DAWN FARMS TOP 9 | ISSUE 5| 2021

GLOBAL UPDATE ON CONSUMER, MARKET AND MENU INSIGHTS. 

1. DOMINO'S NEW OFFERINGS

Just in time for National Pizza Day or a Valentines Treat, Domino’s UK has launched its latest offering, the Absolute Banger pizza. The new offer boasts four sausage toppings, each offering a different flavour, for the perfect combination of spices and smokiness. The sausage toppings include Domino’s pepperoni slices, fiery chorizo, sizzling sausage and its new and improved smoky hotdog slices.  Domino’s Bulgaria has launched a new tasty offering, the ‘Pizza Gaucho’, which is topped with slow cooked pulled beef and hot jalapenos. 

2. VALENTINE'S TREATS

There are plenty of tasty Valentine’s treats on offer from supermarkets to restaurant takeaway kits.  Mexican chain, Wahaca, has created a spicy menu to heat things up with pork pibil tacos and buttermilk chicken tacos. Burger & Beyond’s Valentine’s Kit includes its Best-Selling Bacon Burger, made with 35-day dry aged beef and pancetta bacon and New York Pizza has teamed up with Dunkin Donuts to offer 2 free doughnuts with the purchase of 2 pizzas. On the retail side, M&S have a new plant-based meal deal which includes a No-Beef Creamy Peppercorn Pie while Morrison’s is offering a heart-shaped vegan Chorizo Palmier.  

3. MCDONALD'S MAKES MOVES

After deciding to temporarily close walk-in takeaways in the UK and Ireland, McDonald’s has announced it is planning to reopen restaurants to walk-in takeaway customers on 22nd February along with additional safety measures. Separately, McDonald’s have re-launched its popular Grand Big Mac and Grand Big Mac Bacon for a limited time until the end of March. Other new menu items include the Homestyle Crispy Chicken burger and the return of Mozzarella Dippers.  

4. YUM! PLANS FOR GROWTH

Before the pandemic swept across the world, YUM! Brands (owner of Pizza Hut, KFC & Taco Bell franchises) were increasing their store unit count by approximately 4% and currently has more than 50,000 global locations. However, unit growth in 2020 was slower than previous years, opening 2,400 new restaurants but was offset by store closures. YUM! are now in a recovery phase and looking at new ways to rebuild its development pipeline to regain their 4% growth pace in the near future. The company plans to work on its delivery and drive-thru capabilities to improve the customer experience.  

5. WAITROSE WELFARE TECHNOLOGY

UK retailer, Waitrose, are set to launch a ground-breaking mobile app allowing it to assess the “emotional state” of animals from suppliers. Developed by Scotland’s Rural College, the app allows Waitrose’s field teams to measure the expressive behaviours of livestock, such as being relaxed, tense, playful or anxious. The app has been trialled for two years by Waitrose while inspectors record and quantify the different expressions observed. The goal is for data to be gathered on dairy cows, veal calves, pigs, hens, broiler chickens and ducks, so that Waitrose can improve its welfare strategy. 

6. PIZZA BABKA NOW TRENDING

Social media feeds have been inundated with people making pizza babka lately. While recipes of this dish have existed for years, the recent surge in interest can be attributed to Bill Clark who included the dish on his increasingly popular newsletter, A Piece of Cake. Bill is best known as the former chef and co-owner at MeMe’s Diner in Brooklyn, New York, which was famous for its eclectic comfort food dishes. Pizza babka features golden brown loaves brushed with garlic butter and stuffed with shredded mozzarella and pepperoni – a simple take on two familiar favourites.

7. CELL-BASED STEAK LAUNCH

Israeli cell-based meat producer, Aleph Farms, and biomedical engineering researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have created the world's first cell-based ribeye steak. The team announced they can produce any kind of steak through cell cultivation and 3D bioprinting. Living cells are printed into a shape and are then incubated to grow, interact and differentiate, allowing the cell-based meat to become more like a conventional steak. The cell-based ribeye steak is expected to launch in the second half of 2022. 

8. FOODHUB WINS OVER RESTAURANTS

Food delivery platform, Foodhub, now has over 20,000 restaurant partners after substantial growth during the pandemic months in 2020. Food delivery exploded over lockdowns and more operators are choosing to partner with Foodhub as they charge a monthly fee rather than commission per order. Restaurants are adapting their business models to meet the eat-at-home demand and opening delivery-only sites, including UK’s Shake Shack and Chapati Man with their new ghost kitchen locations.  

9. THIS YEAR'S FLAVOUR TRENDS

Several food companies came together to predict the flavour trends for 2021. As more consumers are preparing meals at home, they are seeking out classic and familiar flavours to indulge in such as mac ’n’ cheese, traditional pizzas and brownies. However, some consumers are also looking for some excitement through food and branching out to adventurous flavour profiles, for example spicy, smoky or minty flavours in an effort to travel through food. On top of this, consumers are scrutinising products as they aim to be more health conscious by eating plant-based or nutrient-rich foods.  

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