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Market Coverage
This Nextin™ Food Trend Forecast is a preview of the full Nextin Packaged Food Insights Report, designed to inform food industry innovation. Made available in partnership with the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).
Packaged Food Market Outlook: consumer attitudes and ultra-processed food trends, how minimally processed options could affect revenue, new food trends that drive purchase, and consumer segmentation focused on early adopters
Food Colors and Dyes: natural and synthetic color and dye influence on purchases, consumer insights demystifying Artificial Color Avoiders, and the attributes consumers most want reduced in packaged foods
The Next Wave of Food Flavor Trends: flavor dimensions shaping the market, the sweet and savory food flavors that are primed to drive the food and beverage trends of tomorrow
Natural and Artificial Sweeteners: national and regional sweetener preferences; segmentation of Real Sugar Loyalists, Naturally Low-Cal Sweet Seekers, and Artificial Sweetener Enthusiasts
Tomorrow’s Protein Trends: motivators for choosing high-protein packaged foods, the protein sources consumers prefer in packaged foods, and lifestyle factors that signal emerging protein trends
The Fiber Forecast: preferred sources of fiber in packaged foods, the GLP-1 effect on food trends, and lifestyle factors influencing the direction of fiber trends in packaged foods
Table of Contents
A preview of select excerpts from the Nextin Food Insights Report, this Nextin Food Trend Forecast is made available for free in partnership with IFT.
A forward-looking analysis of packaged food trends, food color and flavor drivers, sweetener and protein demand, and fiber-forward innovation. This forecast features consumer segments, ultra-processed food trends, and AI-driven food discovery insights. Report features 10 dynamic charts and data tables, plus Nextin’s Demand Signals Navigator, product innovation concepts, and visualized protocepts.
Nextin Food Trend Forecast in partnership with IFT
Introduction
Nextin™ Protocept
Summary and Methodology
Methodology and Reading Guide
Food Market Outlook
Chord Diagram: Trends with Tension: Packaged Food Demands
10 Food Industry Insights
Early Adopter Demand Signals
Meet the Audience
Food Trends at a Glance
Packaged Food Purchases, Prior 12 Months
AI & Food Discovery
Stopped or Reduced Purchase of Packaged Foods
Attitudes on Ultra-Processed Foods
A Day in the Life
Audience Segmentation
Chart: Purchase-Driving Packaged Food Trends, Prior 12 Months (Lift ≥1.5x)
Demand Signals Navigator: Engaged Experimentalists
Early Adopter Demand Signals: Color
Chart: How Colors & Dyes Influence Packaged Food Purchases
Chart: Influence of Food Colors and Dyes on Purchases
Chart: Beyond Color: Top 10 Attributes Consumers Want Less of in Packaged Foods
Artificial Color Avoiders
Early Adopter Demand Signals: Flavor
Flavor Dimensions Shaping the Market
Early Adopter Demand Signals: Sweeteners
Geographic Heatmap: Sweetener Preference by Region
Real Sugar Loyalists
Naturally Low-Cal Sweet Seekers
Chart: Search Interest in Sweetener Terms
Artificial Sweetener Enthusiasts
Early Adopter Demand Signals: Protein
Chart: Motivators for Choosing High-Protein Versions of Packaged Foods
Protein Trends x Lifestyle Factors
Chart: Preferred Sources of Protein in Packaged Foods
Early Adopter Demand Signals: Fiber
Chart: Preferred Fiber Sources in Packaged Foods
Fiber Trends x Lifestyle Factors
Nextin Innovator’s Toolkit
Ready-to-explore product innovation concepts grounded in consumer data and evolving food and beverage trends.
Appendix
Consumer Demographics
What’s Next?
Glossary
About Nextin Research
About MarketPlace
Innovator's Toolkit
Your source of inspiration, guided by Nextin Research. Interactive tools and visualized product concepts display more than data—they elevate opportunities that help you stay ahead of packaged food trends.
