Unilever reveals top 4 innovation-driving food trends

Compiled by no fewer than 27 experts chefs from across the globe, Unilever Food Solutions’ Future Menus report 2025 highlights four key trends that will grab diners’ attentions.

The four food trends are:

Borderless Cuisine, driven by continued globalisation and migrationStreet Food Couture, seeing traditional street foods elevated to “gourmet offerings” Diner Design, led by consumers’ desire for more personalisation and immersive diningModernised Comfort Food, as diners seek deeply nourishing and nostalgic dishesFood trend 1: Posh street foodLevelling up a street food offering a key trend consumers are on the look out for. (Image: Getty Images)Consumers want it all when it comes to street food. Combine tradition, with high-quality ingredients and refined cooking techniques and they’ll be happy.

Street food allows consumers the sense of discovery, while also tapping into their desire for accessibility and global flavours.

Over the last decade, street food has driven and influenced food and drink trends across the world. While consumers are still keen to encounter it in formats sensitive to traditions, they’re also eager to have some refinement.

This doesn’t have to be in a restaurant setting, a large chunk of consumers like the idea of visiting street food markets, citing affordability and independent businesses as key factors.

Though an elevated experience is more attractive to consumers, especially Gen Z diners, who need a reason to go out. Conversely, 64% of the generation would rather stay at home on a Friday night than go out with friends, creating a key opportunity for manufacturers to tap into the posh street food trend.

To get it right, offerings must fuse authentic cuisines together, while blending premium ingredients with refined techniques to create bold, exciting flavours.

The Aleppo pepper is expected to be seen on more menus over the coming months, according to Unilever’s report.

The pepper is a moderately spicy variant of capsicum annum an is used as a spice in traditional Turkish, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods. It’s also known as the Halaby pepper.

Top techniques
Fermentation
Grilling
Steaming
Wok hei
Marination
Charcoal grilling

Food trend 2: Dishes without bordersBorderless cuisine revealed as top trend by Unilever menu report. (AsiaVision/Image: Getty Images)A level up on posh street food, borderless cuisine blends diverse food traditions into one-off, though well-balanced, experiences. The trend celebrates globalisation and migration, bringing forward the cuisines of cultures worldwide.

It transcends previous buzz words like ‘fusion’ and instead centres on the cultural importance of dishes, flavours and ingredients.

“It’s an integration of techniques, spice profiles and presentation styles that resonate with today’s globally connected diner, including Gen Z who desire authentic, diverse and innovative experiences,” according to the report.”

Along with social media, globalisation and migration are expanding culinary knowledge and influence, with more consumers looking out for adventurous cuisines, specifically among Gen Z.

Though it’s important to develop dishes with true heritage and story within them.

“Whether you’re stewing meat Indian-style or you’re stewing it Mexican-style, you’re still stewing and using the same technique,” says Unilever senior corporate chef Alvaro Lima. “Then you’re shredding the meat and folding it into a Mexican rice bowl or an Indian basmati – those ingredients are very interchangeable.”

Top techniques
Marination
Brining
Ageing
Sous-vide
Curing
Steaming
Caramelisation
Smoking
Fermentation

Food trend 3: Modern comfortSnazzy comfort food is a growing area of interest among consumers. (Image: Getty Images)Comfort food is an enduring trend, though it’s not safe from innovation, as currently consumers seek the comfort of nostalgia when it comes to this trend.

Classic recipes are being pulled from dusty family recipe books and recreated by chefs with a contemporary flair that preserves authenticity and story.

“This modern comfort food still feels familiar, yet excites with something new,” according to the report.

Story and provenance is vital to succeeding within the trend now, though new product development shouldn’t shy away from adventure and fusion, which remain important and attractive to consumers.

What’s really driving the trend is uncertainty, particularly geopolitical concerns among consumers. During periods like this, including cost-of-living struggles, consumers tend to hark to the better times of the past.

Consumer want depth and authenticity when it comes to modernised comfort food. A twist on a classic that retains provenance and story will win with them, particularly Gen Z shoppers.

Top techniques
Wood-fire
Stewing
Infusion
Slow cooking
Charcoal grilling
Marination
Deep-frying
Escabeche
Pickling
Preserving

Food trend 4: Designed by the dinerGen Z demands more personalisation of dishes. (Cleardesign1/Getty Images)A trickier foodservice and restaurant trend for food manufacturers hack. But not impossible.

Diner design focuses on allowing and encouraging customisation, from interactivity to personalisation where consumers can have their own input or modify dishes.

The main focus of the trend is to drive immersion and appeal to as many senses as possible by providing consumers with unique-value added experiences.

Driving the trend is Gen Z, who are looking for curated choices and social media-worthy moments. This generation is looking for “hands-on” and interactive experiences that they can share in person or digitally with friends.

“While tech and food have grown increasingly intertwined in recent years, the relationship is now evolving faster than ever, particularly through digitally native Gen Z’s strong desire for more menu interactivity,” according to the report.

Options for personalisation include toppings choices, such as seasoning and dressing; flavour profile choices, such as variations of spicy, tangy and sweet; build your own, including choices of vegetables and proteins; seasonal specials, like spring, summer, autumn and winter variations of a core dish; and allowing feedback so consumers can input into future products.

Top techniques
Build your own
Select your own
Sharing mains
Foams, espumas and aerated sauces
Pureeing
3D printing
Fermentation
Blowtorching
Barbecue
Skilleting
Grilling