Nestle divulges 2025 foodservice trends

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Nestle divulges 2025 foodservice trends

6 Mar 2025

Maddie Lambert

Maddie Lambert is a copywriter and editor from Joplin, MO. She graduated from Missouri Southern State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English – literary studies. When she’s not poring over the magazine or lost in the pages of a new novel, you can find Maddie exploring her local bookstores, spending time with her husband, or sharing her latest literary discoveries with fellow book enthusiasts.

ARLINGTON, VA — To start the new year, Nestle released consumer-driven insights on 2025’s biggest and fastest-growing trends. From alternative ingredients to increased sustainability, CPG and commercial baking companies can utilize these trends to expand their reach.

Today, consumers prioritize nutrition and strive to eat healthier with an emphasis on balanced, health-focused meals. According to a report from Datassential, 47% of Gen Z and 43% of millennials state their top motivation for eating healthy is to feel good. However, health encompasses more than just nutrition-focused eating. Consumers mark an occasional indulgent meal as a more holistic approach to wellness.

For foodservice operators, the biggest challenges going into this year include customer satisfaction, managing waste, increasing repeat customers, and labor and food costs. Increasing earnings and the bottom line are among the major goals operators are prioritizing. A few profitability strategies adopted by operators include launching new items and limited-time offerings, raising menu prices, focusing on value, and investing in technology and automation.

Foodservice operators that maximize ingredients can run a more efficient and profitable business. With global flavors seeing an uptick, this trend creates new opportunities to use ingredients across different dayparts, allowing operators to create new, innovative menu items.

Operators can also reduce monthly food costs by utilizing AI for demand forecasting and waste management. The technology can analyze historical sales data, seasonal trends and purchase behavior to help professionals identify complex trends.

While the push toward sustainability isn’t new, recent data reinforces its positive impact on consumer attitudes and preferences. Prioritizing sustainability can lower utility costs, reduce waste and boost operational efficiency, but suppliers and manufacturers must effectively communicate their sustainability initiatives.

Operators are also turning to automation to address ongoing labor shortages. Automation can not only help with labor-intensive processes but also deliver consistency and speed.

The 2025 forecast for foodservice is promising. By efficiently using existing ingredients and creatively upcycling excess produce, operators can manage food costs while creating new experiences for consumers.

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