Predicting food and drink trends is a risky business. For every matcha that makes the leap from niche ingredient to high-street staple, there are countless “next big things” that remain resolutely… not very big. And somewhere in a kitchen cupboard there is probably still a bag of an ingredient somebody confidently declared “the new quinoa”. But looking ahead to 2027, some bigger shifts are becoming much easier to spot. From changing definitions of value and health to new eating occasions and greater scrutiny around ingredients, the year ahead looks set to be less about chasing one hero ingredient and more about understanding how people’s relationship with food is changing. And for manufacturers, that matters. Consumers aren’t just asking what tastes good anymore. They’re asking what something does for them, whether it’s worth the money, what’s in it, where it came from and, ever increasingly, whether someone they trust recommends it. So, what should the food and drink industry have on its radar for 2027?
There is no getting around the economic backdrop. The Food and Drink Federation currently forecasts food and non-alcoholic drink inflation to reach 5.5% in 2027, peaking at 6.4% in July, as manufacturers face continued pressure from energy, ingredients, transport, logistics and packaging costs. Unsurprisingly, value will remain front of mind. But “value” shouldn’t automatically be read as “cheap”. After several years of carefully scrutinising the weekly shop, consumers are pretty savvy when it comes to deciding where they’ll economise and where they’re prepared to spend a little more. In 2027, the question for brands will increasingly be: what makes this product worth the money? The answer to that question could lie in whether it offers a nutritional benefit (hello, healthmaxxing), or the fact it saves someone 20 minutes in the kitchen at dinner time (hello, making sure you’re firmly on the sofa before Celebrity Traitors starts). Perhaps it works hard enough to cover more than one meal, comes with provenance shoppers genuinely care about, or simply tastes good enough to justify spending that little bit extra. We see this idea reflected in Mintel’s newly announced 2027 Authority Shifts trend, which predicts brands will increasingly need to prove their value rather than simply communicate it. In other words, “good value” can’t just be something brands say about themselves. Shoppers will increasingly want to see the evidence – in the ingredients, the nutrition, the provenance, the convenience, the versatility or, quite simply, the taste. In 2027, brands will need to make their value much easier to see, so shoppers know what sets one product apart from the next on shelf.
We’ve become very good at living life by numbers. Grams of protein. Grams of fibre. Steps. Screen time. Glasses of water. How many hours of sleep we would have got if we’d actually gone to bed when our phone told us to. But in 2027, the tide may be starting to turn, with a redirection to “better”, instead of “more”. Protein in particular has travelled from gym bags and shakers into cereals, yoghurts, snacks, bakery and beyond. Fibre is now following quickly behind it. But the direction of travel suggests a more nuanced phase is coming. Latest UK healthy eating research points towards consumers gradually moving beyond “maxxing” individual nutrients such as protein and fibre and towards a conversation about different fibre types and their distinct benefits, while recent snacking research similarly highlights opportunities around protein quality and fibre diversity. That could mean less obsession with squeezing the highest possible number onto the front of pack and more emphasis on what a product delivers as a whole. Protein and fibre Hydration and energy Nutrition and enjoyment Fibre in particular looks set to become increasingly mainstream as conversations around digestive and gut health move beyond specialist wellness spaces and into everyday eating. The opportunity isn’t to make breakfast require a working knowledge of the microbiome. Quite the opposite. And then there’s the GLP-1 effect. Nearly two million British adults were taking appetite-suppressing weight-loss drugs by June 2026, with Worldpanel data reported by The Grocer estimating they had taken £780m out of annual grocery spend. Smaller appetites, however, don’t necessarily mean smaller expectations. For manufacturers, the shift creates both a challenge and an opportunity: if some consumers are eating less, what does make the cut may need to work harder, whether through portion size, nutrition or a clearer benefit. And with oral GLP-1 treatments now available in the UK alongside injections, this is a behaviour shift that will be increasingly difficult to ignore in 2027. The brands that make health benefits straightforward, credible and easy to understand will have an advantage. Because however impressive the nutrition panel might be, people still want their afternoon snack to taste nice.
