As we move into 2025, food and drink continue to evolve in response to economic pressures, shifting consumer behaviours, and global influences.  

Charles Banks of thefoodpeople, specialists in future trends and foresight, spoke on IFE Manufacturing's Trends & Innovation Platform and explored the key trends shaping the industry, highlighting a growing sense of optimism despite ongoing challenges.  

With inflation stabilising and consumer habits adapting, consumers are seeking equilibrium and wanting to find a balance in how they live, eat, and spend. Banks outlined 10 of the key trends we can expect to see in the world of food & drink in 2025 and beyond:

JOMO: The Joy Of Missing Out… And Staying In 

JOMO is the emotionally intelligent counterpart to FOMO (fear of missing out), focusing on being present and content rather than constantly seeking external experiences. Consumers are embracing the comfort and quality of home-based experiences, leading to a rise in ‘in-speriences’—curated at-home gatherings centred around food, drink, and entertainment. 

This trend manifests in various ways, including: 

• Easy Entertaining: Themed dinner parties, grazing tables, and even ‘frugal freezer feasts.’ 

• Happy Hour at Home: Ready-to-pour cocktails, innovative rim coatings, and an emphasis on high-proof, half-proof, and zero-proof drinks. 

• Home Café Culture: Consumers are refining their coffee rituals with high-tech equipment and a focus on crema, extraction, and quality ingredients. 

• Nostalgic Baking: Traditional desserts like Battenberg cake, scones, and no-bake traybakes are making a resurgence. 

• Restaurant-Quality at Home: Chef-driven meal ranges, inspired by global cuisines, are gaining traction in retail. 

• Bowl-Based Dining: The popularity of comforting, one-bowl meals like brothy ramen and mac & cheese continues to rise. 

As Banks explains: "Consumers are choosing to lean into the joys of home, whether it’s through recreating restaurant-quality meals, perfecting their coffee rituals, or simply embracing the comfort of nostalgia-driven foods." 

Omnivore: A More Balanced Approach

 

The boundaries between meat and plant-based diets are blurring. Consumers are no longer forced to choose between the two but are instead adopting a more flexible approach to protein consumption. While meat reduction remains a trend, it has shifted from a strict 50/50 split to a more moderate 70/30 approach. 

Key developments within this trend include: 

• ‘Less But Better’ Meat Consumption: Ethical sourcing, rare breeds, and regenerative farming are becoming more prevalent. 

• Hybrid Products: Blended innovations like the ‘both burger’ (half meat, half vegetable protein) and ‘plant and bones’ (combining plant proteins with beef tallow or collagen) are growing in popularity. 

• Dairy Hybrids: Traditional dairy is being blended with cereals and legumes to create lower-carbon alternatives. 

• Lab-Grown and Plant-Based Combinations: Cultivated meat companies are exploring hybrid formulas that mix lab-grown proteins with plant ingredients for greater consumer acceptance and commercial feasibility. 

"We’re moving past the binary choice of plant-based versus meat," says Banks. "Instead, we’re seeing an era where consumers embrace a spectrum of options, choosing balance over absolutes." 

Big Fusion: A Culinary Masterpiece 

The concept of fusion cuisine has evolved from being a gimmicky mix of ingredients to a more thoughtful and culturally informed movement. The new wave of ‘big fusion’ is driven by chefs who blend their personal heritage with global inspirations, creating bold and unexpected flavour pairings. 

Notable expressions of this trend include: 

• ‘Twisted Italian’: Classic Italian dishes reimagined, such as lasagne-only eateries, breaded risotto bites, and inventive takes on tiramisu. 

• Japanese Fusion: Japanese ingredients like miso, matcha, and shiso are being blended with Indian, Mexican, and Levantine flavours. 

• Pan-Asian Mashups: Southeast Asian influences from Indonesia, South Korea, and the Philippines are inspiring creative new flavour profiles. 

• ‘Mexican-ish’: The reinvention of Mexican cuisine with unexpected elements, such as wasabi-spiked guacamole or al pastor pizza. 

According to Banks, "Fusion today is about storytelling through food—chefs embracing their roots while reimagining flavours in bold, unapologetic ways." 

Crave-Worthy: Go Big or Go Home 

Consumers aren’t engaging with these trends in isolation but rather fluidly moving between them based on their needs, day parts, and occasions. ‘Crave-worthy’ food taps into emotional eating—offering comfort, intrigue, escapism, and joy in a time of uncertainty. 

“The act of eating isn't simply about sustenance,” says Banks. “It’s about nourishment in the most holistic sense—what makes people happy, without excuse or apology.” 

This trend embraces indulgence but in a way that feels justified. Some key themes include: 

• Oversized and Overfilled: Double and triple-stacked burgers, trio-of-cheese melts, fully loaded hot dogs, and pressed and toasted sandwiches layered for maximum visual and textural impact. 

