How Social Media Shapes Food Trends Among African Youth
Quote from Omari Kitula on June 7, 2025, 9:42 pmIn recent years, social media has become the new dining table for Africa’s youth a place where food is not just consumed, but performed, shared, and reimagined. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) have transformed meals into moments, and sometimes, into movements.
The Rise of Viral Food Challenges: #KachumbaliChallenge & More
Take the #KachumbaliChallenge for example. What started as a fun remix to a catchy song quickly turned into a regional culinary trend. Young people across East Africa started preparing their own versions of kachumbali ; a simple, spicy tomato-onion salad and sharing videos of themselves chopping, mixing, and tasting it. Similar viral food challenges have exploded online:
- #UgaliFlex – youths showing off creative ugali plating
- #ChapatiRoll – folding chapatis into Instagram-worthy wraps
- #TiktokFoodHacks – short clips of budget meals made with flair
These trends celebrate local cuisine and rekindle pride in traditional dishes but they also reveal how peer influence and visual aesthetics are driving food choices.
Health Impacts
While many food trends promote natural, affordable, and local ingredients, not all are positive:
- Over-salting/spicing for shock value in videos
- Excessive frying or sugar content to make food look richer
- Promoting junk food challenges (e.g., eating instant noodles for a week)
This raises a concern: Are food trends shaping healthy habits or just entertaining ones?
Food as Identity & Influence
For many African youths, social media food trends are a way to:
- Express creativity and culinary skills
- Gain social recognition
- Learn quick, fun recipes they can make on a tight budget
- Engage in cross-cultural dialogue e.g., Nigerians trying Tanzanian snacks, or Kenyans recreating West African stews
However, the lack of nutrition education alongside viral content means youth may imitate unhealthy behaviors without realizing the consequences.
What Can Be Done?
- Nutritionists and chefs should join these platforms and contribute healthy versions of trending dishes.
- Food influencers can drive positive change by promoting balance showing not just what looks good, but what feels good long-term.
- Platforms like ChakulaFasta can play a central role in bridging the fun side of food with the facts creating challenges that are both viral and valuable.
Have you ever tried a food trend you saw on TikTok or Instagram? Did it affect how you eat now?
In recent years, social media has become the new dining table for Africa’s youth a place where food is not just consumed, but performed, shared, and reimagined. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) have transformed meals into moments, and sometimes, into movements.
The Rise of Viral Food Challenges: #KachumbaliChallenge & More
Take the #KachumbaliChallenge for example. What started as a fun remix to a catchy song quickly turned into a regional culinary trend. Young people across East Africa started preparing their own versions of kachumbali ; a simple, spicy tomato-onion salad and sharing videos of themselves chopping, mixing, and tasting it. Similar viral food challenges have exploded online:
- #UgaliFlex – youths showing off creative ugali plating
- #ChapatiRoll – folding chapatis into Instagram-worthy wraps
- #TiktokFoodHacks – short clips of budget meals made with flair
These trends celebrate local cuisine and rekindle pride in traditional dishes but they also reveal how peer influence and visual aesthetics are driving food choices.
Health Impacts
While many food trends promote natural, affordable, and local ingredients, not all are positive:
- Over-salting/spicing for shock value in videos
- Excessive frying or sugar content to make food look richer
- Promoting junk food challenges (e.g., eating instant noodles for a week)
This raises a concern: Are food trends shaping healthy habits or just entertaining ones?
Food as Identity & Influence
For many African youths, social media food trends are a way to:
- Express creativity and culinary skills
- Gain social recognition
- Learn quick, fun recipes they can make on a tight budget
- Engage in cross-cultural dialogue e.g., Nigerians trying Tanzanian snacks, or Kenyans recreating West African stews
However, the lack of nutrition education alongside viral content means youth may imitate unhealthy behaviors without realizing the consequences.
What Can Be Done?
- Nutritionists and chefs should join these platforms and contribute healthy versions of trending dishes.
- Food influencers can drive positive change by promoting balance showing not just what looks good, but what feels good long-term.
- Platforms like ChakulaFasta can play a central role in bridging the fun side of food with the facts creating challenges that are both viral and valuable.
Have you ever tried a food trend you saw on TikTok or Instagram? Did it affect how you eat now?