We’ve all been there, you’re in a restaurant and food arrives at your table, no matter how hungry you are your first thought isn’t to pick up your fork, it’s to pick up your phone. There are currently 192,798,815 photos on Instagram using #food and the popularity of sharing ‘edible’ snaps is going nowhere.
This week, Waitrose issued its food and drink report, an annual insight into the nation’s top food trends, which this year focused on the way in which food has become social currency.
According to the report, one in five Brits has shared a food photo online or with their friends in the last 31 days. Food is something most people feel passionate about, it has become our claim to fame in the Instagram world and we wouldn’t think of eating a fancy brunch without sharing it first.
Most people who document their food habits online do so to their 500 followers, but for some, sharing their tucker on Instagram has become hugely profitable.
The industry of professional food bloggers and Instagrammers is ever growing. It isn’t uncommon for influencers to be paid thousands to share photos of pristine food, posts that would inspire even the Jay Rayners of the world.
The report also highlights the trend’s popularity by age, with no surprise that 18 to 24 year olds are five times more likely to share photos of their meals than the over 55s. This has a big influence on the type of food shared, with the platform crying out for different takes on traditional meals and high-priced platters.
You can download the full report here: http://www.waitrose.com/home/about_waitrose/the-waitrose-fooddrinkreport.html
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