Home featured Economy Featured Hot Tips Economy Foodie battlegrounds in 2014 Dynamic Business February 25, 2014 A new report – Food Forward 2014 – has identified the food trends set to take Australia by storm. Compiled by Weber Shandwick, the report found so-called ‘mutant’ foods, single-item restaurants and culinary-inspired travel are the trends that will shape our national eating habits this year . The report names food combinations like ‘sushi tacos’ and ‘ramen burgers’ as examples of new foods which push the culinary boundaries. “Australia has a growing passion to explore new cuisines and flavours. Our latest Food Forward report shows that our country’s food culture is being reshaped, embracing a whole new combination of foodstuffs in 2014,” Ava Lawler from Weber Shandwick Australia commented. Now in its third year, Food Forward surveyed more than 1,000 Australian consumers and food experts nationwide to determine this year’s food trends clusters: Demise of international flavour boundaries More flavours inspired by the multi-cultural heritage of chefs; A rise of South American and Korean cuisine; Mutant foods (unique food combinations like sushi tacos and ramen burgers) and freekeh are predicted to be the biggest hits of the year. Wholesome home-cooking prevails At-home entertaining is predicted to boom in 2014 – nearly half of those surveyed nominated home-style cooking (48 per cent) as their favoured dining option, above fine dining (19 per cent); Restaurants will need to take advantage of the growing preference for casual dining; Food experts expect to see simpler menus and single-item