“I was asked recently which food and drink trends I think will take over in 2025. Personally, I don’t get caught up in trends. Or maybe it’s that I’m a bit sceptical of them: if something is good – really good – then it’s timeless.”
Yotam Ottolenghi on Substack
Ottolenghi is so right. Cottage cheese (supposed to be ‘trending’), for example, was made by Polyphemus, the one-eyed monster in Homer’s Odyssey, and over centuries it’s been savoured in Eastern Europe in countries such as Poland and Hungary. On the other hand, the craze for feta brine Martinis is likely to vanish as fast as it appeared.
It’s the same with macro-cultural trends. It’s not as if major change in one particular year all suddenly stops on December 31 and a new and totally different approach to food takes over the following year.
For example, we predicted the main trends for 2024 to be “pressure to save the environment; improve our health; and arm ourselves against false information”. All those priorities will remain for 2025. But what is less expected is how we have moved along over the past year and how we are likely to progress (or not) in the forthcoming one.
2025 is likely to be a ‘zebra year’. The aims (health, for example) are already broadly accepted, but there will be widespread disagreement on how to achieve them – some will see clear black and white solutions (eg coffee is good for you); others will see clear white and black ones (avoid coffee); and some will try the fudge the issues (only drink coffee in the morning).
In the meantime, progress will continue to be made, but in unexpected ways.
We predict that:
- Sustainability will remain top of the agenda, leading to some astonishing developments in agro-tech. Consider Hilda, the first calf to be born through IVF, bred to produce less methane.
- We’ll continue to worry about our health…..and in an effort to steer clear of ultra-processed foods, we’ll start to cook…. creatively
- Climate change, war, pestilence and legislation will all contribute to making some commodities much more expensive. Over the last two years the price of cocoa has increased by nearly 400%. Other commodities such as olive oil, orange juice, vanilla, and coffee have already been subject to price increases.
- People are educating themselves about what they eat and drink. They are beginning to read labels much more carefully; they are perusing the backstories of ingredients on menus; they’re using social media to glean ideas which they can imaginatively interpret. The priority for those working in food, drink industries and hospitality will be to actively participate in satisfying this thirst for information.
1. Sustainability remains top of the agenda
Overwhelmingly agreed however is that the environment is in peril and it is everyone’s responsibility to adopt sustainable practices. Sustainable eating will buck the anti-woke trend and continue to be important.
Sustainable restaurants
We’ve already written about Silo, the restaurant with the there-is-no-bin philosophy. We’ve also written about chef, Chantelle Nicholson, who uses renewable energy and sources from urban farms and local producers using sustainable practices. In Australia Josh Niland continues his gill to fin philosophy with great success; as does the nose to tail approach so ably set out decades ago by Fergus Henderson in his 2004 tome, The Whole Beast. None of this is new, but its popularity continues to grow. We’ve written about Will Murray, co-founder of Roe and Fallow restaurants in London, where the focus is on menus based on sustainable game – in particular, venison. Fallow has won both Marie Claire and GQ ‘sustainable restaurant of the year’.
Sustainability legislation is putting an unsustainable burden on restaurants… AI will provide some of the solutions
There is a whole raft of ESG legislation being introduced and made effective over 2025. EU Regulation on deforestation-free supply chains will start to bite this year is just one example. Compliance is complex, but there are specialist digital resourced available (Tried & Supplied is one) to help.
Other legislation will also present challenges. In England, ‘Simpler Recycling’ regulations are coming into effect from 31 March and the industry will have to adapt waste management strategies or face fines.
Sustainable farming
And the Waitrose 2025 Food and Drink report identifies the interest in sustainable farming as one of the two main trends for the year. Agro-tech will, again, support this, with the breeding of low-methane cows being just one example.
It’s not altogether altruistic. Thanks to books such as Franco Fubini’s In Search of the Perfect Peach, we are becoming aware of the importance of soil health to food flavour.
“Words like ‘regenerative’ and ‘heritage breeds’ have moved from niche and agricultural to more mainstream, as people have come to recognise the value of sustainable food systems to our environment.”
James Bailey, Executive Director, Waitrose
Sustainability in the home
Consumers as well as suppliers are keen to support the planet. Shoppers look for recyclable packaging (made, for example, from mushrooms instead of polystyrene; paper instead of plastic); they love anti-waste hacks (use the parsley stems, throw in the parmesan rind…); and they want to buy food which is sustainably produced with a low carbon footprint (Waitrose reports that its customers are moving away from the ubiquitous Sauvignon Blanc, to the British-produced Bacchus. Customers are also moving away from heavy glass bottles (planet-costly in terms of the fuel required to manufacture and move them) towards boxes and cans to contain their wine. Meanwhile the cork v screwcap environmental argument continues to rage.
