2018 is set to be the ‘year of bowls’ in New Zealand, as revealed by Uber Eats’ food forecast.

To uncover insights around trending foodie favourites, Uber Eats looked at the most popular and trending foods among Kiwi eaters over the last six months. Bowls came out on top – followed by perennial favourites avocado and coconut – but the list of foods to watch in 2018 also includes toast, tofu, sriracha and seaweed.

Across the ditch in Australia, bowls were also a clear favourite but came second behind pickles, while foodies in Thailand and Taiwan can’t get enough of ube (purple yam) – which came in at number 8 on the New Zealand list. In both the US and UK, toast was found to be the top trending food, which came in at number 4 in NZ, indicating that gluten may be back in fashion.

Emma Foley, Uber Eats NZ Lead, said: “It’s obvious Kiwis have broad food tastes when you examine the range of trendy food items that make up our 2018 predictions, but it’s clear the connecting theme is healthy and fresh.

“We’ve seen increasing demand for bowls among Kiwis over the past six months – be it poke, smoothie or salad bowls – and predict they will be incredibly popular in 2018 as people look for a tasty and quick yet nutritious meal option. We’ve also seen more restaurants offering  warm bowls on Uber Eats, and we expect these will be a popular option when the weather isn’t quite as hot.”

Jeanette Mellinger, Head of Uber Eats User Research added: “Food preferences around the world are constantly evolving – by the hour, the day, the season – and here at Uber Eats, we believe it’s critical to offer our customers choices they feel good about. Our mission is to make eating well effortless, every day for everyone.  

“Connecting people with the food they want is a critical part of getting there, which is why we kicked off 2018 by looking at which foods are trending globally. The better we can understand our consumers, the better we can serve them through products built with their needs in mind.”

Want to know more about the foods to watch in 2018? Check out Uber Eats’ 2018 Foodcast for the top 10 trending foods in New Zealand below.

  1. Bowls
  2. Avocado
  3. Coconut
  4. Toast
  5. Tofu
  6. Pickles
  7. Brown Rice
  8. Ube (Purple Yam)
  9. Sriracha
  10. Seaweed