The 'Culture Shift 2026: Food & Beverage Trend Forecast' report reveals top food trends generated by Tastewise from billions of real-world consumption moments across consumer, operator, retail, and non-commercial data.
NEW YORK, Oct. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- What's on the plate is undergoing a dramatic shift, driven by economic uncertainty, shifts in wellness priorities, and growing consumer demand for authenticity. The 7th annual Tastewise Food & Beverage Forecast Report reveals what 2026 will be like – a year defined by premium meats, metabolic wellness, and creative, functional indulgence.
Tastewise, the leading food intelligence company, analyzed billions of data points across social media, recipes, and restaurant menus to uncover the motivations driving how consumers eat, drink, and entertain through food and drink.
This year's data tracks four powerful cultural pivots reshaping the plate: a rejection of the artificial in favor of authenticity, the rise of a personalized "body OS" for health and wellness, and the use of food's texture and formats as an expression of identity and control.
Other key trends from the 'Culture Shift 2026: Food & Beverage Trend Forecast' report include:
1. Meat is back — and unapologetically so
Consumers are turning to the real thing rather than alternatives. Interest in protein is growing 3x faster in the meat category than in plant-based options. Discussions of "authentic" foods are up +31% YoY, while premium cuts have surged +157%, beef tallow demand has risen 144%, bone broth is up 28%, and offal meats grow a further 10%.
2. Cocktails become the new 'quiet luxury'
With consumers tightening budgets, indulgences are smaller and more intentional. Despite cocktail prices climbing 12% in two years, menu mentions grew 55%, and cocktails now make up a third of all alcohol consumption.
Agave wine, with its bold flavor and cultural authenticity, is poised to become the next drink of choice, surging by +42% in consumer interest and +73% on menus.
3. The GLP-1 boom fuels functional entertaining
With GLP-1 usage surging, consumers' focus on metabolic wellness has gone mainstream. Consumers are now curating entire menus around health goals with high-protein and high-fiber dips gaining traction, up 30% and 40%, respectively. Social gatherings are also being reimagined: mentions of GLP-1-friendly food and drink options at events have jumped 144% year-over-year, signaling a shift where functionality becomes a new form of hospitality.
Portion control is another emerging priority. Consumer interest in tighter control over portion sizing has grown by 111%, with specific spikes in dinner portion awareness (+11%), late-night portion management (+69%), and demand for portion flexibility in restaurant chains (+20%).
4. Digital brain fuel: the era of functional intelligence
With roughly 200 million consumers deeply embedded in a digital lifestyle, "flow state" has become the new ideal. Many are looking for ways to move past digital overload and maintain sustained focus and flow. This shift is giving rise to a new wave of clean, adaptogen-infused energy drinks designed for sustained stamina, alongside growing interest in cognitive-supporting ingredients like L-theanine (+156%), magnesium (+51%), and lion's mane mushroom (+19%).
5. Hyper-customization hits the restaurant scene
Personalization is fast becoming a dining expectation. Interest in customizable dishes is up +144% YoY, fueled by a 35% increase in "build-your-own" dining formats. Leading the charge is Malatang, a customizable Szechuan bowl that has seen 88% YoY growth in consumer interest as Gen Z embraces DIY dining with a cultural twist.
6. Food as fertility support
Up to 13% of U.S. women face fertility challenges. Consequently, consumers are rethinking nutrition as a wellness tool. Conversations linking seed-oil-free eating (+208%) and hormone balance (+62%) to reproductive health are booming. The new home for experimentation here? Condiments - a massive market ripe for the next steps of fertility support, in convenient, easy-to-use formats.
7. Coffee becomes a wellness canvas
As prices rise, coffee takes on a new role: the next frontier of daily self-care and intentional indulgence. The newest twist? Functional cold foam, up +57% in consumer interest and +161% on menus. From protein-packed to adaptogen-infused foams, this trend blends indulgence with performance.
"Today's consumer rejects one-size-fits-all eating in favor of hyper-personalized choices that serve their bodies and lifestyles. Whether it's returning to authentic meats, exploring metabolic wellness, or reimagining indulgence through functional cocktails, energy drinks, and coffee, they're demanding both meaning and innovation on their plates. The takeaway for 2026 is clear: the brands that embrace these shifts with agility and vision won't just keep pace. They'll define what comes next," said Alon Chen, CEO & Co-founder of Tastewise.
Read the full report to explore the trends set to reshape the food and drink industry in 2026 here.
About Tastewise
Tastewise is the leading food & beverage intelligence platform, transforming trend data into marketing and sales execution with Gen-AI. Powered by trillions of food-specific data points and built with food & beverage-native AI, Tastewise helps the world's top brands act faster, grow smarter, and reach consumers where it matters. Customers include Kraft Heinz, Mars, Campbell's, and Givaudan.
Media Contact
Nadya Movchan, Tastewise, 44 7833278725, [email protected], https://tastewise.io/
SOURCE Tastewise
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