Creed Foodservice launches the Trends Hub

Ahead of 2024, one of the UK’s largest nationwide wholesalers Creed Foodservice, has announced the launch of the Creed Trends Hub; an online destination for care homes to learn about the 2024 trends and how to bring them to life.

The Creed Trends Hub launches on Monday 13^th November, and will have a dedicated zone for the care industry. At the heart of the zone will be the 2024 Trends Report, a downloadable report packed full of insights and learnings from Creed’s insights manager, Anna Clapson, and will also include practical guidance from executive development chef, Rob Owen on how care homes can tap into the trends in their kitchens and make them work on their menus.

In addition, featured within the zone will be ‘Creed Trends Kitchen’, a space housing trend-led recipes that care homes can incorporate into their menus, or use to inspire new dish ideas to freshen up their current offering.

Commenting on the 2024 Trends, Anna Clapson, says: “We’ve poured weeks of research and expertise into our Trends Hub, to make sure we’re bringing the inside knowledge to care homes, which will continue to face challenging times next year.  It can be overwhelming for care providers, who are already catering for often complex dietary requirements, to get to grips with the upcoming trends and find ways to link them back to their everyday operations. The Trends Hub is their digital guru, that they can access 24/7, whether that’s during menu planning, during their team meetings, or in development sessions with their kitchen teams.”

Useful tips for 2024 food trends

• At the core of the insights is the theme of ‘A Nation Challenged’, which underpins all the trends for next year. With inflation, energy prices, staff and skills shortages, plus financial pressures, both care homes and residents’ wallets are significantly impacted. With 95% of Baby Boomers (those aged 58-76 years old), saying that the food and drink provision is important when choosing a care home, getting the hospitality offering right will make a difference to occupancy rates, revenue and profit.
• With the lack of funding, well-documented, and increasing costs to both residents and homes, residents and their families are more value-conscious than ever. One way care homes can set themselves apart and strengthen their perceived value-for-money is by showcasing a specialism and honing in on a specific area of expertise. This could be through offering British classics that are done really well such as roast potatoes cooked to perfection, or an afternoon tea that features a hero cake or scone.
• With residents’ increasingly looking for food that features global influences and seeking an experiential feel to their meals, care homes need to look at ways to elevate their dishes from the everyday. One way to do this is through the dining set-up, whether that’s offering a café/deli style informal dining area, alfresco picnic space or casual lounge setting. A sense of adventure can also be achieved through various cuisines, punchy flavours and enticing food formats.
• The focus on our planet and environment is an increasingly important topic to those aged over 58 years old, with 50% saying they would be pleased to see food and drink sourced ethically or sustainably. Creating a community feel, by connecting with local producers or growing vegetables in on-site outdoor spaces provides a point of interest and means there is confidence around where the ingredients come from. There is also an increased focus on seeking ‘better for you’ options with residents welcoming knowledge on the nutritional content of dishes.
• Tech growth has been significant in recent years, and the older generation have adapted well. Although the majority of residents do still welcome ordering their food face-to-face or writing it down, there is a move towards quicker and more convenient methods such as ordering via an iPad or phone app. Digital interaction not only helps to keep residents up-to-date, but also their families, who can view menus online ahead of their visits. For care homes, tech has transformed the way residents’ dietary requirements, allergens within dishes and nutritional information are tracked too.

To visit the Creed Trends Hub or to download the 2024 Trends Report visit: www.creedfoodservice.co.uk/insights-reports-trends

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