Food trends & Food Tribes

American food manufacturer Hormel asked Harris and Hayes for our expert take on food tribes, and how they play into food trends. We said:

“As long as there’s food, there will continue to be multiple food tribes and trends associated with it. We create our identity and sense of self through what we do and don’t eat. While food and drink primarily bring people together, they can also be used to drive people apart as one tribe tries to position itself on higher moral ground than the other.”

The piece explored how apps and social media shape our food habits, how diets differ internationally, the disparity between aspirations and our actual food habits. In a complex food system we called for a holistic approach which looks beyond the flash fads and fried cheese pickles we see on TikTok.

“Social media can make small tribes feel very big, as followers surround themselves with similar people who echo their beliefs, or a trending late-night snack experiment like fried cheese pickle becomes a legitimate food choice. Increasingly, respected voices in the industry are pushing consumers to see food in a more holistic context. Our digestive systems and individual responses to food are more complex than we might have first thought.”

Read the Hormel Food Trends piece here. Harris and Hayes have been interviewed in Time Out, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Grocer, the Guardian and other major publications. Get in touch if you’d like to enquire about commentary for an upcoming project or publication.