Content Director

Food & Beverage

Evolving The Flavourwheel: 2026 Look Ahead

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Laura Jeffery-Swain

More than ever, ice cream is an outlet for radical flavour experimentation, with brands creating savoury gelatos, lust-worthy options stuffed with indulgent add-ins and even wine and ice cream pairing menus. Alongside this, brands are catering for today’s health-conscious consumers looking for a frozen sweet treat while hitting their wellness goals.

More than ever, ice cream is an outlet for radical flavour experimentation, with brands creating savoury gelatos, lust-worthy options stuffed with indulgent add-ins and even wine and ice cream pairing menus. Alongside this, brands are catering for today’s health-conscious consumers looking for a frozen sweet treat while...

Ice Cream 26/27: Sector Outlook

Coffee brands globally are capitalising on consumers’ continued calls for wellness-enhancing beverages and quality convenient options for at-home preparation and a desire for novel flavour experiences. Innovation in this sector is relying on new research qualifying coffee’s innate health benefits and new production processes that have uncovered complex flavour notes.

Coffee brands globally are capitalising on consumers’ continued calls for wellness-enhancing beverages and quality convenient options for at-home preparation and a desire for novel flavour experiences. Innovation in this sector is relying on new research qualifying coffee’s innate health benefits and new production...

Sector Outlook 26/27: Coffee

Mandy Saven

Fast food operators are scaling up globally with stronger local relevance, adapting menus, formats and store design for new audiences. They’re also taking an agile approach through extended hours, flexible formats and creative delivery strategies that align with shifting lifestyles. As dining becomes more experience-led, brands are using immersive environments, entertainment tie-ins and gamified loyalty to build deeper emotional connections.

Fast Food (QSR) Trends 26/27: Report 1 – Spaces & Experiences

Fast food operators are scaling up globally with stronger local relevance, adapting menus, formats and store design for new audiences. They’re also taking an agile approach through extended hours, flexible formats and creative delivery strategies that align with shifting lifestyles. As dining becomes more...

Fast food operators are embracing bold flavour innovation, wellness upgrades and lifestyle crossovers to stay culturally sharp and commercially agile. From playful family formats and protein-packed menus to cleaner ingredients and fashion-fuelled collaborations, everyday meals combine joy and self-expression with compelling convenience for a new generation of  diners.

Fast Food (QSR) Trends: 26/27 Report 2 – Menus & Merch

Fast food operators are embracing bold flavour innovation, wellness upgrades and lifestyle crossovers to stay culturally sharp and commercially agile. From playful family formats and protein-packed menus to cleaner ingredients and fashion-fuelled collaborations, everyday meals combine joy and self-expression with...

In times of uncertainty, food and drink can be a grounding force – offering accessible and affirming rituals that reconnect individuals to themselves and their communities. Whether through cooking, sharing meals or celebrating cultural traditions, culinary experiences can foster stability, belonging, purpose, self-expression, and even resilience.

Macro Trend

Wellbeing Futures: The Joy of Food & Drink

In times of uncertainty, food and drink can be a grounding force – offering accessible and affirming rituals that reconnect individuals to themselves and their communities. Whether through cooking, sharing meals or celebrating cultural traditions, culinary experiences can foster stability, belonging, purpose,...

Alcohol packaging is embracing a rich, sensory narrative where wild landscapes, botanical heritage and agrarian roots shape the visual identity of the spirits. Alongside this earthy mood, luxury brands are pushing boundaries with sculptural forms and premium materials that elevate bottles into objets d’art. Historical and cultural references also play a starring role, grounding innovation in story, symbolism and place.

Alcohol packaging is embracing a rich, sensory narrative where wild landscapes, botanical heritage and agrarian roots shape the visual identity of the spirits. Alongside this earthy mood, luxury brands are pushing boundaries with sculptural forms and premium materials that elevate bottles into objets d’art. Historical...

Alcohol Packaging Trends: 26/27

Julia Jarzabek

Bakeries globally are going from strength to strength as internationally inspired bakes, retro reinventions and artisanal breads continue to trend on social media. Meanwhile, consumer demand for healthier options – both for the body and the environment – is driving the rise of ancient grains, functional flours, sustainable alternative ingredients and new solutions to waste.

Bakeries globally are going from strength to strength as internationally inspired bakes, retro reinventions and artisanal breads continue to trend on social media. Meanwhile, consumer demand for healthier options – both for the body and the environment – is driving the rise of ancient grains, functional flours,...

Sector Outlook 25/26: Bakery

This year’s Anuga trade fair (October 4-8, Cologne) was a hive of mouthfeel and flavour experimentation, with brands cross-referencing texture cues across product categories and reframing how flavour can be applied and enjoyed. It also served as a hub of climate-attuned and wellbeing-aligned product innovation for today’s wellness- and sustainability-driven consumers.

Event Coverage

This year’s Anuga trade fair (October 4-8, Cologne) was a hive of mouthfeel and flavour experimentation, with brands cross-referencing texture cues across product categories and reframing how flavour can be applied and enjoyed. It also served as a hub of climate-attuned and wellbeing-aligned product innovation for...

Global Food Trends: Anuga 2025

<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/#:~:text=Consuming%20whole%20grains%2C%20natural%20foods,harmful%20effects%20on%20the%20body." target="_blank" data-anchor="#:~:text=Consuming%20whole%20grains%2C%20natural%20foods,harmful%20effects%20on%20the%20body.">Chronic inflammation</a> – linked to disease, fatigue, joint pain, digestive issues and <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2491017-chronic-inflammation-messes-with-your-mind-heres-how-to-calm-it/" target="_blank">low mood</a> – has shifted from niche term to central theme in consumer wellbeing. As inflammation becomes an everyday lifestyle concept, like cholesterol and blood sugar, brands can frame it as a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2491017-chronic-inflammation-messes-with-your-mind-heres-how-to-calm-it/" target="_blank">manageable metric</a> (akin to step count or sleep). With ageing populations facing ‘<a rel="noopener" href="https://solongevity.com/en/longevity-news/inflammaging-what-is-it/#:~:text=What%20does%20inflammaging%20mean?,even%20the%20order%20to%20die." target="_blank" data-anchor="#:~:text=What%20does%20inflammaging%20mean?,even%20the%20order%20to%20die.">inflammaging</a>’, reducing inflammation will become a cornerstone of disease prevention and longevity.

Look Ahead

The Inflammation Equation: 2026 Look Ahead

<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/#:~:text=Consuming%20whole%20grains%2C%20natural%20foods,harmful%20effects%20on%20the%20body." target="_blank" data-anchor="#:~:text=Consuming%20whole%20grains%2C%20natural%20foods,harmful%20effects%20on%20the%20body.">Chronic inflammation</a> – linked...

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