Bidfood reports:
- More than half of consumers would be happy to choose dishes made from ‘would-be wasted ingredients
- 50% prefer to choose only seasonal produce on a menu
- 56% are concerned about the sustainability of their favourite fish and seafood choices
and any remaining doubt is dispelled by Mintel’s astonishing figure:
“79% of shoppers choose products with a sustainability claim”
2. Health, physical and mental, remains a top priority
Mental Health
The epidemic of disconnection and loneliness will put the spotlight on eating together more, either at home or out. The hospitality sector will be focusing more than ever on offering friendly, welcoming, and individualised service (again, AI will help with this). Food and Travel Magazine predicts family-run hotels and inns will continue to be a draw.
“We are feeling doom. We are feeling big feelings, so more than anything else, people are craving that cozy, warm hospitality and service.”
Renee Wege, Datassential
Fear of UPFs is putting the focus on protein and fibre
Awareness of the danger to health posed by ultra-processed food (UPFs) is now at an all-time high. Its consumption has been a major contributor to the current worldwide obesity epidemic. People are looking much more carefully at their diets, not just as a means of losing weight but also as a means of staying healthy.
“The emergence of weight-loss medications like Ozempic will redefine consumer perceptions of ‘food as medicine’ from added functional ingredients to meeting daily essential nutrient needs.”
Mintel The 2025 Global Food and Drink Trends
Waitrose reports an awareness that “moderate, natural fat intake is a good thing” and this has “continued to fuel sales of whole milk dairy products.
So now we have an interesting conundrum: is the desire for healthy, full-fat milk ‘woke’… or the opposite?
Nigel Farage has added semi-skimmed milk to his list of political enemies. In a video posted on social media, the Reform UK leader is shown holding a cup of coffee and explaining that he is at a “smart” London hotel. “I want some milk,” he says. “Let’s have a look…” The camera then pans over the different types of milk on offer. “We’ve got semi-skimmed – I don’t like that,” he says. “Oat milk – what on earth’s that when it’s at home? Almond milk.” What he wants, he says, is “proper bloody milk. Not left-wing options. Proper milk. What’s wrong with me asking for that?”
Nigel Farage, quoted in The Week
The focus has moved from counting calories to ensuring that one’s diet includes a wide range of plants; and sufficient protein and fibre.
Customers are moving from honey to 100% peanut butter. Sharing platters of cold meats, ham, olives, dips and gherkins gaining popularity, whether it be in the form of a ‘picky tea’ or a ‘Turkish breakfast’. Le Grand Aïoli, a popular sharing platter of the 1960s may make a comeback. These platters have the advantage of being quick to prepare, and impressive in terms of presentation.
Scratch cooking
The alternative to UPFs is ‘scratch cooking’ and more and more consumers are cooking simpler, natural ingredients for themselves. 61% of Waitrose customers are now cooking from scratch. And an unbelievable 38% of customers have made bread from scratch over the past year!
People remain time-poor however. They are looking for ready-made mixes which replace several exotic spices in one hit. They’re looking for recipes with fewer ingredients. Or they’re not looking for recipes at all. Younger cooks especially are eschewing prescriptive recipes and embarking on a ‘freestyling’ approach. Largely thanks to TikTok 72% of young people report they feel confident making a meal without a recipe. One brilliant example is Logan Moffitt’s cucumber salad which racked up 18 million views and is infinitely adjustable (the Saucy Dressings team, for example, doesn’t have pepperoncini brine just to hand, but it’s easy to substitute with a bit of soy and garlic). And creating a meal with the ingredients to hand has the additional advantage of reducing waste.
Sauces will be the a main playground for experiment. Kim Severson, writing in the New York Times, predicts that this year will be one of breaking the mould, or rather the salsa: sauces such as romesco, tzatziki and harissa will be ‘culinarily elevated’. Toum, a creamy emulsion of salt, lemon, garlic and olive oil from the Lebanon, added to chicken and meat dishes is becoming a ‘thing’, although good luck with peeling all the cloves of garlic if you decide to have a go!
There’ll be ‘punchier produce’ – designer fruit and vegetables. We already enjoy less bitter aubergines and Brussels sprouts. We’ve enjoyed kalettes and biancoli. Now we have badger flame beets and ivory-coloured Driscoll’s Tropical Bliss strawberries.
Mintel says the industry will have to ’embrace consumers as ‘perfectly imperfect’ beings who are hungry for brands that help them ‘break the rules’ in food and drink. But for those converting to scratch cooking, breaking the rules shouldn’t take up too much time:
“We’ve looked at how long people are prepared to cook for on a weekday evening and we’ve found that 30 minutes is a real sweet spot”
Zoë Simons, Waitrose senior brand development chef
The alcohol v no alcohol debate will continue to rage
In 2025 many will to join the growing number of people drinking only low or no alcohol drinks. This is a real opportunity for the hospitality industry. Sales are up, and the range on offer is expanding and improving in quality. You can read more about that on the Tried & Supplied blog, here.
