After two very tough years for the hospitality industry, things are finally looking up. Many  countries have relaxed their Covid-19 restrictions, enabling restaurants to welcome diners in (quasi) pre-pandemic conditions. But are consumers ready to head back out or have they gotten too used to the convenience and speed of delivery? 

Much of the technology inherent to the takeaway food market, such as the apps and third-party platforms consumers now take for granted, have been available for several years. However, it took the urgency of the pandemic context to force the industry to exploit them to their full potential. As a result, the delivery market boomed throughout 2020 and 2021 and is expected to reach $466 million by 2026, restaurant-to-consumer and platform-to-consumer combined. Here are some of the takeaway trends that are likely to continue over the next few years:

Healthier options. Throughout the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic, people were understandably in search of comforting options. According to research by Yelp, some of the most ordered food items per state during the pandemic were nachos, wings and pizza. Research shows however that customers in 2022 are turning towards healthier organic, dairy or gluten-free options. 

Local and hyperlocal deliveries, mainly due to an increased interest on the part of consumers in supporting their local businesses. Whether it’s groceries from local producers or delivery from a restaurant just down the block, local and hyperlocal deliveries are both sustainable and have a short turnaround time. 

Sustainability. The boom in food delivery has understandably led to concerns about single-use packaging. Generally speaking, people are paying more attention to the environmental credentials of the companies they buy from, so it makes sense for companies to invest in sustainably-sourced, 100% recyclable packaging that’s suited to a variety of food delivery applications. Nissha Metallizing Solutions has a food packaging product range with superior functionality and excellent performance for a variety of applications. Our product portfolio includes several mono-material alternatives to multi-layer food packaging.