We are all guilty of it–snapping a quick pic of our food before we dive in.  That’s why Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are loaded with food imagery. Plus, food-based social media accounts have huge followings that help drive food-related hashtag trends.  At Messina’s Catering and Events, we follow these what terms people are tagging and tailor our catering menus accordingly.  So what food-related hashtags will be trending in 2022?

According to SocialBuddy, the Top 10 Trending Global Food Hashtags in 2022 Will Be:

1. #Food
2. #FoodPorn
3. #Yummy
4. #Foodie
5. #Delicious
6. #Dinner
7. #Breakfast
8. #Yum
9. #Lunch
10. #Homemade

Local Food Hashtags by City

The hashtags above are for more global usage, while many trending hashtags are geographically specific.  That’s why hashtags like #LAfoodie can take off on social media channels.  New Orleans, with its famous cuisine and unique traditions, is a veritable playground for foodies on social media.  That’s why we keep an eye on these top #nolaeats hashtags for the Big Easy.

1. #nolafood
2. #nolafoodie
3. #neworleansfood
4. #seafood
5. #wherenolaeats
6. #creolefood
7. #eaternola
8. #shrimp
9. #crolecooking
10. #crawfish
11. #eatingnola
12. #seafoodlovers
13. #seafoodboil
14. #creolecuisine
15. #creoleneworleans
16. #creolenola

It’s not surprising that New Orleans’ Creole flavors and plethora of fresh seafood finds its way onto top NOLA trending hashtag lists. That’s why you’ll see lots of these options on Messina’s catering menus.  Messina’s dishes that are perennially popular include smoked gouda and crab grits, crawfish Zydeco pasta, shrimp remoulade, and alligator puff pastry.  All are incredibly tasty and undeniably hashtag-worthy.

Hashtags by Food Type

If you’re looking for the best pizza trends, search the hashtag #pizza.  If you want to be more specific, you can use a hashtag like #pizzamargarita.  If you’re enjoying a lovely cup of Japanese noodle soup, you can use #ramen.  Then there are hashtags for cultural food types, such as #italianfood, #chinesefood, or #thaifood.

How Many Hashtags Should You Use? 

On Instagram, you can add up to 30 hashtags per post.  Typically, people include between five and 15.

  The more popular the hashtags you include, the better chance your post will rank at the top.  Where you put them is equally important, according the Blogger Handry Woman, tags that she included in captions results in 75 percent fewer impressions.  Plus, including hashtags in the comments section is a good idea because when someone embeds your post, it keeps your nice, clean formatting.

Don’t Just Rely on the Most Popular Global Hashtags

Extremely popular hashtags like #food are great to use, but you’ll also want to include some specific hashtags.  Specific hashtags, like the name of a dish such as #seafoodgumbo or #Muffaletta can be a great way to drill down to a more specific reader.  Likewise, for those who are preparing the food rather than eating it, hashtags like #Nolachef and #Cheflife might be more appropriate.

Why are Hashtags Important?

It’s simple, hashtags gather information and serve it up to people who might not be following you on your social media channels.  They put your photos into a searchable index so others can find your page.  A smart use of hashtags can skyrocket views of your post and your profile. (britespanbuildings.com)

While Hashtags May be Relatively New, Messina’s Catering Has Been Around for Decades 

Social media wasn’t even on the horizon when Messina’s Catering and Events began in 1961. Through the decades, we’ve kept abreast of catering trends and technology in food service, presentation, and how we market our services.  Social media is an important tool in our marketing toolkit.

Next time you’re in NOLA, be sure to hashtag your foodie pics.  If you’re at a Messina’s event, show us a little love on your social channels with #Messinas or #bestneworleanscatererever.