Datassential Releases 2026 Trends Report Highlighting Shifts in Health, Retail and Flavor Innovation

New analysis points to fiber’s rise, retail’s growing influence and renewed interest in animal protein

Credit: Jordi Salas / Getty Images

**More consumers look to retail prepared foods for innovative new twists. In addition, more are returning to animal protein instead of plant-based options.**

Food and beverage trends, data and insights provider Datassential, Chicago, released its 2026 Trends report. The piece identifies emerging food, flavor, and beverage trends poised to transform menus and retail foodservice.

"This year's report captures a pivotal moment where trends are starting increasingly at retail (vs. restaurants); fiber is poised to overtake protein as the next big health trend; and animal meat is making a comeback," said Jaclyn Marks, senior publications manager and Trendologist. "The 2026 Trends report equips foodservice businesses with the insights and data they need to navigate these shifts and capitalize on the foods, flavors, and beverages that will define the year ahead and beyond."

Datassential's 2026 Trends report features the following macro themes, as well as the “cuisine to know” for next year.

**Cheers to Change! More consumers opt for healthier, on-premise tea-based drinks as well as mocktails.** *Credit: ViewApart / Getty Images*

Fiber to the Max—Fiber is the New Protein: Fiber (which can naturally increase the GLP-1 hormone in the body) is poised to overtake protein and be the next big health trend, particularly at retail, where new products are popping up highlighting fiber in relation to gut health. Notably, more than half of consumers say that when thinking about their health in 2026, consuming more foods/beverages for gut health (like fiber) will be important to them.

Retail Reinvention—Retail vs. Foodservice Competition Ramps Up: Retail venues are entering a new era, gaining traction as trend incubators and meeting consumers with quality, innovation, and value that rival restaurants.

When asked where they typically learn about new food and beverage trends, 69% of consumers point to packaged retail products, and 63% cite prepared foods at grocery and convenience stores. This surpasses discovery through restaurants.

Meat's Back on the Menu: Plant-based meat's menu growth has plateaued, and the tide is turning back to animal proteins. Most consumers agree that nothing beats the "real thing." Seventy-two percent of consumers say animal meat is more satisfying than plant-based meat and 67% say there are dishes where plant-based meat just won't cut it and can't replace the comfort, texture, or taste of animal meat.

Tomorrow’s Taste? Keralan concepts (inspired by the cuisine found in the state of Kerala in India) are popping up stateside, with a variety of U.S. operators calling out Keralan dishes and beverages on menus. *Credit: sparsh ahuja / Getty Images*

Teatime is the New Happy Hour—The Evolution of the Low/No Alcohol Movement: Operators are rethinking what happy hour can be—from hours it begins all the way to the related deals/specials. This not only applies to alcoholic beverages but also to mocktails and food. Tea-based mocktails and cocktails are on the rise in line with the sober curious movement, and afternoon teatime is making a comeback and marrying two key trends: little treat culture and newstalgia.

Nearly half of Gen Z consumers (49%) say that when thinking of their health in 2026, reducing alcohol consumption will be important, and notably, Gen Z (23%) is statistically more likely than Gen X (9%) and Boomers (9%) to drink tea or tea-based beverages at happy hour.

Cuisine to Know for 2026—Keralan: Keralan concepts (inspired by the cuisine found in the state of Kerala in India) are popping up stateside, with a variety of US operators calling out Keralan dishes and beverages on menus. Keralan cuisine, which 39% of US consumers are interested in trying, is characterized by seafood, rice, coconut, veggie-forward dishes, and spices like curry leaves, turmeric, asafoetida (a pungent, funky, savory spice), and more.

Datassential’s new report also features “10 New Classic Foods, Flavors, & Beverages for 2026,” including monosodium glutamate (MSG), ube, butter chicken, and Basque cheesecake, as well as “10 Foods, Flavors, & Beverages to Know for the Future” that Datassential experts anticipate will gain traction in the coming years. These range from stracciatella cheese to ancient grain beer to fermented black beans to huacatay (Peruvian black mint).

Visit Datassential's food and beverage trends resource page to get a free preview of the 2026 Trends report.

About Datassential

Datassential is the food and beverage industry's trusted insights and intelligence partner, helping brands make smarter decisions since 2001. With the launch of Datassential One, the company unified its most powerful tools — from menu trends and consumer insights to sales intelligence and social listening — into a single platform. More than 90% of the biggest names in foodservice, including Starbucks, General Mills, Land O' Lakes, Pepsi, Burger King, and Target, rely on Datassential to stay ahead of what's next.