Looking to the future, Mintel’s global food and drink experts embarked on an exploration of the key paradoxes that influence consumer behaviours, values and attitudes toward food and drink.
Their research identified four crucial themes that they predict will be influential in 2025 and beyond: a modified approach to ‘food as medicine’, an enduring interest in the feel-good factor of breaking food rules, the challenge to maintain consistent food supplies in an increasingly volatile world, and the potential advantages of blending traditional agriculture with cutting-edge technologies.
The 2025 Global Food and Drink Trends highlight two significant dualities: how consumers traverse between health and indulgence, and how the global and local food supply chain will need to adapt to disruptions from extreme weather, geopolitical events and technological innovations.
The 2025 Global Food and Drink Trends are:
Fundamentally Nutritious: The emergence of weight-loss medications like Ozempic will redefine consumer perceptions of ‘food as medicine’ from added functional ingredients to meeting daily essential nutrient needs.
Rule Rebellion: Embrace consumers as ‘perfectly imperfect’ beings who are hungry for brands that help them ‘break the rules’ in food and drink.
Chain Reaction: As disruptions to the food supply become more frequent, the industry will need to encourage consumers to welcome and trust the new origins, ingredients and flavours that will emerge locally and globally.
Hybrid Harvests: Food and drink companies will need to illustrate how technology and agriculture work together to benefit consumers, farmers and the environment.
Our methodology for identifying the future global food and drink trends that matter
As with our previous Global Food and Drink Trends, the 2025 predictions are built on the foundations of Mintel’s seven Trend Drivers: Wellbeing, Experiences, Surroundings, Rights, Technology, Identity and Value. The trend predictions are further supported by Mintel’s extensive libraries of global consumer data, new product innovations and inspiring marketing campaigns. They’re also developed around buzz-worthy topics that have the potential to upset the status quo in the food and drink industry in 2025 and thereafter, such as GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and artificial intelligence (AI).
After you’ve read and digested the 2025 Global Food and Drink Trends, you’ll probably have lots of questions, mainly about what comes next. That’s the perfect time to get in touch with Mintel Consulting. We can help you digest the data and analyst expertise, and then apply them to your growth goals. Like an extension of your Marketing, Insights and R&D team, we deliver tailored opportunities that propel market expansion and fuel consumer demand. Answer the question, ‘What now?’ and discover how Mintel Consulting can offer a customised view of your marketing and innovation strategy.
If you’re a Mintel client, log in to read the report and contact your Account Manager for more information.
Download the full 2025 Trends series for FREE to gain insight into changing consumer behaviour, market expertise and strategic recommendations to drive better food and drink business decisions faster.
Complete the form to download your copy
* all fields are required
