However, Mintel’s Bartelme warns that companies run the risk of isolating consumers by going too overboard on labelling. “A decade ago, everything was labelled as gluten-free, including bottled water. That was silly and unnecessary,” she says. That’s not to say it’s unimportant for consumers to understand what’s in their food. Rather, when companies label products as being suitable for every currently trending eating pattern, they run the risk of turning off consumers who are not interested in them, she says. “There’s a risk that labelling something as suitable for [weight loss drug] GLP-1 could make some consumers wonder if that food is not going to be tasty or feel like ‘diet’ food,” she offers as an example.

Redefining comfort food

Even in the age of Ozempic, food remains an unparalleled source of comfort. While wellness and optimisation dominate conversations, the emotional and sensory role of food in our lives cannot be overlooked.

“As a society, we are tired, anxious, burnt out. One way that we’ve seen consumers assuage some of their life pressure is by relaxing their expectations about what food has to be,” says Bartelme. Snacking throughout the day instead of sticking to rigid meal schedules has become normalised. Pairings that once seemed unconventional — like McDonald’s promoting iced coffee and fries as a snack — are now embraced as indulgences. Similarly, concepts like girl dinner (a TikTok term referring to a casual, unstructured meal made up of snack-like or mismatched foods for dinner) showcase how minimal-effort meals can bring joy and comfort without judgment, she says.

It’s also why we’ve seen a rise of “unserious” food and drink, says Jennifer Creevy, director of food and drink at trend forecaster WGSN. “This reflects a need for irreverence, silliness and fun to counterbalance the anxiety and stress of the polycrisis,” she explains. “For food and drink, this means leaning into comfort, nostalgia and playfulness. Think playful textures, bold colours, unusual formats and experimental fusions designed to let people fully enjoy the moment.”

Desserts and drinks have become another key arena for this kind of experimentation. “One standout trend is ‘chaos cakes’, where perfectionism is thrown out the window,” says Stanback, referring to the decorating of cakes in chaotic, wacky and expressive ways that focus on fun over pristine design. Another, she adds, is ‘surreal soirées’, which revolves around maximalist, creative tablescaping. Pinterest found that searches for “surrealist tablescapes” are up 55 per cent in the last year, as well as the “Salvador Dali aesthetic” (+40 per cent) and “cake bouquet flowers” (+30 per cent), floral arrangements that look like cake.



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