Few food topics have generated quite as much discussion (or confusion) in recent years as ultra-processed foods. And it would be optimistic to think the debate will disappear in 2027. 2026 UK healthy eating research shows that sugar and UPFs are high on consumers’ list of things they believe they should be consuming less of, while also identifying interest in guidance around less-processed choices. For the industry, though, the challenge is making sure the conversation doesn’t become too black and white. Processing is not automatically a bad thing. It can play an important role in food safety, shelf life, affordability, accessibility and reducing waste. And consumer scrutiny isn’t the only nudge. HFSS regulations are already changing how certain food and drink products can be advertised and promoted, with UK-wide advertising restrictions now in force and reformulation firmly on manufacturers’ agendas. It’s a different debate from UPFs, but the direction of travel is similar: what goes into a product, and why, is facing more scrutiny than ever. Consumers are asking more questions about what is in their food, why certain ingredients are there and what actually happens to a product before it reaches the shelf. That puts greater pressure on brands to explain themselves clearly: Why is this ingredient being used? What purpose does this process serve? Has the recipe changed, and if so, why? For manufacturers, that creates a real communications opportunity. Rather than getting stuck in a simple “processed versus unprocessed” debate, brands can do more to explain the role of processing, the choices behind formulation and the benefits those choices deliver. In 2027, transparency won’t just mean showing consumers what is in a product. It will increasingly mean helping them understand why it is there. And in a conversation that can get technical very quickly, plain English could prove one of the industry’s most useful ingredients.
Convenience being a food trend is hardly breaking news. We are a nation that has spent several decades finding ingenious ways to reduce the distance between “I’m hungry” and “I’m eating”. But what convenience actually looks like continues to change. Breakfast might happen on a train. Lunch could be al desko. A snack can become a meal. Different members of the same household might eat dinner at completely different times. That shift is already visible in UK behaviour, with 45% of UK snackers replacing a proper meal with a snack at least once a week, rising to 62% among 16–34-year-olds, rising to 62% among 16–34-year-olds. Mintel’s 2027 Products to Systems trend reflects that shift. Rather than thinking in neat categories or traditional eating occasions, people are increasingly choosing products based on what they need in that moment – something quick, filling, energising, comforting or easy to eat on the move. Its Segmentation Reset trend makes a similar point: brands may get more mileage from understanding how people actually live and eat than from chasing every viral food moment that flashes across TikTok. In other words, the opportunity is less about inventing a brand-new occasion and more about fitting better into the ones that already exist. For manufacturers, that means getting more specific about the role a product plays in someone’s day. Not simply a convenient snack, but something for the 3pm slump. Not merely a ready meal, but dinner for someone who’s got home at 8.15pm and has precisely zero interest in chopping an onion. The smartest innovation in 2027 may be the products that fit neatly into those very ordinary, very human moments (because real life has never been especially good at sticking to breakfast, lunch and dinner being served on the dot).
At first glance, two of the biggest currents in food culture appear contradictory. On the one hand, consumers have access to a wider range of global cuisines, ingredients and flavour profiles than ever before. On the other, nostalgia continues to have an extraordinary grip on us. Childhood desserts get reinvented. Heritage flavours return. Familiar formats suddenly find themselves wearing much more fashionable clothes. But perhaps those two things aren’t contradictory at all. Seasonal food and drink research points towards a renewed appreciation for heritage ingredients, traditional formats and products that create a sense of cultural or emotional connection, identifying “tradition with a twist” as an opportunity for brands. Familiarity can give people an easy route into discovery. The sweet spot for 2027 could therefore be familiar enough to understand, different enough to be interesting. Think classic desserts in unexpected formats. Traditional techniques with contemporary applications. Global ingredients paired thoughtfully with more familiar flavour cues. And as British consumers become more food-literate, the way brands talk about those influences matters too. Vague descriptions such as “Asian-inspired” or “exotic” increasingly feel inadequate when consumers themselves are learning about specific regional cuisines and ingredients. The opportunity is to be more precise, celebrate provenance and give proper cultural context rather than simply borrowing the flavour of the month. Nostalgia and discovery can comfortably coexist. The trick is making both feel genuine.
