What’s hot in food and nutrition for 2025?
Looking ahead, what will be the big stories in food, nutrition and health for 2025?
Each year, Julian Mellentin and the team at New Nutrition Business (NNB) take a deep dive into global sales trends, consumer buying habits and nutrition innovation. Bringing together all this knowledge and their own expertise, NNB has identified key trends for the year ahead, and here we take a closer look at five of these:
1. Animal protein powers on
Worldwide demand for animal protein is strong and growing, according to NNB. Consumers are seeking nutrient density and protein quality – and that’s where dairy, eggs, meat and fish can be unmatched.
“Demand for animal proteins is strong and growing, particularly for dairy, with its powerful naturally healthy halo,” says Julian Mellentin, Director at NNB, writing in the report. “As news about health advantages of animal protein spreads via social media, younger consumers are becoming as enthusiastic about animal foods as plant-based, as shown by sales of dairy protein.”
Shoppers are choosing to snack on animal products, particularly cheese, so expect to see even more options for animal protein snacks. This is partly driven by an increasing awareness of the benefits of dairy protein, along with the rich package of nutrients contained in cheese.
2. Mood and mind
This long-emerging trend is led by younger consumers, but it’s gaining momentum across the world with shoppers of all ages. Health-forward consumers are seeking foods that improve their wellbeing in a range of ways, including improved energy levels, digestion, mood, mental health and hormonal health.
Across five countries, a survey found that fruit and vegetables were the top foods consumed for boosting mood and mental wellbeing. Also in the top 10 were dairy foods, which is no surprise to us here at Fonterra. Milk and dairy products have a well-established connection to mental wellbeing – milk phospholipid supplements have been linked to better cognitive performance and improved stress management.
3. Digestive wellness diversifies
With far more awareness of how the gut can influence the body and mind, consumers are looking for foods that can boost their digestion and microbiome. Digestive wellness is an important driver of consumer behaviour, particularly for women, the over 40s and senior shoppers.
Among the most popular products in this category are probiotics, which are well-known to support digestive health, but can also have anti-inflammatory effects. Lactose-free dairy has also been gaining in popularity, because it provides the nutritional benefits of dairy to an even wider audience.
“Thanks to dairy companies producing a widening range of good-tasting products that deliver benefits beyond the simple lactose-free position, lactose-free dairy demand is growing in many markets,” Mellentin says. “Lactose-free milk now outsells every type of plant-based alternative [in the US], selling four times the volume of oat beverage. That gap will now only widen from here.”
4. Rethinking fat
Consumers are losing their fear of fat – led by younger shoppers. From dairy products to avocado oil, it’s all about guilt-free enjoyment of full-fat products. Healthy fats give consumers that satisfying taste and texture, with health benefits as a bonus. Growing evidence indicates that dairy fat is neutral to positive for heart health, and one study has found that individuals who consume whole milk tend to have lower body weight, body mass index (BMI), and reduced rates of obesity.
“Low-fat products are in slow decline and products such as whole milk, butter and others are experiencing a resurgence,” says Mellentin. “The evolution of scientific understanding of diets with a higher percentage of fat is still at an early stage but it is developing and is producing surprisingly positive results.”
5. Real food
Clean labels; less processed; fewer and simpler ingredients. That’s what consumers will be seeking in 2025, as the ‘real food’ preference has moved from early adopters to the mass market. An interest in real foods is a natural progression of the clean label trend and given an extra boost by the move against ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
Many shoppers now understand that whole foods have benefits that go beyond the sum of their parts. For example, the dairy matrix demonstrates how the nutritional advantages of dairy products depend on the interactions between its physical structure, its nutrients and its bioactives. Taken all together, there aren’t any other foods that can naturally deliver this unique package of nutrients.
“Makers of foods that meet consumers’ expectations of ‘real’ are experiencing growing demand,” says Mellentin. “Dairy protein’s ‘real’ identity is one reason that demand remains high.”
Overall, he says, people are looking for foods they trust, with ingredients they recognise and reliably delicious flavour: “People are now more oriented towards foods that are natural. There is a growing desire for simple, less processed foods that taste fantastic.”
Julian Mellentin is a member of Fonterra’s Nutrition Expert Panel, providing independent, external nutrition expertise, as well as insights and credibility to all actions and activities related to Fonterra’s Nutrition Identity and Strategy.
For more information on New Nutrition Business follow the links below:
https://www.new-nutrition.com/
https://nz.linkedin.com/company/new-nutrition-business