Public relations agency Weber Shandwick’s inaugural ‘Food Forward 2012’ food trend report has identified four big trends which it predicts will shape Australia’s food culture in 2012.

Weber Shandwick commissioned Australian research company, Pure Profile, to undertake the survey of more than 1,000 consumers and food industry professionals including food editors, chefs, food bloggers and nutritionists.

The report, published today, revealed trend clusters – commonalities between individual trends. These are:

• Gourmet convenience
  Innovative food products and quality foodstuffs are making gourmet-style meals more hassle-free than ever before.
• Global flavour combinations
  Home cooks will take a more borderless approach to food preparation in 2012.  Australian kitchens will trend toward a cooking style that combines ethnic flavours and ingredients from around the world. In the coming year, global flavour pairings from the Americas and Korea, in particular, will explore unexpected combinations and unique regional cuisines.
• Farm to fork
  Australian consumers want to understand the journey food has taken, from the farm to their forks. Whether it is a bunch of bananas or a hamburger, it is more important than ever to understand where food comes from, how it is made and whether the flavour is natural or manufactured.
• Culinary crusading
  From sustainable products to good purpose brand initiatives, food purchases are now based on more than just good taste. Activism is now expressed through food choices, and with this comes an expectation that brands or retailers are doing the most they can for the community.

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