Of course, trends aren’t shaped by consumers alone. Extreme weather, geopolitical instability and volatile commodity and energy prices are putting increasing pressure on the food system. The FDF’s latest inflation forecast highlights international conflict, drought and El Niño are among the forces affecting manufacturers and global agricultural commodity prices. In 2027, those pressures will increasingly shape innovation itself. Ingredient availability. Alternative sourcing. Shelf life. Waste reduction. Packaging. Energy requirements. They may not generate quite as many TikTok videos as the latest brightly coloured latte, but they are becoming fundamental product considerations. It’s being predicted that resilience and resourcefulness could eventually lead consumers and manufacturers to place renewed value on formats such as frozen, canned and other long-life foods. Long-life food has already started shaking off its “back of the cupboard” rep. Tinned fish has had a glow-up, while beans and pulses have moved firmly into foodie territory. At the same time, the government’s emergency preparedness guidance recommends keeping non-perishable, ready-to-eat foods such as tinned meat, fruit and vegetables at home. Different motivations, same useful reminder: shelf-stable doesn’t have to mean second best. Sustainability is moving beyond brand messaging and into the day-to-day realities of how products are made, packaged and costed. Under Extended Producer Responsibility, the modulation factor applied to red-rated packaging rises from 1.2 in 2026-27 to 1.6 in 2027-28. Put simply, harder-to-recycle packaging is going to hit producers harder in the pocket. Sustainability therefore becomes less about launching one worthy green-themed campaign and more about the decisions sitting behind products every day. Which arguably, is exactly where it should’ve been for years.
If there’s one thread connecting all of this, it is proof. Proof that a product is worth paying for. That its health credentials mean something. That its ingredients and processes have a purpose. That convenience solves a genuine problem. That cultural inspiration has been approached thoughtfully. And that sustainability goes deeper than the copy on the side of a pack. There is another layer coming too. As AI tools become increasingly embedded in how people search for information and recommendations, brands may no longer be communicating solely with the person standing in front of the supermarket shelf. Mintel already sees algorithms and AI tools becoming part of the changing ecosystem of trust around food and drink. That only makes clear information, credible evidence and meaningful differentiation more important. For food and drink businesses, 2027 doesn’t necessarily require ripping up the rule book or discovering Britain’s next obsession before somebody on TikTok does. It requires understanding what people genuinely need from the products already filling their baskets – then making the answer clearer, more useful and, ideally, more delicious. Some things, thankfully, never go out of fashion.
Predicting food and drink trends is a risky business. For every matcha that makes the leap from niche ingredient to high-street staple, there are countless “next big things” that remain resolutely… not very big. And somewhere in a kitchen cupboard there is probably still a bag of an ingredient somebody… Read more
With planning for Christmas 2026 now firmly underway across every consumer category from food & drink and fashion through to consumer electronics, hospitality, travel and leisure, Richmond & Towers and consumer insight agency Possibility? have joined forces to offer marketers and brand owners a free detailed and comprehensive sample of… Read more
Marketers have always obsessed over one question: “How do we get found?” The answer has invariably been a compelling combination of SEO, social media, PR, paid media and content. Build awareness, earn credibility, drive traffic. Simple enough. But search is changing. Fast. Consumers are no longer just typing keywords into… Read more
With planning for Christmas 2026 now firmly underway across every consumer category from food & drink and fashion through to consumer electronics, hospitality, travel and leisure, Richmond & Towers and consumer insight agency Possibility? have joined forces to offer marketers and brand owners a free detailed and comprehensive sample of our Great British Christmas 2025 Survey.
Based on real-time polling among 2,000 British adults about their festive season habits, views and behaviours – conducted within days of last year’s celebrations – the findings ladder up to the UK’s most comprehensive study into how people really think, feel and behave during this key trading period. The first time a sample of this depth has been made available for free, the study gives brand owners the chance to start getting under the skin of the changing face of Christmas, with key insights and conclusions drawn from some of the most commercially important sections of the full report.
