Top 5 food trends to watch in 2025

Food is innovation. Food is culture. Food is politics. As we enter 2025, the food system is once again at the heart of profound societal shifts. Artificial intelligence and other deep technologies are transforming the food industry – unlocking innovation and enabling personalised experiences to support healthier lives. Yet concerns about personal data use and inequalities persist.

At the same time, we are entering a new phase in the climate crisis. Recent devastating fires in Los Angeles and flooding in Valencia illustrate that nobody is immune from climate impacts. 2024 was the hottest year on record and the first to pass 1.5C above pre-industrial levels (1). Extreme weather events threaten food security and farmers’ livelihoods. Across the political spectrum, there is agreement that our food system must change – but the pathways to resilience are hotly contested.

Against this backdrop, these are 5 food trends we expect to see in 2025:

1. Regenerative farming enters the heart of political battlegrounds
2. Food viewed as holistic medicine for the full life cycle
3. The biotech revolution gathers pace
4. Pivot from supply chain globalisation to local solutions
5. Unified action unlocks new finance for food systems transformation

Definitions of regenerative agriculture vary, but they focus on restoring soil health, enhancing ecosystem resilience, and adapting to local contexts. In the past few years, regenerative concepts have shifted from niche scientific interest to a mainstream strategy in the food system. 50 of 79 global food giants (collectively worth over $3 trillion) mentioned regenerative agriculture initiatives in their disclosures, in a recent FAIRR survey (2). As regenerative projects face more scrutiny, debates around definitions and financing will inevitably become more politicised.

The politicisation of farming was glaringly apparent during the 2024 European elections, where farmer protests dominated headlines. The disparity between urban and rural priorities has remained a central theme in the upcoming German general election this February (3). Despite this flux, farmers are still the most trusted actors in the food chain, with small local farms viewed especially favourably (4).

Yet many farmers in Europe are anxious about their futures and the investments needed to transition towards eco-friendly farming practices (5). Fortunately, we are starting to see more conversations about sharing the risks across the food value chain and removing barriers to the adoption of regenerative practices. (See trend 5 ‘Unified food system action unlocking novel finance models’)

In 2025, expect to see new channels for sharing knowledge of best practices and innovative approaches in regenerative agriculture between farms, geographies and sectors. The Regenerative Innovation Portfolio will reach new regions of Europe, expanding on its Navarra 360º “landscape” project launched in 2024 in Spain. Regenerative innovations will also be driven through the LILAS4Soils and Tech 4 RegenAg projects, which are empowering European farmers with tools and knowledge.

Globally, more people are living into older age, and in many developed countries the average age is increasing. At the same time, there is an alarming rise in diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer (6). Recent umbrella studies outline links between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and adverse health outcomes (7) – connections certain to become even clearer in the 2025 scientific literature.

Until recently, products with functional ingredients for healthy ageing have primarily targeted babies and older adults. However, there’s growing recognition that food products can support optimal health and disease prevention at all ages. As ZOE nutritionist Federica Amati noted on the EIT Food Fight podcast, healthy ageing starts with early intervention – a message that’s resonating widely as consumers look to make proactive choices for their future wellbeing.

FutureBridge identifies “fueling every stage” – the development of nutritional solutions for all age groups – as a major opportunity in 2025 (8). At EIT Food, we share this prediction. But as companies innovate, they also face increasing scrutiny. Consumers are pushing back against products marketed as "health foods" that are, in reality, highly processed. Instead, there’s a growing demand for "real" foods from natural processes that feel authentic and promote both physical and emotional wellbeing (4).

Artificial intelligence is unlocking groundbreaking opportunities in personalised nutrition and health optimisation. Salus Optima, for instance, provide users with hyper-personalised food recommendations, by combining data from wearable health trackers combined with epigenetic information. This can bring precision and scalability to personalised nutrition, but these types of innovations also raise important ethical and societal questions.

Data is described as the "new oil," given its immense value to industry. Yet this value comes with growing consumer concerns about data privacy, data security, and the ethics of handing over personal health information to corporations. There’s also the risk of unintentionally deepening societal inequalities. As Rick Schneiders, Head of Siemens' Future Food, cautioned during the EIT Food flagship event Next Bite 2024, there’s a danger of creating “food for people with Apple Watches,” leaving less privileged groups unrepresented in targeted food formulations.

The food sector can be guided towards innovative and equitable innovations by EIT Food’s Healthy Ageing Think & Do Tank. It brings together experts from across the food sector – including corporates, startups and academia – to identify gaps, barriers and opportunities as well as recommending actions and policies.

As a dynamic and fast-evolving market, food biotech is projected to generate at least $7.5 trillion in business by 2030 (9).

One exciting innovation area is protein diversification. Technologies like mycelium fermentation, microbial fermentation, and cellular agriculture are driving rapid advancements in the creation of alternative protein sources. In 2025, we can expect hyper-realistic meat substitutes, alongside novel flavours and textures that push the boundaries of food science and culinary innovation.

