[On-Demand] 2026 Global Food & Drink Predictions | US/Canada

Presented by Mintel experts Melanie Zanoza Bartelme and Joel Gregoire, with moderation by Paris Hogan, this session explores how empathetic brands can support consumers who feel they are merely surviving rather than truly thriving.

Being resilient is a lasting lesson from COVID-19, but Mintel’s global food and drink analysts predict three perseverance will emerge as a motto for 2026:

“Maxxing” Out, Diversity In​

In the coming years, consumers will have felt the health benefits of consuming sufficient protein and fiber, and they will aim to improve their dietary diversity.​

Retro Rejuvenation​

More food and drink brands will support consumers’ need for control by harnessing society’s reawakened fascination with historic ingredients, traditional formats or age-old wisdom.​

Intentionally Sensory​

New formulation inspiration will come from innovations developed to answer the specific sensory needs of underserved consumers, such as elderly consumers, GLP-1 medication users and people with neurodivergences like ADHD or autism.

Key Quotes:

“For consumers in 2026, nostalgia for ‘the past’ does not mean rewinding to a specific year or era. Rather, it is seeking refuge from a volatile and artificially intelligent world in an idealized and romanticized view that life in the past was simpler.”

-Melanie Zanoza Bartelme, Mintel

“Millennials are the last non-digitally native generation, giving them perspective that it is possible to live more simply. With their appreciation for “simpler” ways of living, there are opportunities for canned, frozen and ambient brands to enhance their relevance.”

-Joel Gregoire, Mintel