Nutrition has become hyper-personalized, and we owe much of that to advanced technology. As tech has taught us more about how our bodies and brains work, we’re paying more attention to how the foods and beverages we consume affect us beyond physiology. This single but sweeping development has significantly shaped food trends for the coming year and beyond.
Colors and flavors boldly reflect the human response to technology-enabled and scientifically informed food choices. Each of these trends represents an evolution of the choice and consumption of foods and beverages and how flavor and color have become critical to engaging consumers in a deeply meaningful way. They make up what we’re calling “the new human nature,” representing innovative ways to connect with consumers through the colors and flavors of our foods and beverages.
Revisit & Re-invent
Revisiting, or reinventing, colors and tastes is a trend that seemingly developed as a direct response to our newly informed and, thus, newly complicated ways of eating and living. It is fueled by consumers looking for simplicity and authenticity in their lives, and respite from the complexities of modern technology. Single-flavor executions with instantly familiar profiles will be appreciated, such as the indelible flavor of a sun-ripened strawberry or an indulgently creamy cheese sauce.
For others, a need to reinvent the classics is being demonstrated by taking traditional tastes and adding their own spin. Gen Z in particular is embracing the past and integrating historic and traditional flavors and aesthetics into their lives. Social media trends including “Cottage Core” and “Eclectic Grandpa” show a generation longing to connect with the past. This certainly extends to their food choices, as they begin to explore flavors and dishes that harken back to the past with modern updates, such as berry tarts and jams accented by botanicals.
Red colors, from muted coral to deep burgundy, not only represent an integral connection to the past, but also set up the expectation for a product’s flavor and add to the overall appeal. Berry and other fruit profiles are the best example of simple, familiar profiles that we see evolving into more true-to-fruit profiles in many regions, from strawberry and raspberry in North America, strawberry and watermelon in Asia, plum and grapefruit in Europe, and berry and guava profiles in Latin America. In more sweet and savory foods, we’ll see simple indulgence and deliciousness through creamy profiles, umami-rich profiles and sweet brown tonalities.
Adaptive Eating
Consumers are waking up to the idea that the cut-and-paste approach of what works for another person’s health, values, nutrition goals and preferences may not work for them. This is the main driver behind adaptive eating. In the current economic climate, food is an investment, and many consumers are using digital platforms, apps and social media to help them make informed decisions, staying true to both their nutrition goals and values and the state of their finances.
For example, consumers looking to lose weight may want products that create the perception of fullness in smaller portions. Exploring the differences and similarities between satiety and satisfaction will lead manufacturers to turn to flavor profiles that lean on mouthfeel and savory richness. However, better-for-you formulations of conventional products may present flavor and sensorial challenges. Flavor modulation technology can be the key to success in these products, delivering the desired flavor and mouthfeel in better-for-you formulations. As consumers seek an evolution of nutritional labelling, keeping unchanged taste in their favorite foods and beverages will be a hurdle with which flavor modulation can help.
Colors in shades of vibrant yellow and orange help communicate the charisma that comes with adaptive eating and drinking. From finding cost-effective profiles in orange-flavored beverages to capitalizing on the richness of foods with honey, cheese or dairy flavors, brands can help consumers ease into these vibrant lifestyle changes.
Euphoric Wellness
Foods and beverages can significantly contribute to our overall sense of well-being. While health and wellness has been around for ages, the upgrade to product concepts in 2025 will be those that evoke the good vibes and moods that consumers associate with holistic wellness. Utilizing foods and beverages to nourish both body and soul will come into focus, especially for younger generations. Flavors and colors win in this space to help consumers create the emotional context around emerging eating occasions for foods and beverages.
Colors that cue freshness and nature play well in the wellness space, with shades reflecting a range of green hues from melon to sage to olive. This freshness will be echoed in consumers’ exploration of profiles that lean on bitterness in contrast to the popular sweet or sour profiles of the past. A “novel” botanical like hops will emerge out of beer occasions and shine in new hop-forward beverages.
Grapefruit will also come forward in products that blend expected bitterness with a familiar freshness and fruitiness. Tropicals and botanicals will also help to inspire the sense of euphoria this group of consumers is seeking.
Made For [You]
Experimentation combines with personalization in a trend that explores the innate human need for curiosity and surprise. The discovery of distinctive flavor pairings and interesting sensory experiences, like cooling, heating or an unexpected mouthfeel, has become a joy for many. That same desire for uniqueness can be leveraged in products, flavors and colors that seem bespoke to a single consumer’s needs.
With social media influencers exploring and encouraging new levels of curiosity, consumers will reach beyond the expected to chase new horizons for their taste buds. These behaviors will lead to unexpected flavor pairings and innovation in both profile and format.
Cool blue shades will bring this playfulness and childlike curiosity to life through lighter shades that mimic sunny skies to darker and imaginative hues that evoke the deep blue sea. Creating extraordinary tastes that meld the clashing extremes of highbrow versus lowbrow experiences could take shape in the form of caviar-flavored potato chips or cocktails that evoke the memory of childhood snacks in an adult format.
The new year will be marked by products that appeal to inherently human behavior that defies prediction through an algorithm or data. Food and beverage brands that lean on a trusted thought leader in both flavors and colors will be well-positioned to navigate the new frontiers of product development in 2025.