For teams planning how to win this coming Christmas, these are the insights that give brands a cutting edge,” explains Matt de Leon, MD of Richmond & Towers. “Christmas remains the biggest emotional and commercial moment in the calendar, but it is also becoming harder to read. The old assumptions are no longer enough. Not every household experiences the season in the same way.” Nick Rabin, MD of Possibility?, adds: “Not every consumer is chasing the same version of festive joy. Not every shopper is motivated by the same pressures, rituals, shortcuts or spending triggers. “Our study shows marketers and brands how to navigate what is an increasingly complex and diverse experience.”
The full Great British Christmas 2025 Survey, created by Richmond & Towers and Possibility?, explores not just what people bought last Christmas, but how they felt, spent, planned, celebrated and responded to the brands around them. The new free sample report gives marketers a practical way into that intelligence, highlighting some of the forces reshaping Christmas behaviour, from the financial pressure felt by many, to how the big day was spent and the varying levels of joy that the season brings.
“For sophisticated brand teams, this is not just interesting context. It is strategic fuel,” adds de Leon. “Our free sample report can help marketers to start informing sharper audience thinking, stronger shopper strategy, more relevant creative development and better decisions around value, premiumisation, promotional timing and customer experience. It gives teams a way to challenge inherited thinking before they finalise this year’s seasonal marketing plan. “Because the brands that win Christmas 2026 will not simply be the ones that make the most noise. They will be the ones that truly understand where consumers are really at.”
Rabin concludes: “We have left no stone unturned in our full report, so our free sample report is a great way to start mining some of the most important insights we generated while teeing up the many other questions we asked as part of our research, including where and why people are still willing to trade up, where they are looking for reassurance and help, and which audiences feel under-served by traditional Christmas marketing. “Whether you’re embarking on, or already entrenched in, the Christmas planning cycle, our free report offers an accessible first look at the depth, quality and commercial value of our full report, while providing immediate insight to support early strategic conversations. “Christmas may still feel a long way off to consumers. But, for marketers, the clock is already ticking.” You can download the free sample of The Great British Christmas 2025 Survey here.
Predicting food and drink trends is a risky business. For every matcha that makes the leap from niche ingredient to high-street staple, there are countless “next big things” that remain resolutely… not very big. And somewhere in a kitchen cupboard there is probably still a bag of an ingredient somebody… Read more
With planning for Christmas 2026 now firmly underway across every consumer category from food & drink and fashion through to consumer electronics, hospitality, travel and leisure, Richmond & Towers and consumer insight agency Possibility? have joined forces to offer marketers and brand owners a free detailed and comprehensive sample of… Read more
Marketers have always obsessed over one question: “How do we get found?” The answer has invariably been a compelling combination of SEO, social media, PR, paid media and content. Build awareness, earn credibility, drive traffic. Simple enough. But search is changing. Fast. Consumers are no longer just typing keywords into… Read more
Marketers have always obsessed over one question: “How do we get found?” The answer has invariably been a compelling combination of SEO, social media, PR, paid media and content. Build awareness, earn credibility, drive traffic. Simple enough. But search is changing. Fast. Consumers are no longer just typing keywords into Google. They’re asking questions directly to ChatGPT or Gemini, or to AI search engines like Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot and Google’s AI-powered search experiences. Instead of scrolling through pages of results, they’re getting a single answer. And that’s where Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) comes in, and with it a GEO agency.
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation. Think of it as SEO’s younger, slightly more complicated sibling. Traditional SEO is about ranking highly in search results. GEO is about ensuring your brand is included, referenced and recommended in AI-generated answers. The difference might sound subtle, but it’s huge. When someone searches for “best alcohol-free beer”, “healthy snack brands for kids” or “best ready meal for protein”, AI tools don’t simply serve up a list of links. They summarise information from multiple sources and present a curated answer. The question is no longer “Do you rank?”. It’s “Does the AI know who you are?”. And perhaps more importantly: “Does it trust you enough to mention you?”.
Let’s be honest. Most consumers don’t care about marketing jargon. They care about getting answers. If someone wants to know which soft drink has the least sugar, which supermarket offers the best meal deal, or which cooking oil is healthiest, they’re increasingly turning to AI search optimisation tools to help them decide. That’s particularly significant for FMCG, food, drink and retail brands. These are categories built on discovery, consideration and recommendation. Historically, brands fought for shelf space. Then they fought for search rankings. Now they’re fighting for inclusion in AI-generated conversations. And unlike traditional search, there may not be ten opportunities on page one. There may only be three or four brands that make the final response. The brands that become part of that response have a significant advantage over those that don’t, because if your brand isn’t mentioned, it may never even be considered.