Keep an eye also on the burgeoning marine and blue biotechnology sectors. Companies like MATÍS are exploring ways to extract collagen from waste fish skins, turning byproducts into valuable resources. And biotech is enabling sustainable packaging, with an increasing variety of bio-based materials replacing single-use plastic food packaging (10). Innovation in the biotech sector is being supported by the EU Food Biofutures programme.

As biotech innovations advance in 2025 and beyond, they will converge with other emerging technologies. Innovations like next-generation e-skins and smart tattoos could revolutionise how we interact with food and nutrition. Open innovation platforms like EIT Food’s IP Garden can facilitate cross-industry collaboration, including partnerships with adjacent sectors like pharmaceuticals, materials science and sustainable agriculture.

To ensure the biotech revolution supports positive societal outcomes, we need open dialogue between industry, consumers, policymakers, and other stakeholders across the food system. A strong EU Biotech Act will help to shorten the time to market for biotech innovations and strengthen Europe’s position on the world stage.

In the past couple of years, we have highlighted how countries can plan better for food security (11), and be better prepared for climate-driven food shocks (12). With climate and conflict continuing to impact global food supply chains, the issue of local resilience remains critical at all levels of governance.

Consumer sentiment appears to align with this trend. According to the upcoming EIT Food Trust Report 2024, 38% of European consumers intentionally choose foods grown locally and 62% prioritise seasonal fruits and vegetables (13). Consumers associate agriculture with employment, therefore local production is associated with local prosperity (14).

As supply chains shorten, urban environments – where an increasing proportion of us now live – hold significant potential for social innovations. The AMPLE project has recently expanded to Warsaw where it will facilitate collaboration between cooperatives, urban agriculture initiatives, and food-tech startups. If you have an idea for an urban resilience project in the food sector, then learn about co-funding opportunities through the EIT Food Impact Funding Framework.

The circular economy will expand this year through innovations in food waste reduction and side stream valorisation. Startups like MaGie Creations are turning brewer’s grains into nutrient-rich flours, while NapiFeryn BioTech produces food-grade proteins from rapeseed press leftovers. And look out for the first products from the Ellen Macarthur Foundation’s ‘Big Food Redesign Challenge’. You can expect pasta from wrinkled peas, a snack using banana peel, and juice from cacti. These are just some of the products developed by companies ranging from startups to household names like Danone and Nestlé.

As this circular movement grows, there will be more collaborations between sectors. For example, the Centre for Circular Economy in Coffee (C4CEC) was launched recently to stimulate new innovations using the 40 million tonnes of biomass produced each year in coffee production. This coffee “waste” can be turned into fuel and materials. By 2040 the market will be mature enough to produce cosmetics and other high-value ingredients, according to Dario Toso of Lavazza, a founding member of the C4CEC.

Coordinated food system action is key to cutting through the noise at international gatherings like the UN climate summit (COP30) in Brazil in November.

Last year’s COP29 in Baku was a milestone with the launch of the Action on Food Hub. Over 10 days, the hub hosted 98 sessions with 3,600 participants, with voices from six continents. Among them were the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the President of Maldives, industry parties like Tetra Pak and NGOs such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Global Foodbanking Network. To keep this momentum, we should focus efforts on key areas: scaling finance, strengthening global targets, supporting farmers and Indigenous Peoples, and ensuring food systems stay central to the Rio Conventions.

Progress towards more ambitious international climate agreements faces challenges, including shifts in the United States’ engagement with the Paris Climate Agreement. But with over half of global GDP dependent on nature to some extent (15), progressive businesses are recognising the economic opportunities from sustainable supply chains and responsible sourcing.

As the conversation around regenerative agriculture and localised food systems grows, so will the debates around smallholder farming and finance, as both together are a solution for mitigation and adaptation to the climate crisis. Roughly a third of the world’s food is produced by smallholder farmers, but just 0.3% of climate finance reached them in 2021 (16, 17).

We need new models of food production where the burden of change is shared across the value chain. One idea is a “triptych” model that unifies protein diversification, agroecology, and novel financing. This concept was developed in collaboration with farmers in a recent discussion paper from the EIT Food Protein Diversification Think Tank (18).

References

1. Carbon Brief State of the climate: 2024 sets a new record as the first year above 1.5C
2. FAIRR: The Four Labours of Regenerative Agriculture
3. DW: German election: Focus on immigration and the economy
4. EIT Food: Trust Report 2023
5. EIT Food: Farming in Europe: the changing landscape of food production
6. EIT Food: Healthier Lives Through Food insight report
7. BMJ: Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-077310
8. Future Bridge: FoodTech Trends 2025
9. EIT Food: Europe Food BioFutures
10. EIT Food: The ultimate guide to food packaging: sustainability issues and solutions
11. EIT Food: How can countries better plan for food security?
12. EIT Food: Strengthening Europe's food system against climate-driven shocks
13. EIT Food: Trust Report 2024 (upcoming)
14. EIT Food Consumer Observatory 'Consumer perceptions on carbon farming'
15. WEF: How a nature-forward global economy can tackle both instability and inequality
16. Our World in Data: Smallholder Food Production
17. IIED: Smallholder farmers worldwide spending $368bn annually adapting to climate change, nature loss
18. EIT Food: Protein Diversification for Future-Fit Farming