AGA Digital Magazine

OUTSIDE THE BOX

Down in Flavortown For consumers looking to give their taste buds a jolt, spice blends most of which are rich in disease-fighting antioxidants, are the key, an

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article in the Men’s Journal reports, pointing to artisanal fusions like Asian-influenced Umami mixes or Mexican adobo spices and chili powders infused with pineapple and citrus.

Off-premise dining isn’t slowing any time soon. In fact, it’s bigger than ever with consumers on pace to increase the $486 billion spent last year and more restaurants opening ghost or virtual kitchens to produce and deliver a wider variety of edibles. Millennials are driving the business, according to research showing four in 10 are ordering from restaurants at least twice a week – a group labeled “restaurant enthusiasts”. And 38 percent of these are high-income customers. Culinary Hustle

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Essential Service

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Eating More OR Less?

Farmer’s markets, once considered a social event and a community gathering place, became an essential source of food during the pandemic that was considered safer than the local grocery store. The markets have also become a valuable backstop for farmers and manufacturers who lost their foodservice sales virtually overnight. According to surveys by Stanford University, popularity of farmers markets escalated as producers redirected food from wholesale to direct-to-consumer channels, and farmers found new ways to collaborate to generate revenue and keep food from going to waste.

A State of the Plate report by the Produce for Better Health Foundation indicates

that total produce consumption is down 3 percent with vegetables off 4 percent. On the other hand, a report from the California Agriculture department by the Giannini Foundation, says

2021 may be the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, but the next five will be one of conscious consumption, according to recent article in AmericaFruit magazine. This initiative seeks to transform fruit and vegetable consumption from conscious eating into an unconscious or automatic behavior among consumers.

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Americans are eating more fresh vegetables. None of this takes the pandemic or its long term implications into account.

A New Era

ALABAMA GROCER | 41