This is where many marketers are getting it wrong. When GEO gets discussed, it often gets handed straight to the SEO team. That’s understandable. Search is changing, so surely this is a search problem? Not quite. AI models don’t just learn from websites, or build trust from title tags and meta descriptions alone. They learn from articles, expert commentary, news coverage, reviews, social conversations, thought leadership, forums, brand content and third-party sources. In other words, they learn from the broader digital ecosystem. That’s why GEO isn’t an SEO issue. At least not exclusively. It’s a PR issue. A content issue. A social media issue. And yes, an SEO issue too. If AI is looking for trusted sources, credibility matters. If AI is looking for authority, visibility matters. If AI is looking for consensus, conversation matters. These are areas where PR and social media have always played a critical role. GEO requires an integrated approach combining earned media, owned content, social media, thought leadership and search. The days of treating SEO, PR and social as separate disciplines are rapidly disappearing. AI doesn’t see silos. And neither should marketers.
For years, PR professionals have been helping brands answer the same fundamental question: “How do we become part of the conversation?” The channels may have changed, but the principle hasn’t. Good PR: Builds authority Creates credible third-party validation Generates coverage in trusted publications Puts experts in front of journalists, audiences and industry commentators These are exactly the types of signals AI systems value when determining which brands to reference and recommend. If an AI platform is trying to identify the most credible voice on a topic, a brand that consistently earns appearances in respected media, contributes expert commentary and generates meaningful discussion has a significant advantage. Long before AI-powered search arrived, PR professionals were building the signals that influence trust and credibility. In an AI-driven world, those signals don’t just influence people. They influence the systems helping people make decisions In other words, it’s a natural evolution of modern PR.
There’s another piece of the puzzle that marketers shouldn’t overlook. Social media is increasingly becoming a search engine in its own right. Consumers search TikTok for recipes. They search Instagram for restaurant recommendations. They search Reddit for honest opinions. The content created on these platforms contributes to the broader digital footprint that AI systems use to understand brands, products and trends. That means every campaign, social conversation and piece of content contributes to your wider discoverability.
Here’s the thing: nobody has GEO completely figured out yet. The technology is evolving. The platforms are changing. The rulebook is still being written. So that’s exactly why now is the time to act. The brands building authority today will be the brands AI trusts tomorrow. The marketers who wait for a definitive playbook may find their competitors have already become the answer. Because Generative Engine Optimisation isn’t really about gaming algorithms. It’s about ensuring your brand is visible, credible and trusted wherever consumers are looking for information. Increasingly, that means being found by AI even before you’re found by some of your audience, and food and drink PR and social media agencies like R&T can help you do just that. The brands that understand that shift now will be the ones consumers hear about tomorrow. GEO isn’t replacing SEO, PR or social media by any means. It’s forcing them to work together. And in a “zero click” world where consumers increasingly rely on AI overviews, the most important marketing question isn’t: “Can people find us?” It’s: “Does AI recommend us?” If you want to find out more or how we’re helping our clients with their GEO strategy, get in touch!
Predicting food and drink trends is a risky business. For every matcha that makes the leap from niche ingredient to high-street staple, there are countless “next big things” that remain resolutely… not very big. And somewhere in a kitchen cupboard there is probably still a bag of an ingredient somebody… Read more
With planning for Christmas 2026 now firmly underway across every consumer category from food & drink and fashion through to consumer electronics, hospitality, travel and leisure, Richmond & Towers and consumer insight agency Possibility? have joined forces to offer marketers and brand owners a free detailed and comprehensive sample of… Read more
Marketers have always obsessed over one question: “How do we get found?” The answer has invariably been a compelling combination of SEO, social media, PR, paid media and content. Build awareness, earn credibility, drive traffic. Simple enough. But search is changing. Fast. Consumers are no longer just typing keywords into… Read more