Health, Sustainability & Tech Top NRA’s 2013 Restaurant Trends

The National Restaurant Association conducted a survey of professional chefs and members of the American Culinary Federation on predicted food trends for restaurants in 2013. Almost 2,000 chefs were asked to rank 198 items based on popularity in the food industry. Among the questions, the topics of technology, health and food cost were addressed – all with an emphasis on environmental sustainability.

The top-ranking trends for the coming year are encouraging indicators that sustainability is top of mind for ma

ny chefs. Within the first ten items, mindful protein choices appear three times, highlighting the importance of local sourcing (#1), lesser used cuts of meat (#6) and sustainable seafood (#9). Similarly, an emphasis on locally grown and sourced ingredients is seen throughout the top twenty; the phrase “hyper-local sourcing” (#7) suggests that more restaurants will be hosting their own gardens in 2013.

Health and nutrition, especially for children, is a notable theme throughout the report. “Healthful kids’ meals” ranks in third place; “children’s nutrition” in fifth%3