The Power of FoodTok

TikTok has become a hub for all sorts of communities, interests and niches. Arguably, the community that dominates TikTok is foodies. 

At the beginning of the pandemic, TikTok became a go-to destination for not only entertainment, but for learning. From food crazes including banana bread (we made at least 100 loaves), cloud bread, whipped ice coffee and pancake cereal, just to name a few, FoodTok has resulted in thousands of new creators that food, drinks and FMCG brands can partner with. 

The History of FoodTok

To date, the hashtag #FoodTikTok has over 65.6 billion views. But how did FoodTok become such a success on the platform? 

While the platform had been gaining popularity before the pandemic, food content exploded on TikTok during the first 2020 pandemic lockdown. While millions of people were bored at home with not much to do, many took to TikTok to share their favourite drink, meal and dessert recipes. It was at this time we saw the boom in banana bread, whipped coffee, cloud bread, chlorophyll water and the famous feta pasta. 

FoodTok became such a success due to its authenticity. The community wasn’t run by professional chefs and bakers, but by real people sharing their favourite recipes. There was no pressure to provide beautifully presented Michelin Star dishes, just tasty food that was made from a love of food. 

Due to the platform growing in popularity for watchers and creators, a large portion of food content succeeded in going viral. The fun of FoodTok combined with the temptation of a viral hit led to more users recreating trending foods and encouraged new creators to take their share of the FoodTok pie. 

The Impact of FoodTok

The impact of FoodTok on the platform has been huge. Let’s talk stats for a minute. 

As we’ve already mentioned, #FoodTikTok has over 65.6 billion views, but it also has a seemingly endless amount of user-generated content—we haven’t even been able to find the bottom of the hashtag. 

FoodTok’s real impact can be shown through Little Moons’ success in the UK. In 2020, Little Moons joined TikTok and went viral, resulting in over 350M views on the platform. As a result, the demand for these little mochi balls resulted in boxes constantly being sold out in various retailers, and sales were boosted by over 2000%. 

@feelgoodfoodie Baked feta pasta with cherry tomatoes!! Recipe on blog • Inspired by @grilledcheesesocial ? #tiktokpartner #LearnOnTikTok #fetapasta #recipes ♬ original sound – Feel Good Foodie

In addition, FoodTok has had a huge impact on the sales of individual ingredients, depending on the recipe currently trending; during the feta pasta trend, feta sales grew 62%. 

Given its obvious impact in raising awareness and genuinely driving sales, FoodTok is a great place for both brands and creators to make a name for themselves. 

FoodTok creators

FoodTok has created a whole new breed of food content creators. Contrary to the perfected-plates seen on Instagram, TikTok foodies share their techniques and recipes for the sake of loving cooking. It’s no secret that TikTok is centred around authenticity, and this is evident in the food content on the platform. While some food content on TikTok is still high-quality and definitely not beginner-proof (we’re talking about menwiththepot), most food content is easily replicable at home, paving the way for more TikTok food creators.

@menwiththepot Soo much Meat? Dirty Burger? #menwiththepot #foodporn #asmr #fyp #foryou #nature #forest #cooking #food #fire ♬ original sound – menwiththepot

Heritage Cooking 

Many TikTok food creators are using TikTok as a means to reconnect with their family heritage and culture. Particularly with Asian food creators, TikTok has been a central platform for them to discover, trial and share traditional and fusion meals. 

Tina Choi (doobydobap on TikTok) has become one of FoodTok’s most popular creators. With her ASMR-style videos, she shares traditional Korean dishes, sometimes with a modern twist. She didn’t start her TikTok channel for the purpose of becoming a creator—her initial reason was to use TikTok as a portfolio she could use to apply to recipe development positions as a result of a lifetime of loving food. 

Her popularity has come as a result of posting content that is educational and accessible for her audience to recreate themselves. 

@doobydobap Dakgangjeung / korean fried chicken #korean #friedchicken #mukbang #asmr ♬ original sound – Tina 최

Tway Nguyen (twaydabae on TikTok) attended culinary school in America, but has embraced her Vietnamese heritage by creating inventive fusion dishes. Tway uses her TikTok to celebrate Vietnamese culture, and wants to help her community find a home-away-from-home with her recipes. 

@twaydabae Written recipe is on my Instagram (twaydabae) #learnontiktok #recipevideo #easyrecipe ♬ original sound – twaydabae

The Future of FoodTok

In March, grocery delivery service Instacart announced a product integration feature that allows consumers to order ingredients for delivery through TikTok. Shoppable Recipes allow TikTok food creators to link Instacart grocery lists to their video content. Although the feature isn’t available to all food creators yet, it will be rolled out to all within the coming year. 

Considering the size of the FoodTok community, and coming integrations that help creators share their recipes with audiences, we expect TikTok to become even more of a food hub. 

Our Influencer marketing agency and Social agency are located worldwide, with our agency network based in the USA, UK, UAE and China.

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