Demand Signals: dynamically navigate consumer demand and inspire food innovation with insights that capture purchase-driving behaviors, ingredients, and flavors that drive trial
Innovator’s Toolkit: accelerate your next innovation workshop with ready-to-explore product concepts grounded in consumer data and the future of food market trends.
Exploratory Protocepts: see food and beverage product innovation concepts that help you visualize tomorrow’s trends today
Dynamic Charts
Content
INSIGHTS PREVIEW
Intelligence You Can Act On
Who are the early adopters of food trends?
18% of the 2,104 packaged-food purchasers surveyed are Engaged Experimentalists (n=373)—the youngest, most novelty- and weight-management-driven segment and among the first to try new food trends.
The Engaged Experimentalists are more than taste-testers, they’re dramatically more engaged across the market:
1.89x more likely to consume packaged foods featuring restaurant- or chef-collaborations
1.61x more likely to consume imported packaged foods than the average U.S. consumer
Convenience-driven, 1.5x more likely than average to eat food on-the-go
83% more likely to have packaging influence their purchase decisions
Strategic implication: Engaged Experimentalists are the trial-drivers for applications, flavor trends, and ingredient demand. They drive velocity for new products, giving them a chance to gain broader traction as trends mature. On-the-go formats, chef-collaborations, imported products, and packaging-forward positioning are early indicators worth tracking.
This forecast profiles 2 of the 4 consumer segments detailed in the 2026 Nextin Food Insights Report. The full report profiles all 4 segments, plus dynamic cross-tabulations that reveal audience-specific opportunities.
WHO IT'S FOR
This Nextin Food Trend Forecast is designed for food industry professionals who need current, validated consumer data to anticipate food industry trends and inform high-stakes decisions.
Forward-looking Packaged Food Trends for Strategic Decision-Makers
Product Development and Innovation Teams
Identify which need-states, ingredients, and delivery formats are gaining consumer traction to prioritize formulation and format strategies grounded in demand data.
Brand and Marketing Teams
Validate new packaged food concepts and refine product positioning with consumer-backed insights for food industry innovation.
Ingredient Suppliers
Identify which functional ingredients—specific proteins, fibers, sweeteners—are gaining traction, and which ingredients packaged food shoppers are seeking but not yet finding on shelf.
Retailers and Buyers
Understand the influence of food color trends, the next wave of clean label, and flavor trend projections to optimize your packaged food assortment and drive trial.
Investors and Analysts
Assess growth potential in the packaged food category with consumer data that looks ahead with adoption curves, conversion gaps, and willingness to pay.
Executives and Innovation Leaders
Inform long-term vision and growth strategy with packaged food trends that futurecast demand before it reaches shelves.
Our Reports are Cited and Sourced by Leading Brands and Organizations in Food, Beverage, & Ingredients
METHODOLOGY
This Nextin Food Trend Forecast features proprietary data from a June 2026 survey conducted by Nextin Research. The online panel comprised 2,104 U.S. adults aged 18 and older who report having personally shopped for and purchased food in the prior 12 months (“packaged-food purchasers”). Panelists, also referred to as “packaged-food purchasers,” were screened to include only respondents who reported making food purchase decisions. Behaviors such as “purchases” are self-reported and reflect the prior 12 months unless otherwise noted.
Research design, programming, fieldwork, and analysis were conducted by Nextin Research, the syndicated research arm of strategic advisory and brand activation firm MarketPlace. Samples for these studies are sourced through Dynata, the world’s largest first-party data provider. Original sampling is balanced for gender and region according to the U.S. census. All data is reported in the aggregate except where otherwise noted.
Results reflect a balanced, non-probability sample. For directional reference, a probability sample of equivalent size would carry a margin of error of approximately ±2.1% at the 95% confidence level for the total sample (n=2,104). Differences between consumer groups are tested for significance at p ﹤ 0.05.
KEY CONTRIBUTORS
Nicole Hill, VP of Strategy, Insights, & Innovation
Jake Klinghammer, Strategy Director
Jon Copeland, Research Manager
Shelby White, Group Creative Director
