What food predictions came true in 2025 summary
- Plant-based shifted from meat substitutes to clean-label standalone products
- Functional foods surged with strong demand for protein and brain health
- Food tech investment failed to rebound as investors stayed highly cautious
- Sustainability interest weakened as health concerns overtook eco-friendly priorities
- Tariffs disrupted global food trade creating significant uncertainty for manufacturers
At the end of last year, everyone was making predictions about what would be big in the food industry, what might not happen and what forces would shape the landscape. Many were right; some were wrong.
Which food predictions came true in 2025? And which ones didn’t?
Right: Plant-based moves away from direct meat replacements
The plant-based trend continued in 2025, but in a very different form. Rather than sticking with direct meat and dairy substitutes, key players created products that could stand on their own.
Many of these were clean-label, or at least were developed with clean-label in mind. For example, UK brand This developed a product called ‘this is super superfood’, which according to the brand was free of additives. Another alt-meat brand, Moving Mountains, even released a falafel.
Meanwhile, more traditional substitutes saw success. The market for foods like tofu and tempeh remained solid, with some brands growing significantly, even while plant-based overall declined.
Wrong: Reinvigoration of food tech investment
Late last year, food tech was already struggling to attract investment. Nevertheless, it was predicted to pick up again in 2025, with food increasingly being considered a ‘disruptive’ market.
Sadly, this was not the case. Many investors are still more cautious, and more discerning, than they have been in the past when it comes to food tech.
Investment in the area is far from over, but investors are less willing to gamble on new, unproven technologies, and are looking far more closely at capital efficiency and unit economics.
Right: Functional food dominates
The market for functional food has only grown in 2025. From functional drinks to functional snacks to even functional bread, consumers are clamouring for food that can provide them additional benefits to taste and texture.
Some functional benefits in particular are being sought out by consumers. For example, brain health is seeing strong demand as consumers search for greater focus.
Protein and fibre are still the most popular functional ingredients, with protein in particular predicted to be the number one trend for 2026. However, consumers are expected to diversify their sources of these ingredients.
Wrong: Sustainability continues to grow
Last year, the sustainability trend was still going strong. According to a report by AI analytics platform Tastewise, this was likely to continue into 2025, as more and more consumers sought to reduce their carbon footprint and were even willing to pay a premium for more eco-friendliness.
Now, things are looking quite different. Some research shows that consumer interest in sustainability is weakening, and sustainability-focused trends such as veganism have been seen to decline.
It isn’t over for sustainability – many key food industry players still have strong sustainability goals, for instance – but it no longer has the momentum it once did.
Meanwhile, consumers are far more interested in health, turning away from sustainability-focused products such as plant-based meat due to the perception that they’re ultra-processed. Even those who do go vegan often do so for health-related reasons.
Right: Tariffs create chaos in food
With the election of Donald Trump to the US Presidency in November last year, many commentators in food and beyond were bracing themselves for the impact of tariffs, which were a key part of the President’s platform.
Tariffs have indeed had a significant impact on the food industry. Trade barriers, the thresholds of which have been changed throughout the year, have created strong market uncertainty for food and beverage manufacturers. Tariffs targeting certain packaging, such as canned drinks, have been a particular worry.
While tariffs on certain key commodities, such as coffee, tea, cocoa, and spices, were recently lifted, this does not mean that manufacturers haven’t felt significant pressures from uncertainty such barriers have created.
Wrong: EUDR deadline passing
When we did a roundup of which predictions had come true last year, one of them was that the EUDR would pass. Of course, due to 2024’s year-long delay, this did not turn out to be the case.
Well, we’ve come to the same point again, as the EUDR has been delayed for another year. After numerous shifts, simplifications, and new proposals by the Commission, the Parliament and Council have come to an agreement to approve another delay.
This further delay also includes a ‘simplification review’, meaning the Commission must reevaluate the regulation by 30 April 2026.
Could we be covering this as an unfulfilled prediction in 2026? Who knows. The EUDR is a story with many twists and turns.
