Resourcefulness, inclusivity and AI 'shuffling': 3 major trends for F&B

Market analytics company Mintel has highlighted key predictions in the food and beverage market that tap into consumers’ desire for resilience, healthy alternatives and new sensory experiences.

In its 2026 Food and Drink Predictions, the company uncovers three major trends shaping how consumers will eat, drink, and connect with brands in the coming years:

Retro rejuvenation

Looking to feel more emotionally and culturally connected to their food and surroundings, consumers will increasingly seek out food and drink that draws on cultural heritage, traditional preservation techniques and long-life formats (cans, frozen, shelf-stable). This is already reflected in the resurgence of pantry staples like canned fruit and functional beverages. For Australian producers, this offers an opportunity to reinvent centre-aisle products with premium positioning and export appeal.

“For consumers in 2026, nostalgia for ‘the past’ does not mean rewinding to a specific year or era. Rather, they are seeking refuge from a volatile and artificially intelligent world in an idealised view that life in the past was simpler,” said Michelle Teodoro, Mintel’s Associate Director, Food Science, APAC.

“Amid the ‘polycrisis’ of recent years, consumers have gravitated to ancient medicines for stress relief, mindfulness and a pressure-free way to achieve fulfilment. This solace is especially sought by millennials ages 28–45 who are seeking a higher purpose in the ‘extended middle’ decades of life.”

‘Maxxing’ out, diversity in

Health-conscious consumers are moving beyond the protein/fibre mainstream towards more diverse, culturally rooted diets. “By 2030, consumers will shift away from rigid nutritional goals toward a more inclusive, diverse diet,” Teodoro said.

“In APAC, the emphasis is shifting from maximisation to balance — and from single-function ingredients to holistic, culturally rooted formulations. Consumers are choosing diverse sources of protein and fibre that reflect traditional food cultures and modern nutritional needs: tofu and tempeh are being reimagined in convenient formats; mung beans are rising for their versatility and gut-friendly profile; and seaweed, rich in fibre and micronutrients, is resurging across Japan, Korea and coastal Southeast Asia.

“Familiar, accessible and sustainable, these ingredients support plant-forward diets that promote overall wellbeing.”

AI will even ‘shuffle’ consumers’ weekly diets, encouraging trial of new foods and personalised variety. It’s a huge opportunity for brands to rethink functional, plant-forward offerings.

“Just like hitting shuffle on their digital music libraries, health-focused consumers will use AI to ‘shuffle’ their weekly diets to ensure they are diverse, include a range of ingredients and inspire excitement with new combinations,” Teodoro said. “AI also will encourage trial of new foods with ‘if you like this, then you'll like that’ recommendations of fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, spices or proteins that are new, but familiar.”

Intentionally sensory

Taste is no longer enough. Texture, aroma and multisensory experiences will become central to product innovation — not just for novelty, but to create inclusive food experiences for various consumer segments, such as older people and the neurodiverse community. Australia’s rising ‘soft social’ trends — like coffee-led morning gatherings — are already paving the way for new consumption occasions where sensory design can play a role.

“Whether it’s ‘dirty sodas’ or Dubai chocolate, multisensory innovations have become synonymous in recent years with playfulness, novelty and viral sensations. In the future, brands will be more intentional with their use of colour, texture or aroma to create food and drink that stimulates the senses and reinvigorates experiential eating and brand positioning,” Teodoro said.

She added that innovations that engage several senses will serve as antidotes to increasingly virtual, repetitive and isolated daily lives.

“By 2030, multisensory inspiration also will come from empathetic explorations of how to formulate for the unique sensory needs of underserved consumer groups, including the elderly, neurodiverse individuals or GLP-1 medication users, while enticing mainstream consumers,” she said.

Teodoro said the next wave of social experiences would blur the lines between wellness, indulgence and community, reshaping how consumers come together. “Understanding the sensory expectations of consumers, from texture to aroma to emotional payoff, will be key to creating products that resonate,” she concluded.

To read the 2026 Food and Drink Predictions, visit https://www.mintel.com/trend-predictions.

Image credit: iStock.com/Alvarog1970