March 31, 2025 – Each year, Innova Market Insights predicts 10 top trends that will impact the food and beverage industry in the coming year. These top trends encompass all aspects of the food and beverage industry and are widely used by manufacturers to identify opportunities in the marketplace. The types of information that inform the top 10 trends include global consumer trends research and their relevance to food and beverage trends. Here, beverages are the focal point for trends. Innova defines the beverage category as including dairy milk, plant-based milk alternatives, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and ready-to-drink sports drinks.
This article is based on Innova’s Top Trends 2025: Beverages ‒ Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
Several Trends are Relevant to Beverages
Some of Innova’s Top 10 Trends are more relevant to beverages than others are. Here are the five that particularly apply to beverages. Precision Wellness highlights the opportunity for brands to meet the targeted nutritional needs of consumers of any age and life stage. Wildly Inventive includes exciting mashups that capture the attention of consumers. Flourish from Within shines the spotlight on gut health and fiber. Tradition Reinvented acknowledges the connection consumers have to authenticity and their culinary traditions at a time when the world is rapidly evolving. Mindful Choices is a trend toward innovation to provide mental health benefits to consumers seeking emotional and mental wellbeing.
Trend 2. Precision Wellness
Access to and evolution of today’s information culture enables brands to create products for the targeted nutrition needs of consumers of any age and life stage. When consumers were asked in a consumer trends research about their preferred nutrition approaches, balanced nutrition was the top choice, followed by age-specific nutrition, gender-specific nutrition, lifestyle-based nutrition, condition-specific nutrition, and performance nutrition. Innova sees opportunity gaps in targeted nutrition, indicated by the difference between consumer desire for targeted nutrition approaches and their purchases of products for targeted nutrition benefits, especially regarding lifestyle nutrition and performance nutrition. A consumer trends research conducted by Innova found that weight management is the top consumer health concern globally. Brands are responding with product innovations for consumer health needs such as weight management. They also are creating beverages for various and specific nutrition and lifestyle concerns. This goes beyond producing generic beverage products. Another area of opportunity for targeted nutrition to meet consumer needs is nutrition fortified food.
Trend 3. Flavors: Wildly Inventive
This trend highlights consumer interest in extraordinary and exciting food and beverage products. Companies globally are responding to beverages trends with surprising beverage mashups that bring the “wow” factor to consumers. This is what consumers say they are looking for. In a recent consumer trends research, nearly half of consumers responded that they want “crazy creations” that feel indulgent. Rich flavor and flavor combinations are tools for bringing the wow factor to consumers.
Another path toward flavor innovation is through limited edition products. Limited editions from large global companies continue to provide new, surprising, and exciting taste experiences. This is what consumers are looking for. They say that seasonal and limited-edition flavors, including those in beverage products, help drive their choices when purchasing food and beverages.
Beverages trends indicate that consumers also want imaginative adventures in tastes and flavor combinations. The process of discovering new tastes boosts pleasure and enjoyment from food and beverage products. Manufacturers can innovate around strong and intense flavors for beverages. Innova is monitoring trends such as sweet flavors and dessert flavors in new beer launches.
Trend 4. Gut Health: Flourish From Within
According to consumer trends research, digestive and gut health is the top benefit consumers seek in functional food and beverage products. Beverages trends show that older consumers in particular seek digestive health, as well as other functional benefits related to healthy aging, including heart health, bone health, and healthy aging itself. Gut health innovations have infiltrated several beverage subcategories – iced tea, carbonates, and juices and nectars.
Trend 8. Food Culture: Tradition Reinvented
Consumers globally seek to hold onto the flavors of their culinary heritage and tradition in an authentic way. Manufacturers can use tradition to connect consumers with their cultural roots and memories. Some of the ways to do this are to make beverages with local ingredients and familiar flavors prepared in traditional ways. Consumers are nostalgic and would like to see more traditional products and recipes in the supermarket. They also are interested in new products that feature traditional flavors. In beverages, consumers say they want traditional and craft preparation. In fact, one-quarter of consumers participating in a global consumer trends research say that they are influenced most by traditionally made and traditionally crafted claims when buying beer.
Trend 9. Mindful Choices
Beverages trends with mental benefits help connect consumers with mental and emotional wellbeing. Beverage innovations for mental health benefits can boost the consumer experience. Vitamins are one beverage ingredient with potential for enhancing mood and improving feelings. A solid proportion of new beverage launches tracked with a brain health claim feature at least one B vitamin ingredient. Beverages with botanical ingredients – launches are most prominent in the US – target consumers with stress relief benefits.
This article is based on Innova’s Top Trends 2025: Beverages ‒ Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
