trends report to help restaurants, cafes and those in the food business to better understand upcoming trends in the pursuit of diners’ satisfaction.
This report, available online,
UFS utilised a myriad of sources when putting this report together – 178 food reports, 44,000 social media keyword searches, engaging with over 250 chefs from 70 countries, even racing out to local recycling plants to better understand the amount of food waste produced by Malaysians.
Shockingly, UFS Malaysia discovered when visiting a recycling facility that Malaysians generate a staggering over 40,000 tonnes of solid waste per day.
Of this amount, 4,000 tonnes out of the 17,000 tonnes of classified food waste is edible food waste, which encompasses meat, vegetable and fruits.
The result from these findings is four megatrends that help shape the eight emerging global menu trends most relevant in today’s landscape – irresistible vegetables; modern comfort food; low-waste menus; wild and pure; flavour contrast; feel good food; the new sharing; and, mindful proteins.
In tandem, UFS also used this opportunity to tie-in their integrated corporate strategy, the Unilever Compass which is a vehicle to drive sustainability in the food industry – much needed in an industry notoriously known for the sheer amount of food waste generated.
Of the eight menu trends, UFS MY found that the top three trends in Malaysia are flavour contrast, feel good food, and the new sharing.
Dillion Ng and Chef Elgin are whetting the appetites of guests with an informative discussion of inspiration behind each trend.
Food thrill seekers
Malaysia is a melting pot of cultures, therefore fusion cuisine is nothing new to our diverse palette as foodies seek adventurous thrills in flavours.
Food businesses that utilise novel, exciting and contrasting flavour combinations, textures and colours will leave diners with unforgettable and talk-worthy dining experiences.
Working jointly with provocative flavours, UFS Malaysia believes food should have diners feeling good – be it comforting soup or delicious meals that do not sit heavy on the stomach, such as whole grains as substitute for rice in nasi goreng, as suggested by UFS MY executive chef, Chef Elgin.
According to UFS MY country head Dillion Ng, the new sharing theme refers to sharing experiences and stories over a meal.
“Malaysians are well-versed in food sharing. A unique eating experience here is that unspoken communication between diners and servers when it comes to sharing dishes. Such is the culture, diversity, togetherness of our society,” he said at the recent launch event of Future Menu Trends, where guests had the opportunity to witness chef collaborators in action, producing a dish based on each of the top three trends.
Subsequently, the panel discussion gave valuable perspectives on how businesses can get diners excited for their food online and offline. One way is to incorporate more technology into a business front end to give diners an elevated experience.
A tantalizing panel discussion on how businesses can retain their appeal with customers and break into new demographics.
Tabsquare head of business development Josh Ho highlighted empowering digital ordering with AI to help diners make better decisions when ordering food at restaurants – creating a personalised connection with the customer in the restaurant itself.
Secret Recipe head of marketing Evelyn Lee shared that understanding the customer base is an important factor when introducing new products.
La Juiceria head of marketing Summer Ng stressed the importance of being aware of viral trends and potential partnerships when wanting to reach out to new demographics and customising it to your brand.
In the wake of these insights, it is clear that the landscape of the food industry is rapidly evolving – driven by both culinary innovation and the need for sustainability.
This event not only showcased the tantalising dishes but also illuminated the commitment of the food industry collective towards a more sustainable future.
