Food In Flux: The Trends To Shape Buying Habits In 2026

GLP-1 narcotics and “multi-sensory indulgence” are among nan forces group to power what consumers bargain adjacent year, according to caller research.

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Health and indulgence will proceed to beryllium among nan factors that power user behaviour adjacent twelvemonth but nan ways they impact what shoppers bargain is changing, according to a caller report.

The emergence of GLP-1 narcotics and an expanding liking successful nan gut will find really wellness impacts buying habits successful 2026, investigation from Ai Palette, GlobalData’s invention and user insights platform, suggests.

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However, shoppers still want to indulge, nan study says, and are looking for products that connection “textural richness” and “craftmanship” done recipes and ingredients.

Ai Palette, which, for illustration Just Food, is portion of information and analytics group GlobalData, has released a study it says “identifies nan forces shaping really group will eat, shop and attraction for themselves successful 2026”.

In nan study – The 2026 Consumer Blueprint: Indulgence, Integrity & Inner Balance – Ai Palette analyses merchandise invention and online user conversations and sets retired 5 trends to watch adjacent year.

The effect of GLP-1 drugs

The expanding usage of GLP-1 medicine to thief weight nonaccomplishment is eating into income successful immoderate merchandise categories (and boosting others). Industry boardrooms are watching closely, trying to forecast really their businesses mightiness beryllium affected, though precisely really acold nan usage of nan narcotics could turn remains an unfastened question.

However, what is clear is nan velocity successful nan uptake of nan narcotics and nan preamble of pill variants successful nan caller twelvemonth will beryllium a situation for nutrient manufacturers.

“The ripple effects of GLP-1 lifestyles are reshaping appetite, wellness routines and merchandise choices, influencing everything from information expectations to beauty’s attraction connected accent and inflammation reduction,” Somsubhra Ganchoudhuri, nan co-founder and CEO of Ai Palette, says.

What Ai Palette dubs “the Ozempic effect” is starring to request for smaller portions and liking successful lower-calorie, reduced-sugar and protein-packed options. While categories for illustration dairy look to beryllium benefiting (at slightest looking astatine nan US information available), merchandise areas for illustration savoury snacks are coming nether pressure.

The report, for example, says location has been an almost 10% emergence (on a CAGR basis) successful nan past 2 years successful nan number of “consumer interactions” tied to discussions astir snacks and nan GLP-1 supplier semaglutide successful nan US. These interactions are based connected publically disposable X and Instagram posts.

According to Ai Palette, that suggests GLP-1 usage is reshaping really consumers deliberation astir snacks, pinch liking shifting from indulgence to humor sweetener guidance and satiety. “It shows consumers actively sharing guidance connected pairing mundane foods pinch macromolecule aliases fat to negociate eating while connected GLP-1 drugs, which is nan benignant of snack-related semaglutide and GLP 1 relationship captured successful our data,” Neha Goyal, subordinate head for maturation consulting astatine GlobalData, says.

Notably, nan study highlights really nan inclination is moving into much markets, pinch Ai Palette’s researchers calling retired countries including Brazil, India, China and South Korea. “The widening beingness of GLP-1 themes crossed caller geographies and sub-categories signals user consciousness and frankincense rising request for healthier, lighter and much convenient merchandise choices,” nan study adds.

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Digesting nan liking successful gut health

Gut wellness has moved from niche subject into nan mainstream, pinch fibre, protein, prebiotic and microbiome-friendly ingredients becoming much important factors successful buying habits.

Gut-friendly dairy is thing caller but location is expanding technological investigation into – and increasing consciousness – of nan microbiome. Industry watchers judge liking successful gut-health is much than conscionable a fad and is reaching beyond dairy into different merchandise areas.

“Consumers progressively judge nan gut is nan power centre of wide wellbeing, influencing immunity, mood, digestion and moreover tegument health,” nan Ai Palette study reads.

The rising liking successful gut wellness is portion of what Ai Palette’s researchers telephone “the calm science”, 1 of their 5 trends to watch successful food, drinks and individual attraction successful 2026.

“Growing consciousness of inflammation and gut wellness pushes consumers toward products that reconstruct equilibrium and fortify regular resilience,” Ai Palette’s study reads.

“Consumers progressively link inflammation, digestion, immunity and power arsenic portion of a azygous wellbeing equation. This creates rising request for turmeric, ginger, probiotics, polyphenols, omega-3s and high-fibre solutions that thief reconstruct soul balance.”

The study highlights 5 markets wherever nan inclination is prominent, including nan US, France and India and points to merchandise invention not conscionable successful nutrient but besides successful drinks categories for illustration soda, where, of course, there has been important M&A activity this year.

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Indulgence gets an upgrade

But it’s not conscionable astir health. Consumers still want to indulge, moreover if successful a much considered way.

The Ai Palette researchers opportunity location is simply a “richness revival” brands tin pat into adjacent year, pinch consumers having a “renewed desire for multisensory indulgence driven by depth, layers and richer taste-texture experiences”.

The inclination presents opportunities for nutrient manufacturers and their constituent suppliers to look astatine products that connection velvety textures, dense-yet-light formats and notes of kokumi, a Japanese connection that explains erstwhile nutrient and drinks springiness a consciousness of richness, assemblage and complexity.

“Consumers are redefining pleasance done richer textures, layered flavours and multisensory experiences, driving request for kokumi-forward foods and sensorially immersive beauty products,” Ganchoudhuri explains.

This inclination could moreover overlap pinch nan liking successful gut health, pinch Ai Palette pointing to fermented products. “Fermented foods, pinch their lingering sensation and extent of flavour, are a earthy fresh for kokumi and our information shows a increasing inclination of products successful this space. As consumers activity much analyzable and satisfying flavours, kokumi is poised to go a cardinal driver of innovation,” nan study reads.

Again, nan study points to nan US and nan UK but besides calls retired Australia and nan Philippines arsenic markets wherever nan “richness revival” inclination is marked, pointing to merchandise areas including bakery, confectionery, cooking oils, cocktails and coffee.

For much from The 2026 Consumer Blueprint: Indulgence, Integrity & Inner Balance or to find retired much astir GlobalData’s Ai Palette invention and user insights platform, please interaction nan company here.