Others will simply plough on, regardless of the war being waged on alcohol on the first flank by the World Health Organisation, which is saying that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. ‘Like crossing the road then’ comments Jancis Robinson, writing in the Financial Times, and then going on to point out:
“According to journalist Felicity Carter, much of the explanation lies deep within the O of the WHO. She claims that there are surprisingly close links between temperance groups and several of those advising the WHO on alcohol policy. After considerable investigative work, she finally reported on this in Wine Business Monthly in April.”
And then we have the US Surgeon General, fighting on a second flank, calling for cancer warning labels on alcohol. But again, it seems it’s not that simple – it’s not only about quantity, but also about timing and a number of other factors. There’s a paucity of reliable research. There are respected Harvard professors saying that the situation is far more nuanced:
“Now the pendulum has swung so far in the opposite direction that contemporary narratives suggest every ounce of alcohol is dangerous. Until gold-standard experiments are performed, we won’t truly know. In the meantime, we must acknowledge the complexity of existing evidence—and take care not to reduce it to a single, misleading conclusion.”
Kenneth Mukamal and Erik B Rimm, Harvard Public Health
While further research is carried out on alcohol, some, says Severson, will add buzz to non-alcoholic drinks using drugs such as cannabis, kava, guarana and GABA, a brain-calming amino acid.
And many others are hedging the bets. many (nearly a quarter of adults in Britain, according to The Guardian are starting to hedge their bets by means of ‘Zebra Striping’, the practice of alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
The coffee contention, is it good or bad, will also continue
And simultaneously we’re also confused about coffee. A quick Google search produces as many posts stating the case against as there are post arguing in favour. The latest research (Coffee drinking timing and mortality in US adults) shows that with coffee timing is also important. Morning coffee drinkers are 16% less likely to die of any cause.
3. Rising costs: what about dark chocolate? Whether good or bad, it’s going to cost more and so are a lot of other commodities
On the one hand, Tim Spector, co-founder of Zoe, heads a battalion of those championing the benefits of a small daily dose of dark chocolate. It has several times more anti-oxidants than green tea or red wine. And it contains substances that may lower blood pressure; improve cholesterol levels and brain function; and help regulate insulin.
On the other hand, while the British Heart Foundation agrees that dark chocolate contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant) which can have health benefits, these flavonoids can “also be derived from healthier foods such as tea, berries, apples, pears and grapes”.
Whatever the benefits, a bar of the black stuff is becoming eye-poppingly expensive.
“The price of cocoa — the raw ingredient used by chocolatiers — is at a record high, having risen almost 400 per cent since the start of 2023.”
The Financial Times, January 2025
What are the causes of this price increase?
- Principally, it’s climate change: bad harvests deplete stocks and scarcity pushes up the prices
- War: There’s a fertiliser shortage caused by the war in Ukraine
- Disease and pestilence: Cocoa has suffered from the swollen shoot virus
- Legislation: this could be government price fixing – for example, Ivory Coast and Ghana governments pay growers well below the global price, resulting in chronic underinvestment and smuggling. The delayed implementation of the EU’s anti-deforestation legislation, which we mention at the top of this post has resulted in panic buying of coffee, stoking the price already inflated by hot weather in Brazil and drought in Vietnam.
Cocoa is just a case in point. Other commodities: olive oil, coffee, sugar, tea, oranges, vanilla… have all increased in cost due to some or all of the causes listed above.
Price rises are a trend which will continue. And so, more positively, are innovative agro-tech advances that help to temper these increases.
4. The onus on education, information and communication
As more and more consumers begin to cook and create for themselves, they will become more discriminating, appreciative, and critical when they are eating out.
Customers also want to know the backstory of the ingredients; they want to know about the farmers and artisans who make up the supply chain. Bidfood reports that 58% of consumers “find it appealing for menus to include information about regenerative farming practices.”
They are more aware than ever of the importance of knowing what they are eating and drinking, and restaurants will need to include information about, for example, protein and fibre content.
Consumers will continue to demand simplicity and clarity on food labels. They are becoming aware, for example, that not all UPFs are ‘bad’. But weeding out the toxic ones needs information.
Scientist, Federica Amati, (in The Times,) advises that the key is knowing what to look for on the label – does the food contain a raft of additives? Is it rich in fibre? Technically, she explains, both baked beans and Weetabix are both UPFs, but each can play a useful part in a balanced diet. Amanti buys La Molisana rigatoni instead of Napolina penne; Remeo pistacchio Siciliano gelato instead of Hackney Gelato pistachio; Natoora prosciuto cotto instead of Sainsbury’s Milano salami….. look for food that has no industrial additives and which is high in fibre and low in sugar, salt, and saturated fats.
In conclusion
2025 looks set to be a year of creativity, rule-breaking even. The solutions might be macro – fungal packaging, low-methane cows, designer vegetables – or they might be micro – John Torode discovers the delights of dried tarragon. Whatever is in store, buckle up seat belts for an interesting ride!