Trend: Intensity. Consumers are looking for food and drink that delivers stronger sensory stimulation, turning familiar flavours into more memorable experiences through greater intensity, unexpected combinations and surprising formats. Sour illustrates the shift particularly clearly: despite being an established flavour trend, sales of sour food and beverages increased 10.8% in dollars and 6.9% in units over the past year, while brands are pushing sour beyond candy into bever

Trend: Discovery. Matcha helped make Japanese tea culture familiar to mainstream consumers; now restaurants are beginning to explore what might come next. Hojicha — Japanese roasted tea — is starting to appear on chain restaurant menus, signalling an early shift from one established tea trend toward broader flavour exploration. The emerging Hojicha Rising trend is therefore less about replacing matcha than expanding the consumer's tea repertoire. For restaurants, the challeng