With traditional restaurants in financial turmoil over falling grocery prices and the increase of delivery food startups, 2017 promises big changes at multiple levels of food consumption and production.

Wholesale prices of meat, chicken, eggs, and other popular grocery store items nosedived from 2015 to 2016, and they’re unlikely to go anywhere but down in 2017. This will further shift consumers towards preparing meals at home, where they can now conveniently order their ingredients online or pick them up from the store for significantly cheaper prices.

Upcoming trends for 2017 reflect this change, yet also continue to reveal peculiarities in our appetites.

• Mindful comfort food. Veganism and vegetarianism continue to evolve, and are no longer resigned to ordering salads when they go out. A slew of comfort food restaurants have opened to answer the call of delicious yet conscientious food in these communities. Look for foods like cashew mac and cheese, squash alternatives to pasta, and veggie-based crusts for pizza.
• Flexitarianism. Along with a new era of vegetarianism comes a new approach to the practice. Flexitarians create their own schedule of meat consumption, allowing themselves to indulge as often as weekends or as little as five days of the year.
• The call of the carnivore. Meat-eaters will find their own renaissance in 2017-- embracing classic butcher shops, new sources of protein, and more aggressive cooking methods. Get ready for charred, smoky venison as opposed to the typical, rare beef steak.
• Robust breakfast. The widespread acceptance of brunch has slowly edged out the soft, sweet breakfasts of the past. 2017’s morning plates will be packed with high-protein and rough textures. Think fried chicken surrounded by crispy chorizo.
• Gourmet ice cream. Decadent shakes and ice cream rollups populate 2017’s dessert scene. Crammed with candy and every topping imaginable, next year’s cones will be piled high. Additionally, ice cream rollups made of extremely thin layers of liquid ice cream rolled into cylinders will be a sought-after aesthetic.