Published 23 May 2025

12 min read

As introduced in Food & Health Trends: 25/26, today’s Food Intellectuals are increasingly fastidious about ‘clean’ eating due to growing awareness of how food and drink impact long-term health, rising instances of food contamination, and widespread distrust in overly processed products. Enter an age of ingredient scrutiny, preventive nutrition, anti-inflammatory diets and non-toxic kitchens.

Eating in an Age of Distrust

The Big Ingredient Awakening

Eating for Long-Term Health & Happiness

The Clean Kitchen Revolution

Food contamination is on the rise due to more complex global supply chains, environmental changes, and increased reporting and testing. Meanwhile, counterfeit food and drink products are proliferating globally, fuelled by inflation, supply-chain disruptions and increased consumer demand for luxury items. For more see Look Ahead 2025: Food & Beverage.

Food contamination is on the rise due to more complex global supply chains, environmental changes, and increased reporting and testing. Meanwhile, counterfeit food and drink products are proliferating globally, fuelled by inflation, supply-chain disruptions and increased consumer demand for luxury items. For more see Look Ahead 2025: Food & Beverage.

Summary

Eating in an Age of Distrust

Food contamination is on the rise due to more complex global supply chains, environmental changes, and increased reporting and testing. Meanwhile, counterfeit food and drink products are proliferating globally, fuelled by inflation, supply-chain disruptions and increased consumer demand for luxury items. For more see Look Ahead 2025: Food & Beverage.

The Big Ingredient Awakening

Food Intellectuals prioritise simple, recognisable and wholefood ingredients, while endeavouring to avoid artificial additives, UPFs, microplastics, high levels of mercury and other harmful chemicals. Eager to reduce their fat, salt and sugar intake, this cohort is often on the receiving end of misleading nutritional guidance – a factor that governments and brands must tackle. See also One-Minute Explainer: Ultra-Processed Foods and Millennial Food & Drink Trends: 25/26.

Eating for Long-Term Health & Happiness

Connecting the dots between food, mood and mental health, Food Intellectuals are embracing fibre-rich, wholefood diets to support brain function, stabilise blood sugar and reduce inflammation. This cohort is also safeguarding its future health by fortifying diets with longevity-promoting vitamins, minerals and probiotics. See also Food & Health Trends: 25/26.

The Clean Kitchen Revolution

Informed consumers desire ‘cleaner’ and safer kitchens from which to feed their friends and families and flex their cooking skills. With rising concerns over harmful chemicals present in cookware and cleaning products, non-toxic and natural alternatives are winning the custom of wellness-seeking individuals. 

Meet the Food Intellectuals

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Offering access to over 350 consumer and cross-industry reports annually, Stylus Membership is your window to tomorrow’s most exciting opportunities.

We already arm more than 500 of the world’s most forward-thinking brands and agencies with the creative insights they need to make transformative business decisions.

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Meet the Food Intellectuals

Meet the Food Intellectuals

Meet the Food Intellectuals

Meet the Food Intellectuals

Meet the Food Intellectuals

As introduced in Food & Health Trends: 25/26, today’s Food Intellectuals are increasingly fastidious about ‘clean’ eating due to growing awareness of how food and drink impact long-term health, rising...

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