Food and drink trends you will find at your next event in 2025

The food and drink industry is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, contributing £38 billion to the economy annually and employing over 475,000 people. According to the UK’s Food and Drink Federation (FDF) 11,600 new food and drink products were introduced into the UK in 2021 by 12,515 UK food and drink manufacturers.

The food and drinks industry thrives on new and innovative products entering the market each year. This is due to increased consumer demands and growing competition among other brands. Consumers are looking for new, improved products that align with evolving tastes and lifestyles. Household and disruptor brands constantly innovate to help stand out in a busy and saturated market by keeping their offerings fresh and exciting.

While industry experts can predict what’s hot and what’s not in the food and drinks industry next year, being able to implement these ideas at your next event is crucial in driving consumer engagement and sales.

Edward Marshall, co-founder and creative director at custom exhibition stand company Motive Exhibitions highlights the top food and drink trends for 2025 and explains how you can expertly showcase them at your next event to increase visibility and memorability among your target audience.

Very cherry 

Pinterest has just released its annual ‘Pinterest Predicts’ report highlighting trends that are expected to set the industry alight in 2025. First up is their cross-category trend ‘Cherry Coded’. Brands and advertisers alike can debut cherry-infused products, menus and recipes to create a memorable experience for potential customers.

Food sampling always works a treat at events and expeditions. Consumers can try cherry-infused products, getting a flavour for the brand before considering making a purchase. Bite-sized treats like dried cherries, yoghurt-covered cherries or cherry-flavoured cereal bars play into consumer health demands whilst incorporating the trend.

Drink products should infuse cherry flavours like lemonades, teas and mocktails, as the no or low-alcohol market continues to boom. Brands can get really creative with their stand designs by incorporating vibrant and memorable cherry-themed designs. Cherry-inspired hues like deep red, maroon and blush pink in the stand’s design and branding will be eye-catching for event attendees. Depending on the food brand, a ‘Cherry’ station with different ways of experimenting with the flavour could attract a wider audience with a diverse palette. Around the stand, a cherry tree with the brand’s product hanging on it with cherries would be a playful nod to the trend. Decor elements such as fresh cherries displayed in bowls, or cherry-shaped decorations will create visual appeal. Complete signage with fun phrases like “Life’s a bowl of cherries!” or “Cherry-pick your favourite flavours”, to attract potential customers over to your stand.

Food is medicine 

According to Mintel’s 2025 Global Food and Drinks Trends report, consumers will be increasingly looking for food and drink products which are packed with nutrients and inherent health benefits. Due to the popularity of weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, those who have a reduced appetite are looking for easy-to-understand products that have a strong health claim. If your products are packed with protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, the messaging at your next event needs to be clear and on full show.

If this is carried out successfully from the start, using product displays so that customers can try the product as they’re passing by your stand or opting for bespoke graphics that show the link between food and health, could increase awareness of your brand and products as well as overall sales.

Food brands looking to incorporate the growing medication trend into their next event can create engaging and educational experiences for attendees. A creative approach could involve developing characters for each micronutrient added to the product – such as “Fibre Frank,” “Polly Protein,” or “Molly Mineral” – to personify their unique benefits in a fun and relatable way. For example, a prebiotic drink packed with good gut bacteria and marketed as a healthier alternative to traditional sugary drinks could design an interactive area showcasing these benefits. This might include lift-up tiles with questions and answers about the product’s advantages, dynamic lightboxes highlighting key benefits or 3D walls featuring bold and bright displays. To enhance engagement, brands could introduce AI-powered robots that answer questions about the product or even display a giant can of the drink surrounded by a pile of crushed sugary drink cans to reinforce the healthier choice narrative. Additionally, showcasing all the ingredients within the product through interactive elements—such as NFC chips that load informative pages or videos onto attendee screens, or buttons that trigger educational videos – can help further emphasise the product’s health benefits dynamically and memorably.

Pick your pickle 

Pickles are expected to get us all in a pickle next year as search terms with this ingredient-first trend skyrocket. Online queries such as ‘Dill Pickle Juice’, ‘Roti and Pickle’ and ‘Pickle Ketchup’ have been rising in popularity over the last 12 months with some searches seeing a 200% increase. Pickles are set to go mainstream for several reasons. They are a great low-calorie snack that has electrolytes and probiotics in them. Their tangy flavour profile allows them to be paired with other food and drinks seamlessly making them a versatile option across several dishes. Rich foods such as red meat and cheeses bode well with pickle condiments as well as smoky flavours which will bring out the cooling tangy notes.

Brands and advertisers can incorporate pickles at their next event by educating consumers about how to infuse them into their everyday meals and recipes. If you’re a snack or drinks brand, get creative and show your target audience what pairs well with your products and how best to enjoy them.

Interactive recipe demos will bring your marketing material to life, showcasing the recipes that use pickles or pickle brine, like a tangy pickle vinaigrette, pickle popsicles, or a pickle-flavoured dip. Bringing these recipes and product innovations to your next event will encourage consumers to get behind more quirky ways of using the ingredients.

Using vibrant green and yellow hues inspired by pickles in your booth design will play on the trend. Incorporate pickle-shaped props, jars filled with pickles, or pickle-themed signage to bring your products to life. Brands could also introduce a ‘pickle me’ photo booth or a giant glass pickle jar to walk into, creating interactive elements on the stand.

Break the rules

Mintel’s latest report also found that consumers will be increasingly open to the idea of ‘rule breaking’ in their shopping habits over the next 18 months. Although consumers often aim to eat healthily, cook meals from scratch and stick to a set grocery list, consumers are embracing their guilty habits. These include having a sweet treat daily and eating more unhealthy food and beverages. Consumers will also be on the look out for less conventional brand collaborations and products to create new norms, appealing to more unique tastes. This trend will enable brands to think and act creatively at their next event. Brands can reimagine their food menu, blending unique food pairings at a live demo station to bring their audience to the table. Designs that defy expectations and bend the mind such as upside-down signage, vibrant lighting or giant products wrapped in faux neon lights to create a grab-it-now look and feel will appeal to the ‘less conventional’ consumer.

Grand(eur) designs 

Trending search terms such as ‘Dinner party tablescapes +55%’, ‘Modern surrealism +70%’ and ‘Silly cakes +115%’ are all a nod to the fact consumers want wacky and unusual products and experiences.

Food and drinks brands can go big with this theme at their next exhibition by opting for immersive decor and incorporating props that act as a spectacle. Interactive experiences such as live demos and kitchens will allow for food and drink experimentation. Dishes, recipes and products on show should be bold and Instagrammable so that grandeur designs convert from the exhibition floor space through to someone’s social media platform. To encourage further social coverage and to increase footfall to your stand, using larger-than-life props will create shareable photo opportunities that attendees will want to be involved in.

Whether you’re aiming to get your products onto supermarket shelves or want to connect with top-tier chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality leaders incorporating some of 2025’s biggest food and drinks trends at your next event can connect you with buyers, wholesalers, and decision-makers to position you as the next big thing in food and drink.

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