• Sandwich Sensations: Layered, crosscut sandwiches and sharing boards that thrive in a social media setting. 

• Indulgent Seafood Options: A growing presence of seafood in ‘treat’ sandwiches and luxury comfort foods. 

• Sweet Layers and Textures: Desserts that pile flavour on flavour, such as croissants filled with pistachio paste, pistachio cream, and pistachio nougat. 

• Elevated Finishing Touches: Ingredients and toppings that add an extra layer of indulgence and sophistication. 

Slim & Trim: The Key to Living Well 

Consumers are becoming more proactive in making informed food choices, seeking transparency around ingredients and processes. The ‘Slim & Trim’ trend focuses on weight management and long-term health, with personalised approaches gaining traction. 

Banks notes, “One size doesn’t fit all for weight management, but it's now a top priority for individuals, the industry, and policymakers.” 

With over a billion people globally living with obesity, key focus areas include: 

• Portion Control: Smaller, balanced servings to regulate appetite and blood sugar. 

• Protein-Rich Foods: Essential for maintaining muscle mass. 

• Gut Health: Snacks and supplements supporting digestion and GLP-1 production. 

• Natural Appetite Regulators: Ingredients helping manage hunger naturally. 

Pure & Clean: Simpler Times 

Consumers are becoming more aware of the health impacts of ultra-processed foods, driving a shift towards cleaner, more transparent products. As knowledge grows, demand for simpler, natural ingredients is rising. 

Banks notes: "The momentum around ultra-processed foods continues, with growing awareness of hyper-palatable foods." 

Key drivers include: 

• Ingredient Transparency: Consumers seek simpler lists with 3-5 minimally processed ingredients. 

• Reducing Harmful Chemicals: Rising awareness of harmful chemicals like PFAS is pushing brands to eliminate them. 

• Next-Generation Ingredients: Natural sweeteners, seaweeds, and whole animal proteins are gaining popularity. 

This trend is expected to grow as consumers demand more sustainable, wholesome options. 

Prevent That Waste: The Fight Continues 

The fight against food waste is gaining momentum, with a focus on prevention and smarter solutions. Innovations in shelf life extension, spoilage detection, and packaging waste reduction are reshaping the sector. 

Key developments include: 

• Smart Labelling & Packaging: Technologies like real-time freshness tracking and antimicrobial bio-packaging are helping monitor food quality. Appliances like Samsung’s Family Hub fridge use AI to track inventory and reduce waste. 

• Portion Control: Smaller sizes and single servings, like frozen meal blocks, are helping reduce waste at the consumption level. 

• Upcycling Ingredients: Companies are transforming food scraps into valuable products like sauces and compostable materials. 

• Sustainable Packaging: Paper packaging is on the rise, with efforts to replace glass and aluminium with lighter, eco-friendly alternatives. 

Sweet Treats: Nostalgia Meets Moderation 

“A little bit of what you fancy does you good” perfectly captures the modern approach to sweet treats—indulging in moderation without the guilt. In a world where value is key, sweet treats offer an affordable way to enjoy life's pleasures. 

Cake continues to evolve with quirky formats like walking cakes, chaos cake, and portable options. Donuts are being revamped with fusion flavours and mini versions. The cookie scene is embracing new textures, luxury ingredients, and shareable formats. Ice cream is getting creative with carriers like bao buns and tacos, while global influences like Korean desserts are gaining traction. 

Snack Attack: Food Anytime, Anywhere 

Post-Covid, busy lifestyles are back, and time-pressed consumers are seeking more than just speed and convenience—they want health, variety, and value. This shift has led to a rise in snacking and a more flexible approach to eating, moving away from traditional meals. The “fourth mealtime” has emerged, creating new eating occasions to fit busy schedules. 

Savoury bakes, frozen innovations, five-minute meals, and gourmet cups and jars are gaining popularity, offering quick, convenient options. Super salads are also on the rise, catering to those seeking healthy, vibrant snacks. This shift is reshaping how we think about and consume food. 

New Proteins: On The Rise 

The plant-based and alternative protein sector is evolving fast, and it's all about tech, sustainability, and meeting consumer demand for better options. Brands are scaling production and refining their processes, with big strides in cultivated meat. New technologies are cutting costs and speeding up production, especially in areas like pet food in the UK.  

The UK government is actively exploring cellular meat, with a safety review on the way. Plus, we’re seeing protein made from CO2, hydrogen, and minerals via microbial fermentation. It’s the start of the "protein revolution," and things are only going to get more exciting and complex. 

How are you seeing these trends play out in your products and product development? Let us know!  

Find out more about thefoodpeople and download trends reports for free at thefoodpeople.co.uk.