The Top 5 Biggest Food Trends on TikTok

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From cloud bread to fufu, here are the top 5 biggest food trends to have emerged on TikTok.

Teenagers and young people are the primary demographic for TikTok — a video-sharing social networking service that has a major impact on food trends. Using creator tools and interactive filters users create their own vertical videos. The TikTok app has been downloaded over 2.6 billion times worldwide, so it’s easy to see why understanding its trends are an important for the food and beverage industry. 

1. Cloud Bread

Cloud bread is an impossibly light style of bread, made from egg whites, sugar, and cornstarch. TikTok officiando @linqanaaa popularized the cloud-like dessert when she shared her viral video of cloud bread, which racked up more than 4.4 million views and 65,000 comments. Soon enough the hashtag #cloudbread spread like wildfire. 

2. Dalgona Coffee

Having made their own bread, TikTok users have also made their version of coffee, known as Dalgona. This coffee drink originated in Korea and took TikTok by storm in 2020. It’s best understood as a cappuccino turned on its head; with frothy coffee on top and the milk found underneath. Interestingly, despite having a beautiful appearance, it’s actually made with instant coffee. In 2020, Forbes Magazine wrote an article entitled, ‘Could Dalgona Coffee Become More Than Just A TikTok Trend?’, arguing that “there might be opportunities for dalgona coffee within the food and beverage category of the consumer packaged goods industry as well”. 

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3. Fufu

Fufu originates in West Africa. It’s a stretchy dough made from boiled and pounded plantains or cassava, which are high in starch. Fufu is often dipped into sauces or eaten with stews, and is a staple in Ghana. TikTok videos tagged #fufu have been watched more than 310 million times, and it’s really having a viral moment. 

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4. Feta Pasta

If you’re sceptical as to the impact TikTok food trends have on market demand, look no further than Feta Pasta. In January 2021 The New York Times reported that feta was the number one search on the Instacart grocery delivery app and stores such as Harris Teeter were experiencing full out-of-stock situations. The recipe for oven-baked pasta sauce, which features a whole block of feta cheese along with cherry tomatoes, was made popular by Jenni Hayrinen, a Finnish food blogger. And according to the New York Times newspaper, “Anne Saxelby, founder and co-owner of Saxelby Cheesemongers, in New York City, was so surprised when a supplier told her that a recipe on the popular video app TikTok had whipped up such a demand for feta that she wouldn’t get her weekly shipment of the cheese”. 

5. Vegan Food

Interestingly lots of food trends on TikTok originate from vegan influencers. This is because climate issues and sustainability are incredibly important topics for younger demographics. Popular vegan food tags for TikTok videos include #veganjunkfood (over 8.9 million views), #vegandesserts (29 million views) and #vegancoffee with over 500,000 views. A ‘two-ingredient vegan chicken’ went viral recently when influencer, @futurelettuce, combined flour and water, kneaded it underwater and on the counter, added seasoning with vegetable stock and then cooked it for 45 minutes— essentially concocting Seitan. And from this it’s easy to understand the marketing power of user-generated content. Vegan companies should certainly consider leveraging the power of this influential social network. 

In conclusion, today social media can definitely change consumer demand for food and beverage products. Businesses can take action by investing in food manufacturing and food distribution software which can forecast any changes in demand. If your food and beverage company is looking to scale and grow via ERP solutions, traceability and demand planing software, and meet all the FDA requirements, get in touch with Cashmere today.