Food And Beverage Trends For 2026 

HART Insight Summary

Food and beverage trends for 2026 offer an important look at where consumer demand is heading, and what that means operationally for cheese and dairy processors. Innova Market Insights’ Top 10 Trends point toward continued growth in protein-forward products, rising interest in digestive health, renewed emphasis on indulgence and tradition, and increased scrutiny around sustainability and pricing. For dairy manufacturers, these shifts influence everything from product development strategy to packaging decisions, ingredient handling, processing conditions, and the flexibility required on modern production lines.

High-protein dairy, already a strong performer, continues to accelerate, especially in drinkable formats and functional dairy snacks. This places greater importance on hygienic design, viscosity management, accurate portioning, and equipment that can adapt to new formulations without sacrificing throughput or sanitation efficiency. At the same time, gut health innovation is expanding opportunities for cultured dairy, fermented spreads, and products incorporating probiotics or prebiotics. These formats often require precise temperature control, gentle product handling, and CIP-friendly design.

Indulgence and heritage-driven products present another opportunity area for cheesemakers developing specialty, layered, or artisan-style offerings. These formats benefit from equipment capable of handling unique textures, smaller batch sizes, and more frequent changeovers. Meanwhile, consumer expectations around sustainability continue to influence packaging choices. Plants may encounter more recyclable or compostable substrates, each requiring dialed-in sealing performance and consistent material handling due to consumer demand and regulatory pressure.

From HART’s perspective, the common thread across these 2026 trends is flexibility. Processors positioned to innovate quickly, supported by cleanable, modular, and reliable automation, will be best equipped to capitalize on market growth while maintaining efficiency and compliance. For teams planning 2025–2026 investments, begin evaluating line adaptability and packaging capabilities ahead of 2026 demand shifts.

The Innova Market Insights top food and beverage trends for 2026 reflect a combination of factors influencing food and beverage product innovation in the coming year– health benefits, pleasure, environmental concerns, and affordability. While the top trends for 2026 showcase the enduring and growing importance of protein and digestive health, other health benefits, along with indulgence, care for the planet, and product pricing also matter to consumers around the world.

In Innova’s 360 approach to trends forecasting, global forces, macro trends, health and lifestyle trends, consumer trends, and food and beverage innovation have an interdependent impact on which food and beverage products are likely to appear and thrive on grocery shelves. Innova gathers information for its annual trends forecast through ongoing consumer trends research along with real-time tracking of thousands of new food and beverage launches. Innova Top 10 Trends 2026 is the highly anticipated roadmap for consumer packaged goods (CPGs, FMCGs) in the coming year. To find out more, join our Top Ten Trends 2026 webinar on November 6.

Trend #1 – Powerhouse Protein

Protein trends have endured over the past several years and show no sign of slowing down. The relationship between protein and wellness is indisputable. Innova’s food and beverage trends research indicates that consumers want protein in different forms and for different occasions to support their overall health. The most recent Innova consumer trends research shows that at least half of consumers globally actively work to increase the protein in their diet. They seek out milk and milk drinks, which they consider to be the top subcategory of products that carry a protein claim, as well as other sources of protein. Label claims benefits such as muscle support and support of those on GLP-1 anti-obesity medications enhance product appeal to targeted groups of consumers looking for specific benefits. Nuances in protein positioning claims such as complete protein, essential amino acids, muscle repair and recovery, muscle strength, and muscle building serve to differentiate protein-rich products in an increasingly competitive and crowded marketplace. Watch for communication of benefits by protein source, for example, essential amino acids from whey protein for muscle growth and recovery post-workout.

Trend #2 – Gut Health Hub

Consumers can feel when their gut is healthy, and they recognize gut health as the gateway to holistic wellness. In the eyes of the consumer, gut health drives health of the entire body, as well as the mind. Consumer research from the Innova Trends Survey 2025 shows that over half of consumers globally link gut health to overall health. They notice when their digestive system is healthy, and they also notice its positive impact on other aspects of health such as immunity, energy, and improved skin. Newest product launches feature more comprehensive promotion of gut health benefits, including probiotics and prebiotics claims, ingredient descriptions and explanation of mechanisms of action for probiotics and prebiotics, and tangible benefits like relief of discomfort, bloating, and gas. Stepped up ingredient explanations can reduce consumer confusion and help consumers find the products they want and need.

Trend #3 – Layers of Delight

Indulgence is essential in today’s challenging and stressful environment. Indulgence is evolving into a comprehensive experience that goes beyond sensory enjoyment to capture moments, create moods, and support health. Indulgent claims on food and beverage launches are solidly on the rise. Indulgence features and claims can grab the attention of the majority of consumers globally who like to explore new food and beverage products when indulging, along with the smaller proportion of consumers seeking indulgent products that also are familiar. Brands are stepping up their creativity around indulgence, using surprising elements like mystery flavors, textured layers, and hidden components. Other brands recognize that indulgence also involves honoring traditional heritage recipes and ingredients.

Trend #4 – Beverages with Purpose

It’s hard to ignore the proliferation of innovative beverage launches offering health benefits. Beverages lead other products in the depth and variety of their innovation for wellness, especially from hydration ingredients and benefits and functional additives in convenient formats. One-year launch data analyzed by Innova shows solid growth in new beverage launches with a hydration claim. In a boost beyond protein benefits, three-quarters of consumers globally say that dairy-based drinks are a healthy snack. Product innovation tracked by Innova includes indulgent coconut water with electrolytes for hydration and calcium- and protein-rich flavored milk for strong bones, tooth development, and tissue building and growth.

