Turning today’s signals into tomorrow’s strategies: 2026 Global Food & Drink Predictions
Our 2026 Global Food and Drink Predictions go beyond short-term trends, delivering predictive intelligence to map the future trends shaping the food and drink industry through 2030 and beyond.
Global challenges like climate change, supply chain disruptions, and chronic health impacts are complicating consumers’ daily lives. For food and drink brands, the opportunity lies in fostering resilience by showing they, too, are navigating these issues while offering solutions that empower consumers to endure and thrive amidst adversity.
From enhanced dietary diversity, to trust in traditional ingredients, to purposeful multisensory food and drink products. These predictive insights offer clarity on long-term consumer behaviours, empowering you to anticipate change, inspire action and lead your brand into the future.
The 2026 Global Food & Drink Predictions are:
1. “Maxxing” Out, Diversity In
Consumers will move past the viral advice and goal of ‘maxxing’ their daily protein or fiber intake, to adopt inclusive diets that celebrate the functional benefits of incorporating a diverse variety of ingredients each week to fortify and sustain their long-term health.
2. Retro Rejuvenation
Products that are rooted in trusted and practical traditions will help ease consumers’ sense of lack of control in the modern world. Brands that ground themselves in heritage ingredients and ancient medicines will be respected as cultural custodians, combining taste with long histories of functional benefits.
3. Intentionally Sensory
2026 will see multisensory products maturing from whimsical novelties to purposeful creations that intensify consumers’ emotional connections with better-for-you food by combining taste, visuals, textures, and aromas in a pleasing way.
Once you’ve read the Predictions… what’s next?
That’s where Mintel Consulting comes in. We’ll help you turn Mintel’s Predictions into tailored strategies for your brand—translating behavioural analysis into actionable opportunities that drive market growth, fuel consumer demand, and sharpen your innovation strategy.
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Our methodology
Built on the seven Mintel Trend Drivers—Wellbeing, Surroundings, Technology, Rights, Identity, Value, and Experiences—our methodology supports the fluid acceleration or deceleration of a trend according to the reality of individual markets. This ensures we remain adaptive, reactive to change and focused on the future.
Our predictions are built on a foundation of robust data and expert analysis. This unmatched combination ensures that what you read and discover is meaningful, actionable and provides the clarity you need to move beyond reacting to the future and to start shaping it.
