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MARCH 2026
Vol. 195, No. 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Banner with '2026 Trend of the Year' logo over a collage of food items: candy, matcha, salmon toast, dip, sushi, canned fish.

TRENDS:
Today’s Top Trend: “SenseMaxxing”

Specialty Food Association names top trend—and five more key drivers for 2026—at Winter FancyFaire*

Panelists and a moderator on stage at the Winter Fancy Faire, discussing retail innovation and CPG products.

TRENDS:
Show & Tell

Seven trends took center stage at the Specialty Food Association’s Winter FancyFaire*

Various Kroger brand food products like probiotic drinks, bagels, protein puffs, sparkling water, cooking sauce, and stir-fry sauce, representing 2026 food trends.

TRENDS:
Top Tastes—and More

Kroger’s top six 2026 trends cover consumer interests in flavor, nutrition and at-home eating.

A blue banner with 'The Future of Frozen Food 2026' and Conagra logo over a pasta and vegetable dish.

TRENDS:
Four Your Consideration

Conagra Brands' “Future of Frozen Food” 2026 reviews trends shaping $93.5 billion industry.

A man and woman happily shopping for bread and bakery items in a supermarket aisle.

BAKERY FOODS:
From Healthy to Happy

New bakery foods target all the angles—from protein to indulgence—to boost consumer appeal.

A man and a woman on a couch enjoying fast food: burgers/sandwiches and french fries with ketchup.

APPETIZERS & SIDE DISHES:
Where Craving Meets Comfort

Appetizers, side dishes deliver at-home ease with on-trend flavors and forms.

Blurred supermarket aisle with refrigerated sections and product displays.

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY:
Time to Focus

Competition, consumer “uncertainty” fuel on-shelf innovation.

BEVERAGES:
Beverages—With Benefits

Consumers clamor for nostalgia-driven flavors, upgraded hydration solutions, and functional nutrition.

Frying pan on a gas stove, filled with steaming colorful vegetables and shrimp, stirred by a wooden spoon.

PREPARED MEALS & ENTRÉES:
Hot Stuff!

Prepared meal, entrée category heats up; addresses consumer interest in value, protein, convenience and global adventure.

Blurred supermarket aisle with milk bottles and cartons on illuminated shelves.

DAIRY FOODS:
Whey to Go!

Dairy delivers on-trend innovation across categories.

A smiling woman takes a selfie, eating a granola bar with exercise bands around her neck.

CEREALS & BARS:
Reason to Smile

New bars and cereals power up with protein, embrace craveable comfort.

Woman in a blue cardigan choosing packaged meat from a supermarket shelf, holding a yellow shopping basket.

MEAT & POULTRY:
"Meet” Market!

Meat, poultry products meet growing consumers interest for protein, at-home convenience, snacking, spicy and global flavors—and even health.

Green "Meat Free" sign in a supermarket aisle, with blurred product shelves.

PLANT-BASED MEAT
Meat the Challenge

Plant-based meat analogs, replacers battle for share of consumer spend—and stomach.

Woman with curly hair shops for dairy products in a supermarket, holding a milk bottle and reaching for yogurt.

PLANT-BASED DAIRY:
Plant-Based Dairy: What Wins?

Plant-based dairy explodes with more flavors, sources and simpler formulas.

PIZZA:
More to Reach For

Pizza processors turn up the heat to keep the category fresh with new premium and fun flavors, textures and better-for-you options.

SAUCES, DRESSINGS & SPREADS:
Destination: Flavor!

Adventurous eaters turn to sauces, dressings and spreads for taste bud travels.

SEAFOOD:
Get the Net!

A rising tide of new products address consumer interests for flavor adventure, new forms and nutrition.

A woman with curly hair reaches for an item on a store shelf, while a blurred blonde woman stands in the foreground.

SNACKS & CONFECTIONS:
Something for Everyone

Snacks, confections embrace interest for on-trend tastes, nutrition and anytime adventure.

What's Trending

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Cover Image credit: VTT Studio / Getty Images

march 2026 | Volume 195 | Issue 3

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