The changing food culture: A new era of food

Traditional food culture is distinguished by defined mealtimes that are planned in advance, which to a large extent dictated when, what, how much and with whom we eat.
Since these fixed structures are no longer in place, modern food culture is on the other hand characterised by individual, flexibly appropriate dining opportunities and thus offers scope for healthy and high-quality ready-to-eat products, meal kits and take-aways.

8:00 a.m. breakfast, 12:00 noon lunch and 6:00 p.m. dinner - this is an example of a classic distribution of mealtimes throughout the day.
However, with the increasing flexibility of our work life, rising mobility and the growing share of small households, our food culture and our eating behaviour have changed fundamentally and are leading to a shift away from traditional eating habits.
The phenomenon "snackification" has become a synonym for the new food culture - snacks and mini meals, often also in liquid form, are replacing traditional meals and are often consumed between two meetings, on the way to an appointment or while sat in front of the PC. Many companies have recognised this trend and are more and more frequently offering "ready-to-eat" food such as pre-packaged snacks, liquid meals and convenience products. They support the modern and flexible lifestyle. The market for ready-to-eat meals totals US Dollar 590 billion worldwide and US Dollar 9.28 billion in Germany alone with an expected growth of 3.74% annually .
Whereas breakfast and lunch are more and more often replaced by snacks such as liquid meals or bars, dinner has developed into the biggest and most important meal.

The COVID pandemic changed our working routine and everyday life massively. It brought people from one household round the table again at fixed times and lent the day a structure. At the same time, it turned the home kitchen into a showroom, where culinary highlights were prepared, because it was no longer possible to go out to eat. Online cooking courses and recipe apps boomed and addressed a wide range of target groups, from beginners through to experienced cooks.
Many people came to love this "home kitchen" and still spend a lot of time today preparing exotic and special dishes. This development offers the food industry several opportunities - from pre-planned meal kits that contain all the ingredients and cooking instructions for delicious meals, through to to-go restaurant recipes that have to be prepared and served at home à la minute.

Work life blending describes the phenomenon where the borders between one's profession and private life are becoming more and more blurred and where both parts of life are becoming flexibly and seamlessly interlinked due to the increased usage of home office. The company canteen becomes increasingly more important because of this: People from the office and home office meet up here, engage in an exchange and consider the canteen to be an important part of their everyday office life. Many companies have recognised this development and not only offer their employees enough room for the communicative exchange, but also a larger selection and wider variety of products. Hence there is something to suit every taste and every diet.
And also the "mobile canteen" for home office workers is a possible development that Hanni Rützler is observing. Here, employees working from their home office receive a payment card they can use to pay with in different food shops, restaurants, etc. (E.g. Sodexo ).

The shift from fixed to flexible eating habits reflects a radical change within our society. In a world where flexibility and mobility are becoming of higher importance, our eating behaviour is also being adapted in line with these new demands.
The food culture is increasingly shaped by individuality and spontaneity, which can lead to a more diversified and healthier diet. At the same time, this development means the food service sector, trade and company restaurants face new demands and they have to adapt accordingly to satisfy the consumers' changed needs.
It is going to be exciting to see how these trends further develop and what new food cultures arise in the future.