Five produce-focused food trends for 2025

The annual race to predict the next year’s food trends happens earlier and earlier every year. While Whole Foods typically leads off with the first big list in October, Midwest Grocer Fresh Thyme Market jumped ahead with what I’d call a very practical and down-to-earth list.

I keep them all for when it’s time for me to throw some spaghetti of my own at the wall to see what sticks.

I usually try to bring together a few overarching themes, along with some specifics. For example, last year, I discussed the difference between micro- and megatrends, and the proliferation of sponsored content on social media.

This year, I have a few main areas of focus, but the biggest of them all can be described as “What does this food do for me?” This is reflected in so many different ways: functional, fast, fun, flavorful – the list is endless.

Let’s start with the food buzzword of the year: Protein 

Protein has been featured on nearly every food trends list I’ve tracked this fall. It’s almost impossible to get away from online commentary about how many grams of protein a person should be eating based on their situation in life. And that number is usually outrageous compared to what most people are eating in a day. Once someone has hitched their wagon to the protein parade, there’s little room for anything else in their dietary conversation, and that concerns me.

To read the full report, please visit Five produce-focused food trends for 2025   – Produce Blue Book. Published on January 9, 2025.