Customization in the Food Industry

People are picky. And with so many choices available today, how can they not be? In the United States, it's possible to have food delivered to our homes, workplaces, and the beach in less than an hour. In large cities, you could try one new meal every day and never get the same order twice. With that in mind, it’s no wonder the customizable meal market is growing. We want everything customized, from our clothes and houses to our vacation adventures. We also want exactly what we want without compromise, and the food market is listening.

Meal Planning

The growth of meal planning services, apps, and internet content has expanded dramatically in the last decade, creating a $1.5 billion industry. Meal delivery kits with an emphasis on healthy eating are on the rise. Customers can go online and get a new recipe and fresh ingredients delivered to them on a weekly basis. This growing market started with the intention of giving people the option to explore new recipes and cuisines without wasting money on ingredients they’d never use again.

Instant Customization

Places like Chipotle, Pokéworks, and a variety of other fast-casual restaurants are thriving on our want to have customized food. Substitutions, a variety of ingredients, and instant-custom options in the food market allow customers to pick and choose exactly what they want and keep the businesses from hitting a monotony wall because there’s always a new version to try.

What Does This Mean for the Food Industry?

Simply put, this new demand for customizable cuisine begs the necessity for players in the food industry to get on board or risk falling away with the times. There’s an increase in shops and restaurants that specialize in a specific food; there are even instant-customizable restaurants becoming the new fast food. The direction of the future, it seems, is having just what you want in each aspect of everyday life, and the food industry is paying attention.