Top 10 rising food and beverage trends for 2025

Top 10 food and beverage trends set to dominate 2025. (Image: Getty/Tara Moore)

Food and beverage is awash with new and growing trends. We discover what consumers are craving in 2025

Food and beverage trends are everywhere, with new colours, flavours, eating styles and diets topping the charts every year.

Here’s a rundown of the top 10 trend dominating food and beverage in 2025.

1: JOMO (Joy Of Missing Out)

The Joy Of Missing Out, or JOMO, is all about enjoying the comforts of home, without worrying about what’s happening elsewhere – parties, concerts etc.

It’s been growing in popularity since the Covid-19 pandemic, when consumers spent all their time either cooking at home or ordering in.

“Who needs to go out, when you can have restaurant quality meals, top notch cocktails, and barista grade coffee at home,” says Charles Banks, director and co-founder of TheFoodPeople.

The trend is defined by staying home and enjoying:

• Cafecore: Homemade barista-style coffee, with consumer understanding of microlot, heirloom, grind size, crema colour and extraction rate growing
• Home happy hour: Pre-portioned, ready-to-pour, bar-quality drinks containing everything from high proof to zero proof
• Easy entertaining: Ordering takeaways or oven cooking pre-prepared meals
• Grandma core: A nostalgic baking style focusing on high-quality ingredients and retro-style cakes including Battenburg, scones and traybakes
• Restaurant-quality: Premiumised foods, with chef-driven ranges, global larder, and fresh foods dominating
• Comfort Bowls: The comfort food trend is boosting sales of hearty and warming dishes like soups, stews and ramens

2. Omnivore

Instead of choosing between meat or plant-based, omnivores are more flexible. However, they maintain a ‘less and better’ approach. In other words they eat fewer animal-based products like meat, fish and eggs, and ensure they’re of a high quality, taking provenance, welfare and sustainability into account, when they do.

The omnivore trend is also focussed on simple ingredients such as roasted vegetables and grass-fed beef.

Mushrooms, mycelium and mycoprotein are also gaining popularity, while the dairy sector is stepping into the hybrid space with hybrid milks, cheeses and and butters.

3. Big fusion

Fusion foods and multi-cuisine cooking is on the rise, as chefs from around the world share flavours, techniques and ideologies.

“This is more than a mere mash-up of ideas,” says TheFoodPeople’s Banks. “These creations come from a place of knowledge and authenticity, prepared by cooks who understand the cuisine.”

Themes include:

• Twisted Italian: Italian favourites including pizza, cacio e pepe , lasagna and risotto, but with a global flavour twist
• Japan meets world: Japanese cuisine is already hugely popular, and is evolving as it travels across the globe
• Pan Asian: The fragrant, vibrant, flavourful foods of East and Southeast Asia combined
• Mexican-ish: Popular Mexican foods such as tacos, burritos and nachos are being used as a base for a variety of international cuisines such as Pakistani-Mexican fusion lamb sheesh and chicken tikka smashed tacos

4. Crave worthy

This is very much the ‘more is more’ trend, defined by oversized and overfilled foods like doughnuts and milkshakes.

It also includes extravagant extras like salads topped with a duck fat dressing, and piled high with cheese.

“This is not-for-everyday, over-the-top indulgence, with the likes of gourmet chilli dogs, raclette cheese burgers, fully loaded tex mex nachos, and oversized chocolate bars,” says TheFoodPeople’s Banks.

5. Weight loss

In stark contrast to number 4, the weight-loss trend is back and it’s bigger than ever.

The rise of GLP-1 drugs and myriad new diets, has taken the weight loss industry to a global market value of $142.58bn, with a CAGR of 9.94% (Grand View Research).

“Managing weight has become a central focus for individuals, industry and policy alike,” says TheFoodPeople’s Banks.

Popular diets include:

6. Clean label

The backlash against ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has led to a renewed interest in the clean label trend.

“The debate continues to swirl around the possible impacts of ultra processed foods and forever chemicals,” says TheFoodPeople’s Banks. “Against this backdrop, consumers are turning to products they know and trust, typically with fewer, natural, recognisable ingredients, and with minimal processing.”

The clean label trend is defined by:

• Brand transparency: Consumers want to know exactly what’s going into food and beverage products
• Ingredients: The fewer the better. Three to five recognisable, organic ingredients, with minimal processing
• App’s and platforms: Online information, such as the hugely popular app Yuka, are supporting consumer understanding of food and beverage products

The rejection of UPF is leading to the rise of the clean label trend. (Image: Getty/Petar Chernaev)

7. Cut food waste

Efforts to cut food waste continue to grow, with industry placing more importance on it. And now it’s getting help in the form of new technologies.

“Help is on hand via technologies that can extend shelf life, detect and reduce food spoilage,” says TheFoodPeople’s Banks.

And prevention is key, with brands finding innovative new ways to improve operations at all stages of production, from farm to fork.

Cutting food waste has become a priority for industry and consumers. (Image: Getty/Roman Mykhalchuk)

8. Sweet treats

Treat culture is big news as consumers seek affordable rewards during financially challenging times. In other words, they might not be able to afford a holiday but they can afford a slice of cake with a cup of tea in the afternoon.

But it’s not just about any sweet treats. Consumers are truly indulging with gourmet doughnuts and deluxe cookies, as well as nostalgic desserts like banoffee and lemon meringue pies.

Consumer favourites include:

• Cakes
• Doughnuts and buns
• Cookies
• Ice cream
• Nostalgic puddings such as rice pudding, and jelly and custard
• French patisserie

9. Snack attack

Snacking is on the rise, as people adopt a more flexible approach to eating, over the more traditional three meals a day.

“We’ve seen a surge in snacking innovation across the fresh, frozen and ambient aisles, from indulgent treats to functional bites,” says TheFoodPeople’s Banks.

What’s more, the rulebook for what constitutes a snack is apparently out the window, with consumers opting for “mini meals” such as savoury bakes, noodles and fully-loaded salads.

"Mini meals" such as gourmet salads, are joining main meals throughout the day. (Image: Getty/AndreySt)

10: Protein power

Protein, in all its forms, has become a mega-trend in food and beverage, amassing a global market value of $27.5bn and a projected value $47.4bn by 2030 (Statista).

From powders and bars to plant-based products and cultivated meats, consumers and industry are heavily invested in proteins.

Innovation in proteins:

• Plant-based: Industry is focusing on producing clean label, whole, nutrient-rich plant-based foods and beverages
• Cultivated meats: Advancements in production processes, reducing costs and increasing production speeds are helping the industry to progress
• From thin air: This groundbreaking technology is created by fermenting specialised microbes, carbon dioxide, hydrogen derived from renewably powered water electrolysis and minerals to produce a nutrient-rich biomass. What’s more it’s been touted as the future of food
• Fungi: Interest in fungi such as mycelium and koji, is growing as understanding of their potential as a protein source increases.

The focus on protein continues to grow as consumers and industry prioritise it. (Image: Getty/Obradovic)