“We called it!” With each new year, our food-wise agency puts out an annual list of up-and-coming trend predictions we think will take off. In fact, we’ve just released our 2018 edition, but how did we do in previous years?

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Paella

 

A post shared by Tieghan (@halfbakedharvest) on Jul 9, 2015 at 1:50pm PDT

Hit! “Paella parties are one of the most popular summer entertaining trends”
– Huffington Post, July 2016.

Poke

A post shared by Toronto • Rentals (@to.rentals) on Oct 18, 2016 at 2:25pm PDT

Hit! “Poke is the biggest fast casual food trend”
– Business Insider, July 2017.

Food Halls

A post shared by Diego Alex-Zander (@d_alex_zander) on Jan 2, 2018 at 11:51am PST

Hit! “Food halls grew by 37% in 2016. It’s a great concept to introduce new food products, to read the labels, to taste, to ask questions — a mini-model could be incorporated in every store”
– Forbes, December 2017.

Meal Kits

A post shared by Chefs Plate (@chefsplate) on Aug 11, 2017 at 11:18am PDT

Hit! “Meal kit trend a booming business in Canada, now worth $120M a year”
– CBC News Business, December 2017.

Vegetables as the Main Meal

A post shared by Urban Herbivore (@urban_herbivoreto) on Jul 11, 2016 at 7:10pm PDT

Hit! “Plant-based diets go mainstream in Canada and the United States”
– Straight.com, August 2017.

Rise in Food Delivery Applications

A post shared by foodora ?? (@foodora_ca) on Apr 24, 2017 at 8:57am PDT

Hit! “Online food delivery and pick-up is booming. With an increase of 68 million orders since 2012, it’s the fastest growing”
– CBC News, January 2017.

Fast Casual (QSR’s)

A post shared by F L O C K rotisserie + greens (@eatflock) on Jul 13, 2015 at 8:41am PDT

Hit! “Robert Carter, food service analyst for NPD in Toronto, says fast casual represents only about 2% of all restaurant traffic in Canada, and about $500 million in annual spending. But the segment’s restaurant traffic is rising fastest, with growth of more than 10% in the past year”
– Advisor, February 2017.

Chicken

A post shared by Toronto’s Finest / Food & More (@to_finest) on Oct 14, 2016 at 10:02am PDT

Hit! “Canadians are eating more chicken than ever. According to the Chicken Farmers of Canada Data Booklet, in 1965, the average Canadian ate 10 kilos of chicken per year. In 2016, consumption rose to 32.5 kilos per year, which means the average Canadian is eating chicken about three to four times per week”
– Foodservice & Hospitality, August 2017.

Wedge Salad & Iceberg Lettuce

A post shared by Sobeys (@sobeys) on Dec 21, 2017 at 1:19pm PST

Hit! “The reign of kale is over and there’s a new green back to retake its rightful place on the top of the heap: iceberg lettuce”
– Business Insider, December 2017.

Middle Eastern Cuisine

A post shared by Byblos Toronto (@byblostoronto) on Sep 14, 2017 at 1:16pm PDT

Hit! “Middle Eastern cuisine finds safe harbour in Canada’s new food guide”
– Herald Lifestyles, August 2017.