Wednesday 02 November 2016 9:49 am

Coconut flour, cactus water and charred food: Waitrose unveils 2016’s top food trends

Were cactus water, wonky vegetables and coconut flour on the list for your latest weekly shop? No? Well, get with the times, apparently they were among the top food trends of the past year.

So says Waitrose's 2016 Food and Drink Report, as consumers are becoming ever more focused on eating "lighter and fresher", while "faddy diets seem to be on the decline".

Of 2,000 shoppers surveyed by the supermarket, 60 per cent said the food they choose is naturally lighter and fresher than five years ago, while 71 per cent claim that eating healthily and looking after themselves is "part of who they are".

As for some of the specific hits, aubergine sales were up 18 per cent as people are using it as a carb substitute, while sales of Guinness got a boost in March thanks to St Patrick's Day (up 40 per cent).

Natalie Mitchell, head of brand development at Waitrose, said: "Consumers are doing what's right. We're living in an era when people are walking the walk, not just talking the talk."

Apparently, 46 per cent of us throw away less food than we did give years ago.