Trend #5 – Authentic Plant-Based

Plant-based positioning has helped drive Innova’s Top 10 Food Trends for nearly a decade. What is notable about the 2026 food and beverage trend, Authentic Plant-based, is the recognition that plant-based is transitioning from imitating animal proteins to providing its own nutrition benefits, especially the benefits from natural plant-based proteins. Nearly two-thirds of consumers surveyed globally by Innova say that plant-based products should be able to stand alone rather than substitute for other foods. Consumers also prioritize protein sources that are natural or minimally processed. Examples of authentic plant-based innovation include a quick-to-prepare protein bowl meal with plant ingredients and a new pasta made with peas, lentils, and cauliflower.

Trend #6 – Made for Moments

Going beyond health benefits, brands emphasize the importance of food and beverage product formats for different occasions. Occasion-based innovation is growing, as evidenced by the range of format choices in snacks, fresh meal options, and single-serve versatility. For lunch and dinner at home, fresh formats and frozen formats are popular. Snacks invite single-serve packaging and resealable formats to allow for longer and repeat periods of enjoyment.

Trend #7 – Worth Every Bite

Products need to offer value and affordability during these times when economic pressures are palpable. Attracting and retaining loyal consumers calls for a combination of product affordability and accessibility. Consumer responses in the Innova Trends Survey 2025 identify accessibility and affordability as leading values when considering the diets of consumers. Global food and beverage trends indicate that consumers may not be looking for anything fancy – many prefer foods that are simple and straightforward foods during these uncertain times. Brands can attract consumers by highlighting special pricing, new formulations, minimal processing, and ingredients that are simple and natural. Value and worth incorporate price and much more.

Trend #8 – Mind Balance

Today’s world is stressful, so it’s no surprise that mental balance and well-being, and products with mental health benefits, are top priorities for 2026. Consumers around the world turn to food and beverage products for natural effects related to mental health such as energy, stress relief, and brain health. Mental health priorities vary among generations, with Millennials topping others in their level of concern about mental health. With stress relief top-of-mind, new product launches such as sparkling tea with adaptogens from green tea, ashwagandha, lion’s mane, reishi mushroom and acerola mushroom can be highly appealing to consumers. Energy benefits in beverage products often call out their targeted mental health benefits of their functional ingredients, for example, mental clarity.

Trend #9 – Crafting Tradition

According to Innova’s food and beverage trends research, heritage speaks to consumers in uncertain times by offering comfort, reinforcing identity, and strengthening authenticity. Globally, consumers tell Innova how much they value using and maintaining recipes that are traditional to their culture. Product innovation examples include soups using recipes from specific regions of a particular country and fermented products that use natural, traditional methods and locally grown ingredients.

Trend #10 – Justified Choices

Consumers globally want to anchor their food and beverage choices responsibly. Sustainability continues to appeal to consumers, especially when it is tangible, connotes transparency, and offers everyday benefits. A solid percentage of consumers globally recognize the importance of sustainability in the food and beverage products they purchase. One area to watch is the support of local farms, where claims and descriptions are increasing on product packaging. A new organic coffee launch ticks off several sustainability boxes. It recognizes the importance of small-scale farmers in protecting ecosystems, acknowledges the intense work required to farm coffee organically, supports cooperatives of regenerative farms, and ties its product mission to benefits for the planet, farmers, wildlife, and the global community.

This article is based on Innova Marketing Insights Top 10 F&B Trends 2026 – Global report.

Key Takeaways

• Gut health and digestive wellness are driving new formulation and packaging requirements.
• Indulgence is evolving toward multi-layered, experiential foods — a major opportunity for cheese and dairy.
• Sustainability and transparent ingredients continue shaping consumer expectations and innovation pipelines.
• Product diversity is increasing, requiring highly adaptable processing and packaging equipment.
• Protein demand is accelerating globally, especially for complete proteins like whey and dairy-based beverages.

At-A-Glance

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Original Publish Date: November 2025
Source: Innova Market Insights

HART Perspective

The 2026 trends reinforce what we’re hearing in dairy plants across North America: production systems must be more flexible, more precise, and more capable of handling expanding product complexity.

Protein-Focused Innovation:

Whey-based proteins remain a major growth driver. Plants producing whey or whey-derived ingredients should review current separation and handling capabilities to ensure consistency, efficient recovery, and cleanliness — especially as demand rises for complete-protein positioning.

Functional & Gut-Health Products:

Probiotic and prebiotic formulations require tight control over temperature, sanitation, and fill accuracy. Processors may need packaging enhancements that protect live cultures and maintain product integrity throughout distribution.

Indulgence & Multisensory Products:

More layered, flavored, and texturally complex cheese products require equipment capable of handling varied viscosities, inclusions, and specialty packaging shapes. Consistency, portion accuracy, and seal integrity become even more important as SKUs diversify.

Sustainability Pressures:

As packaging materials evolve, including compostable or lightweight structures, plants benefit from machinery engineered to manage different substrates while maintaining throughput and seal quality.

A practical first step is evaluating whether current production lines can adapt to new product types and functional ingredients predicted to grow in 2026. Plants that invest early in flexibility and sanitary, modular automation will be best positioned to capitalize on these trends.

What This Means for Dairy & Cheese Plants

• Flexibility is now essential: New SKUs, new substrates, and functional ingredients require systems designed for rapid changeover and consistent performance.
• Precision supports functional claims: Live cultures, proteins, and wellness-positioned products depend on reliable temperature control, fill accuracy, and package integrity.
• Packaging complexity will increase: Multilayered, indulgent, or experiential products require equipment that maintains quality at scale.
• Sustainability expectations affect line design: Plants need machinery that accommodates evolving film and packaging materials without sacrificing throughput or sanitation.

Attribution

Portions of this article reference the November 2025 Innova Market Insights Top 10 Trends Report. HART Design & Manufacturing has added independent analysis and dairy-industry context. The original publisher did not contribute to or review these additions.

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