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This year’s ten top trends for 2025 have a particular focus on sustainability, health and nutrition, according to Whole Foods Market annual survey.
The forecasted trends for next year include a surge in hydrating ready-to-drink beverages, new aquatic ingredients within the plant-based category, crunchy textures and fusion snack foods with international flavors.
This is Whole Foods’ tenth year releasing its trends report, which not only reflects “growing consumer preferences but also pushes the boundaries of what’s possible for the world of food,” said Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, chief merchandising and marketing officer.
The grocer has a vast base of health conscious consumers, and this year’s report focuses on ongoing trends such as increasing protein content in food products, innovative ingredients within the plant-based category and a boom in hydration.
The ten top trends are as follows:
International snacking
“The snack aisle is a perfect place for disruption with brands taking on salty snacks like popcorn and adding in global flavors to create fusion foods that have mass appeal and entice consumers to try something new,” the report said.
Large CPG companies like PepsiCo, for example, are embracing this with its recent acquisition of better-for-you Mexican food brand Siete Foods, adding a new variety of lentil chip and tortilla chip flavors to its portfolio.
Ever-adaptable dumpling
The rise of international flavors has also led to Asian fusion foods growing in popularity.
Food giant Nestlé just launched new frozen brands focused on Mexican and Asian cuisines.
According to Whole Foods, dumplings have been popping up in more aisles from frozen to shelf-stable.
Long standing staples of meal rotations and diets, “these products hit on a few trends — many are authentic to a founder’s cultural roots and ripe for fusion and unexpected mash-ups, which have continued popularity both on TikTok and restaurant menus.”
Crunch: The texture of the moment
The report said that consumers are increasingly reaching for products such as sprouted granola and nuts, crispy chickpeas and mushroom chips. Besides snacks, consumers are also adding them to breakfasts, lunches and dinners for added texture, the report said.
Social media has led to the trending of consumers adding crunchy spicy oils in sauces and dressings, while dehydrated fruits have also gained traction as consumers seek a light and airy texture, according to the report.
Hydration hype
As water consumption has boomed with the rise of portable water bottles, so has consumers’ expectations surrounding their beverages.
“It’s impossible to ignore the trend at food and beverage trade shows, where you’ll find popsicles with electrolytes, sparkling coconut water, chlorophyll water, and even protein water,” the report said.
Offerings like Waterdrop, Electrolit and BodyArmor’s Flash I.V. are building a powerful and trendy product category that sits between water, soda, sports and energy drinks.
Tea time
The report also showed a boom in the tea category – from different varieties such as chair, earl gray and London fog to various steeping techniques.
“Vintage-inspired adult tea parties are poised to replace happy hour as customers looking for function can seek out brews with added adaptogens and benefits,” the report said.
Next-level compostable
As consumers demand increased sustainability, many products are going the compostable route with their packaging, the report said. Some brands, like Compostic, are entering new territory with home-compostable products, meaning all components can be composted in a home bin versus requiring a commercial process and Rainer Fruit is working on commercially compostable produce stickers.
More sustainable sips
Sustainability has also made its way into the beverage industry. Natural and organic wines are embracing regenerative practices and lower-impact packaging, the report said. The Sustainable Wine Roundtable, for example, has a goal to drop bottle weights by 25% by 2026. Meanwhile, beer and whiskey brands are embracing ingredients like drought-resistant fonio or regeneratively farmed kernza.
Sourdough steps up
Hype around the gut-healthy fermented bread began in 2020 when more consumers took to at-home cooking.
Four years later though, the sourdough renaissance has not waned. Instead, the trend has made its way across grocery aisles in both traditional and innovative ways — pizza crusts, flatbreads, brownies, crackers, chocolate and more — “with customers looking for the benefits and flavor that sourdough offers without spending hours in the kitchen,” the report said.
Plant-based aquatic ingredients
“With the continued popularity of seaweed and the increasing interest in harvesting readily available aquatic plants for more sustainable sources of protein and nutrients, the tide is turning toward foods made with more sea and freshwater greens,” the report said.
Sea moss in particular is going viral on social media as a buzzy wellness ingredient.
Duckweed, also known as water lentils, is beginning to gain attention as a nutritious food option. It contains higher protein content than other leafy greens. Additionally, agar-agar, a plant-based gelatin alternative derived from red algae, is mainly composed of fiber and is often promoted for its benefits to digestive health.
Protein power up
On the theme of expecting more from food, consumers are looking to up their protein intake besides adding traditional powders and bars.
This can be seen through the increase of protein consumption at meal times and with “whole food” snacking, the report said.
“Recipes incorporating cottage cheese (still the “it girl” in dairy) may have kick-started customers’ desires to seek out protein in whole food sources, with consumers now prioritizing animal protein,” the report said.
Organ meats have also been on the rise as consumers seek meat blends containing traditional muscle meat in addition to liver, kidney or heart.
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