The food and beverage industry is in a constant state of evolution. For ambitious founders and managers of growing F&B businesses, staying ahead of the curve isn't just an advantage – it's essential for survival and growth. As we look beyond 2025, a new set of consumer demands and market forces are shaping the future.
Early this year the team at Unleashed software gathered a panel of food and beverage industry leaders: founders, innovators and experts who’d each launched or supported trending products in the food and beverage industry. Over the course of an hour they shared their insights on the new food and beverage trends shaping the industry – and what it took to capitalise on them.
On the panel:
- Lucy Hitchcock, social media trends expert and founder of Partner in Wine
- Rahul Passan of Bombay Delicatessen, who is launching a new food service offer this year.
- Food and Beverage small business systems expert Mike Yazbek of Unleashed software
- Kathryn Bricken of Doughlicious
- Dan Pope, host of Hungry, the podcast for food and beverage challenger brands.
- Nick Hickman of engineering consultancy Niras UK, which specialises in systems for food and beverage manufacturing.
- and host Greg Roughan
Naturally, understanding the latest food and beverage industry trends is the first step in commercial success. The second is ensuring your operations are agile enough to act on them. Here we’ll break down the emerging trends in the food and beverage industry – then explore the operational shifts required to operationalise them.
The Key Food and Beverage Trends for 2025
Based on the panel discussion above, here are the current trends in the food and beverage industry that you need to have on your radar.
1. Healthy Indulgence: The "Better-For-You" Treat
The modern consumer wants it all: a delicious, indulgent experience that doesn't compromise their health goals. The trend is for products where indulgence is the primary selling point, with "better-for-you" attributes like gluten-free, vegan, or added functional ingredients serving as a powerful secondary benefit. This isn't about bland health food; it's about premium treats that are secretly healthier.
Operational Challenge: This requires meticulous recipe management (Bills of Materials) and clear ingredient tracking to validate health claims and manage allergen risks.
2. Innovative Formats and Sustainable Packaging
How you present your product is becoming as important as the product itself. New trends in the food and beverage industry show a move towards novel formats – like turning a classic dessert into a new bite-sized form – and a strong consumer preference for sustainable packaging. See-through containers that showcase the product and recyclable materials like cardboard aren't just eco-friendly; they're also a powerful marketing tool.
Operational Challenge: Managing new packaging materials means new suppliers and fluctuating costs. Having real-time visibility over your supply chain and costs is crucial for maintaining margins.
3. The Frozen Food Renaissance
Convenience, portion control, and a desire to reduce food waste are driving significant growth in the frozen food sector. This is a key food industry trend that opens up new product development opportunities for businesses able to master the complexities of frozen production and distribution. A major driver of innovation in this space is also the amount of clear air available for innovators: the frozen food section is one of the last spaces to premiumise, leaving lots of opportunity for early movers.
Operational Challenge: Making and supplying frozen foods presents a supply chain challenge. It requires precise batch and expiry date tracking to ensure product quality and safety, minimising the risk of costly waste from spoilage, and close coordination with supply chain partners.
4. The Rise of Hyper-Personalisation
Consumers increasingly expect products tailored to their unique dietary needs and health preferences. From bespoke subscription boxes to customisable product options, personalisation is moving from a niche offering to a mainstream expectation.
Operational Challenge: True personalisation at scale is impossible without data. You need a system that can handle complex orders, manage custom Bills of Materials, and track customer preferences without creating an administrative nightmare.
5. Functional Foods for Specific Needs
Beyond general wellness, there's a growing demand for products that deliver a specific, targeted health benefit. Whether it's high-protein snacks, collagen-infused drinks, or products designed for gut health, clarity is key. Brands that focus on a single, clear functional benefit are cutting through the noise.
Operational Challenge: This is a major trend in the food and beverage manufacturing industry in 2025. Sourcing and stocking new functional ingredients, managing multiple product variants, and ensuring accurate labelling all add layers of complexity to your production process.
6. The Enduring Appeal of Low/No Alcohol
One of the most significant beverage industry trends is the continued growth of low- and no-alcohol beverages. Driven by health-conscious consumers and favourable tax structures, these products offer a huge opportunity, provided the quality and taste meet high consumer expectations.
Operational Challenge: Creating these products involves different production processes and ingredient lists. A flexible inventory system is needed to manage both traditional and low/no-alcohol product lines side-by-side.
7. Luxury at Home & The "Picnic Culture"
The rising cost of living has shifted consumer behaviour towards creating premium experiences at home or in social settings like picnics. They are looking for high-quality, convenient products that deliver a sense of occasion without the restaurant price tag.
Operational Challenge: This trend puts pressure on your cost of goods sold (COGS). To offer premium products at an accessible price point, you need a crystal-clear, real-time understanding of your production costs, from raw materials to finished goods.
From Trend to Profit: Mastering Your Operations
Observing these food production industry trends for 2025 is one thing. Turning them into profitable revenue streams is another.
Each of these trends – from managing new ingredients for functional foods to tracking batches for frozen goods – places immense pressure on your inventory and production management. For small but growing F&B businesses, trying to manage this complexity on spreadsheets is a recipe for error, waste, and missed opportunities.
This is where a powerful inventory management platform becomes your most important ingredient. A system like Unleashed gives you a single source of truth, providing real-time visibility and control over your entire operation, thanks to:
- Real-Time Inventory Tracking: Know exactly what you have in stock and where, preventing stockouts of key ingredients and minimizing waste.
- Accurate Costing: Gain a true understanding of your margins by tracking costs from raw materials to the finished product.
- Batch & Expiry Traceability: Effortlessly track every ingredient and product from supplier to sale, ensuring compliance and quality.
- Precise Recipe Management: Manage complex Bills of Materials for multiple product variations with ease and accuracy.
Don't let operational friction stop you from capitalising on the future of food and beverage.
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