Vegan food. Picture: iStock
Think it’s only couch potatoes who whip out their phone to order online? It seems that services like Uber Eats is all about healthy eating.
According to the latest Uber Eats FoodCast, 2019 will be the year veganism becomes mainstream in the Middle East and Africa, including South Africa.
Based on the Uber Eats search data, the biggest increases in customer search volumes over the last six months include edible flowers and meat substitutes like seitan and heme.
These ingredients are set to appear on many more restaurant menus across the country, which means it will be more accessible through the food delivery system. Uber Eats allows restaurants outside of franchises to offer meals online, meaning they become more accessible. It also means more options.
Showing the changing palates of vegans and flexitarians, jackfruit will be offered. It is often seen as the vegan alternative to pulled pork, which is predicted to fall out of flavour with many as the meat-free offering widens.
Uber Eats. Picture: iStock
In addition, orders for matcha, aloe vera and rolled ice cream are on the list of items data shows will decline in the coming 12 months. Coffee will return to being a hot drink, as cold brew also makes the top-five list of items anticipated to be on the decline.
Uber Eats general manager Ailyssa Pretorius says: “It’s … interesting to see [eaters] are moving towards healthier options, which breaks the stereotype of food delivery apps.”
Uber Eats analysed more than 191 million searches on the app across Middle East and Africa in the preceding six months. The 2019 Uber Eats FoodCast also revealed the most popular foods of 2018. Garlic proved to be a firm favourite followed by ginger, coconut, tofu and honey.
Super-trendy seaweed, gluten-free and quinoa all make appearances in the top-20 food searches of 2018.
According to Jeanette Mellinger from Uber Eats user research, as people become more conscious of what they eat, plant-based superfoods continue to rise in popularity.
Picture: iStock
“Food preferences are constantly evolving and the latest is a rise in socially conscious diners. Customer search volumes also show that food delivery apps like Uber Eats are quickly transforming food delivery from a guilty pleasure at the weekend, to an increasingly important part of our daily food habits.
“As we look ahead to 2019, we also expect to see customers search for more low-cost, healthier, everyday meal options,” said Mellinger.
Popular Uber Eats searches:
Where you can use the service:
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