Bold Experience is reshaping food and beverage as consumers increasingly look for products that do more than simply taste good — they want sensations that surprise, stimulate and create memorable moments. Spicy food captures this shift particularly well because heat introduces intensity, contrast and even controlled discomfort into everyday consumption. As consumers gravitate toward sweet heat, adventurous cultural flavors and increasingly layered profiles, Sensory Intensity

Familiarity is becoming a powerful route to discovery as consumers look for experiences that feel new without becoming unfamiliar. Food and beverage brands are responding by reinventing flavors people already know rather than relying exclusively on completely new taste experiences. Apple captures this shift particularly well: 87% of consumers love or like the flavor, significantly ahead of pumpkin and pumpkin spice, while new and limited-time apple menu launches increased nea

Social media is changing how consumers decide what is worth eating, visiting and experiencing. A single food post can become repeated recommendations, social conversation and visible hype until consumers no longer want to simply watch — they want to go and check for themselves. Across viral restaurants, bakeries and food concepts, digital word of mouth is increasingly translating online attention into physical crowds, with consumers joining queues not simply because they know

Healthy eating is supposed to make consumers feel better, but social media is increasingly turning wellness into something to perfect. A new study of TikTok and Instagram content shows how clean eating, supplements, food rules and idealized bodies can combine into a culture where being healthy means continuously controlling what goes into the body. As consumers are encouraged to optimize every meal, ingredient and nutrient, wellness risks creating a new problem: the pressure

Entertainment fandom is moving beyond watching and into everyday life. Jollibee’s Forgotten Island collaboration shows how the traditional movie meal is evolving into something much bigger: consumers can eat themed food, collect merchandise, wear limited-edition apparel and visit transformed restaurants connected to the entertainment they love. As audiences look for more immersive ways to participate in fandom, movies are becoming worlds consumers can physically experience ra

Food discovery is becoming part of the scroll. For teens, social feeds can turn eye-catching recipes, restaurant meals and creator diets into instant cravings, showing how digital influence is moving beyond what young consumers watch and increasingly shaping what they want to eat. Why Everyone Is Talking About It: The Feed Can Create the Craving Food content has become almost impossible to separate from everyday social-media use. In the study, teens described repeatedly enco

Peanut butter is returning as consumers combine nostalgic comfort with protein-rich everyday nutrition. The Evolution of Food: Peanut Butter Is Becoming a Modern Super Staple Peanut butter is making a remarkable comeback as one of 2026's most versatile food ingredients. Once viewed primarily as a childhood favourite, it is increasingly appearing in protein snacks, smoothies, desserts, breakfast products, beverages, and functional foods. Its renewed popularity reflects changin

The Future of Korean Food: Everyday Local Favorites Are Becoming the Next Global Obsession The global fascination with Korean food is entering a new chapter. For years, Korean barbecue, fried chicken, kimchi, and spicy tteokbokki defined the international perception of Korean cuisine. Today, consumers are looking beyond these iconic dishes to discover the foods that Koreans actually eat in their everyday lives. From comforting bowls of dwaeji gukbap and kalguksu to nostalgic