Fixation with the snack attack. The frozen pantry. Pork as the new beef. And the year we became obsessed with the farm shop effect. It’s the Waitrose Food & Drink Report 2025-26

• This year’s report highlights a fundamental change in how customers shop, influenced heavily by concerns over UPFs (ultra-processed foods) and the rise in GLP1 (weight loss jabs)

• Fuelled by a fixation on gut health, we’re witnessing a major shift: the great carb comeback, a renewed focus on fibre with the emergence of pork and forgotten fish as the new protein heroes 

• We explore the ‘TikTok to Table’ trend and how social media has become the new shop window, driving product innovation and purchasing decisions. The question now is: What’s the next pistachio?

The shopping mission is changing significantly across 2025–2026. Waitrose is seeing an increasing number of people replacing full meals with snacking foods, to freezers becoming an extension of the pantry. Packaging is also influencing purchasing decisions more than ever, and the #FIBERMAXXING* trend is actively reshaping what and how people shop.

Emilie Wolfman, Waitrose trend innovation manager says, "The whole snacking scene is transforming. It’s still driven by the need for convenience to fit our busy modern lives, but now we're seeing huge demand for 'snacks with benefits' and ‘natural indulgence’. People want their snacks to be nutrient-dense, often high in protein, and with fewer additives, but more complex flavours.”

Sustainability also continues to drive our mission to provide food lovers with the highest quality, delicious produce. Tina Mitchell, Waitrose interim managing director comments: “In welfare, we lead the way in our approach to chicken, as the only national retailer meeting the Better Chicken Commitment standard across all chicken products. In September, we also became the first British retailer to announce that our pork is going to be 100% free range by 2027. We’ll remain focussed on our Farming for Nature programme, supporting British farmers in moving to nature-friendly practices.”

The report delves into the below trends:

• A fixation with the snack attack - Whether it’s driven by reduced appetites through GLP1 use, commonly referred to as ‘weight loss medication’, cutting back more generally, or whether we just enjoy a less formal dining occasion, our survey of almost 4400 Waitrose customers showed 57% sometimes replace a meal with snacky foods. 

• Freeze your pantry - The freezer has been completely reinvented. Waitrose is observing a new trend where it's no longer just a storage unit, but a gourmet destination. This is driving demand for everything from premium ready meals and luxury ready-to-prepare items to cost effective options like pre-cut vegetables and fruits.

• Fat for flavour - More than ever, we're focused on maximising taste and texture, whether that's through full-fat milk, flavoured butter, or premium olive oil. The big question is: what's the next pistachio craze? Waitrose think they know the answer…

• Protein powerhouses - Customers are looking to buy pork cuts that you would normally associate with beef – from free range, pedigree and Hampshire boars. The upside? Pork is a fraction of the cost, with pork fillet costing around £20 per kg, while beef fillet is upwards of £80 per kg, for example. 

• The great carb comeback - Our obsession with gut health and plant-based eating has led us back to the importance of fibre. And at Waitrose, sales are soaring for everything from beans to bread. Waitrose has also announced the commitment to increase fibre sold from key categories by 25% by 2030. 

• The farm shop effect - Call it the Lipstick Effect 2.0 if you will – when times are tough, it’s the small luxuries we turn to. Our survey showed 60% of households have at least six condiments in their fridge, and plenty more in their larders. Be it high fashion premium olive oil or quality crisps, people are making the ordinary extraordinary. The more gorgeous and ‘upcycle worthy’ the packaging, the better. 

• TikTok to table - Social media is the new shop window- open 24/7 to influence customer cooking and buying behaviour more than ever. Korean, Sri Lankan and even Japanese-Italian fusion…the trends going wild on TikTok and Instagram are behind much of the innovation for the new Waitrose Cooks’ Ingredients, from Umami Paste to Korean Inspired Bibimbap Sauce and Wilderbee’s Gochujang Hot Honey.

• Intensify the flavour - Powering up the flavour profile is a trend going from strength to strength. In fact, Chilli pesto is now the best-seller in the Waitrose own-label range, outperforming tomato and also the classic basil.

• Bitter is the new sweet - A shift away from traditional sweetness is driving the latest trend, with people eagerly embracing bold, complex flavours from Aperol to dark chocolate, matcha, and wasabi. Searches on waitrose.com for ‘negronis’ are up 87% compared to this time last year. 

• Pouring over the details - The drinks scene is evolving rapidly, reviving classic cocktails while introducing new trends like mini cocktails and the vermouth spritz. Is tonic the new gin? Waitrose has seen a growing trend in customers opting for flavoured tonics to pair and elevate their classic G&T.

• Bevs with a boost - There was a time when water was just something you got from a tap, but times have changed…The focus is on functional benefits, with mood-boosting, muscle-repairing, and mental clarity drinks now dominating. Coffee culture has also seen a shift, driven by people saving the pennies by making fancy coffees from home. 
  

The report also looks at what’s coming up and going down in the food and drink world - discussing the trends that have powered new ingredients to the top of our menus:

• Up: high quality beef // Down: mock meat

• Up: Savoury treats // Down: Dubai chocolate

• Up: artisanal bakery products // Down: sliced bread

• Up: albarino // Down: big red wines

• Up: courgettes // Down: cauliflower

• Up: checking processed ingredients // Down: tracking calories

The Waitrose report also has the trend tracker and hot new ingredients to watch out for, which highlights the trends we expect to see more of in 2026 and beyond. This includes everything from 'Noshtalgia' and the revival of retro flavour profiles, to customers actively supporting farmers by filling their baskets with British-grown produce, from berries and local cheeses to beef. Funky fusions will also be on the menu as cultures converge and travel opportunities expand, leading us to fearlessly combine Eastern and Western foods at will.

Notes to editors

Waitrose surveyed a panel of 4,393 customers (John Lewis Partnership Perspectives Panel) in September 2025 for the insights in this year’s Waitrose Food & Drink Report. All Waitrose sales data was gathered in September and October 2025. 

*American spelling as this hashtag is trending on TikTok

*A survey by research and product development company Vypr

About Waitrose & Partners

Run by over 45,000 passionate Partners, Waitrose has been serving customers for 120 years and offers extraordinary products in our 317 shops and on Waitrose.com. Inspiring food discovery, our expert Partners run almost 800 specialist food service counters in store, where customers can shop a variety of the best quality meat, fresh fish, dry aged beef, sushi, as well as cheese. Our Beer, Wine and Spirits team features the largest number of Masters of Wine of any UK supermarket and we sell nearly 3,000 different wines, beers, ciders, spirits as well as no and low drinks in our shops, on Waitrose.com and Waitrose Cellar. We are committed to selling products which have been responsibly sourced, grown using the very best sustainable farming methods, some of which are grown or trialled on our very own farm, the Leckford Estate. In 2024, Waitrose was granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment to be Grocers and Wine & Spirits Merchant to His Majesty King Charles III.