I have just come back from the Food & Drink Expo at the NEC Birmingham, and I came back with so much to share.

I watched StickyBeak present their insights from Expo West 2026, one of the biggest food and drink trade shows in the world. Nine trends, some of them I expected but some of them genuinely surprised me.

And at the end of the presentation, something struck me. Nine trends but something was still missing! But I will get to that later.

First, let me take you through the nine trends that stood out, because a lot of them are already making their way into UK and European markets. Trends typically arrive in the UK two to three years after the US, and in Europe about five years later. So this is genuinely useful intelligence for what is coming your way.

1. Fibre is having its biggest moment yet

Fibre has been building for years, but it showed up with real force at Expo West this year. Two things are driving it: the rise of GLP-1 consumers (more on that in trend nine), and a growing consumer awareness that fibre does far more than support digestion. Energy levels, mood, focus, inflammation, consumers are beginning to connect the dots.

Here is the interesting part for UK and European brands. Health claims around fibre are extremely limited here, and frankly, most consumers do not understand them anyway.

What Stickybeak suggested, and I thought this was genuinely smart, is to lean on social proof instead. Let your consumers describe how they feel when they use your food or drink product. That kind of authentic, emotion-led storytelling is far more powerful than any claim you can legally put on a label.

2. Convenience beats health

This one is not new, but it showed up strongly. Between a food product that is packed with goodness but hard to use, and one that is slightly less nutritious but incredibly convenient, consumers will choose convenience almost every time.

If your product has a long list of health benefits, make sure it also fits effortlessly into your consumers' daily routine. Health has to earn its place in people's lives. If it does not, they will find something else that does.

3. "Real" is the new clean label

The word "real" appeared everywhere at both the NEC and Expo West. And to be clear, it is not a claim you can use on pack. There is no legislation behind it. But it reflects something important about the consumer mindset right now.

People want shorter ingredient lists. They want to recognise what is in their food. They want ingredients they could theoretically have in their own kitchen. With ultra-processed food scandals still very much in the public conversation, simplicity is a genuine selling point.

Marks & Spencer's six-ingredient range is a great example of this landing well in the UK market.

4. Coffee is shifting

Coffee is not going anywhere, but there is a notable drift happening, particularly among younger consumers. Gen Z and millennials are increasingly aware of the effect of high caffeine on their body: the spike, the crash, the jitters. They love the ritual of coffee, but they are not so keen on the side effects.

What is growing in this space is natural energy with adaptogens such as lion's mane mushroom, which deliver a slower, steadier lift without the sharp peak and crash of caffeine. Matcha has already made that journey in the UK and is now everywhere. Expect the broader adaptogen category to follow the same trajectory.

5. Protein is everywhere, but that is the problem

In the US, protein is now in tomato sauce, jam, and things I cannot quite believe. And what the Expo West data showed is that this is no longer a differentiator. When everything claims to be high in protein, nothing stands out.

What matters far more is whether protein makes intuitive sense in your product. Consumers connect with it naturally in yogurt, pulses, eggs, and animal products, things they already associate with protein in their minds.

When it appears in something that has no natural connection to protein, the reaction is more confusion than excitement. In a few years, if this trend hits the UK at full force, having high protein on your label may mean very little to your consumer.

6. Creatine is going mainstream

This one genuinely surprised me. Creatine, long associated with male bodybuilding and sports nutrition, is now showing up in snacks, gummies, cereals, and functional beverages, and it is almost entirely women-focused.

The shift mirrors what happened with protein shakes over the past decade, moving from niche gym culture to something much more mainstream and inclusive.

If you are thinking about formulating with creatine, just make sure you do your homework first. Regulation around it in the UK and Europe is not fully up to date yet in terms of dosages and classifications, so it is worth checking carefully before you commit.

7. Functional beverages want to do it all

Functional drinks are no longer building around a single benefit. What is emerging in the US is the everything-in-one approach: hydration, adaptogens, collagen, gut health, all-in-one bottle.

I think it comes back to convenience, and also to a kind of supplement fatigue. Consumers are tired of having a different drink for every benefit, or a morning shelf full of individual supplements. If you can give them everything they need in one great-tasting product, that is a genuinely compelling proposition.

8. Meat and dairy are back

I want to be honest here, and I know this might sting if you are in the plant-based space. But the resurgence of meat and dairy at Expo West is not random.

A lot of plant-based products that spent the last decade trying to mimic the originals simply did not deliver. They taste so bad!

I was working in a flavour supplier when vegan and plant-based had their first big moment in the UK, and I was genuinely very excited. We became quickly very disappointed.

Consumers have not given up on the idea of plant-based. They have given up on products that sacrifice taste for ideology. The brands with a future in this space are the ones creating something genuinely delicious and nutritious in its own right, not a rubbish copy of something that already exists.

9. GLP-1 is quietly reshaping eating behaviour

GLP-1 medication changes how people eat and buy: e.g. smaller portions throughout the day, a different relationship with hunger, a need for every meal to really count nutritionally.

What is interesting is that brands in the US are not labelling their products as "for GLP-1 users." They are simply building around these new habits: nutrient-dense, high in fibre and protein, smaller in portion, but still genuinely indulgent.

Because even people trying to lose weight still want to enjoy what they eat. We are already seeing echoes of this in the UK. Marks & Spencer's nutrient-dense range. Greggs introducing smaller portions. It is early, but the direction is clear.

The one thing that was missing from all of it

Nine trends but not a single word about flavour! And that is what stayed with me (but not in a good way!)

In the UK, research consistently shows that taste is the number one driver of repeat purchase. Not the health benefit, the convenience, the cost or the latest trend. The Taste.

So before you jump on any of these nine trends, or adapt what you already have to fit them, it is worth making sure your flavour foundation is solid.

Think about PerfectTed. They were the first to crack ready-to-drink matcha in the UK. For a while, that novelty was enough. Now matcha drinks are everywhere. The brands holding their position are the ones whose product consumers genuinely love to drink.

The trend opened the door but the taste decided who got to stay in the room.

If you want an expert's honest, objective view on exactly where your product stands, that is what the Flavour MOT is for. 

Because a great trend with the wrong taste is still a product that does not get bought twice. 

Book your Flavour MOT today.