Concerns about nutrition and local, sustainable sourcing dominate the National Restaurant Association (NRA)’s “What’s Hot” culinary forecast of menu trends for the coming year.
According to the survey of more than 1,800 professional chefs, the top 10 menu trends of 2013 will include:
1. Locally sourced meats and seafood
2. Locally grown produce
3. Healthful kids’ meals
4. Environmental sustainability as a culinary theme
5. Children’s nutrition as a culinary theme
6. New cuts of meat (e.g., Denver steak, pork flat iron, teres major)
7. Hyper-local sourcing (e.g., restaurant gardens)
8. Gluten-free cuisine
9. Sustainable seafood
10. Whole-grain items in kids’ meals
“It is encouraging to see that children’s nutrition remains a top priority for chefs and that they continue to put their creativity in healthful kids meals to work on restaurant menus,” said Joy Dubost, director of nutrition and healthy living for the NRA.