Americans are hungry for news about culinary trends, while companies in the food industry are starving for grade-A, PR talent in the tight labor market, according to The Hungry Mind, a bulletin published quarterly by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) and PRSA.
Nevertheless, the show must go on. Hungry Mind contributor Ellen Boisvert elaborated on the latest cooking trends, noting "some contradiction between trends toward simplification...and the idea of consumers who seek more sophisticated flavors." So-called "health conscious" consumers also tend to cheat, she observed. "American consumers do not necessarily follow through on health conscious behaviors when it comes to ordering food away from home." Who would have thought Americans could be so fickle? The skinny on the latest culinary/dietary trends:
1. Less scratch cooking
2. Fast, few-ingredient recipes
3. Comfort foods
4. Sophisticated/international flavors
5. Nutritious & healthy cooking
6. Functional foods
7. Recreational cooking
8. Balanced diets
9. Less beef and meat
(IACP, 800/928-IACP, www.iacp.org; PRSA, 800/937-7772, www.prsa.org)