Taste and nutrition company, Kerry, has revealed its 2026 Global Taste Charts – drawing on the expertise of over 1200 scientists, 100 flavourists, and extensive consumer research to unlock the rising trends in food and beverage.
This year’s edition expands from six to eight product categories, offering insights into:
- Refreshing Beverages
- Alcohol & Alcohol-Inspired Beverages
- Tea, Coffee & Cocoa
- Savoury Snacks
- Sweet
- Soups, Sauces & Dressings
- Meat & Meals
- Supplements
Alongside the 2026 Taste Charts, Kerry has launched an end-to-end digital platform where customers can instantly order samples of trending flavours – KerryNow.
Kerry VP of product technologies, Leigh-Anne Vaughan, said the food and beverage landscape is evolving at a breathtaking pace, and manufacturers are under more pressure than ever to meet the changing needs of today’s consumers.
“Brands cannot afford to simply react; they must anticipate and innovate at pace. We challenged ourselves this year to truly walk in the shoes of our customers, designing the new Taste Charts digital platform, powered by KerryNow, to allow them to unlock smarter, faster and more radical innovation,” said Vaughan.
“We want manufacturers to feel empowered and confident that their flavour decisions will engage target consumers. By making product information and samples available instantly, we are not just providing a roadmap for innovation – we are providing the fuel to get there faster.”
GLOBAL TRENDS
The company stated the 2026 Taste Charts highlight a consumer landscape that seeks both novelty and nostalgia.
The dragon fruit phenomenon
Traditionally rooted in Asian markets, dragon fruit has transcended its regional origins to become a breakout global flavour. With a 17 per cent CAGR in new product launches projected through 2025, it is reshaping refreshment categories across Europe and the Americas.
While over half of all launches remain in refreshing beverages, thanks to its mild, subtly sweet profile, the flavour is making waves in confectionary and alcoholic formats, with consumer interest surging during summer months.
Botanicals and florals
As consumers gravitate towards complex, aromatic profiles, orange blossom and hibiscus are forecasted as key ‘Future Flavours’ in the US and APAC beverage sectors, offering sophisticated, low-sugar alternatives. Meanwhile, finger lime is exploding in popularity across Europe for its unique textural pop and tart profile.
Global cross-pollination
The charts reveal a rapid exchange of flavours across cultures. Korean bulgogi and gochujang are surging. In the USA, gochujang launches have grown 120 per cent over the past 12 months, while bulgogi has leapt from an emerging flavour in 2025 to become the fourth fastest-growing flavour in the 2026 Meat & Meals chart, with similar developments unfolding in European markets. Meanwhile, Sichuan Peppercorns are moving beyond niche Asian aisles to influence mainstream condiments across Europe.
Mexican birria and Chile chiltepín are transcending borders to influence savoury snacks and meals globally. Simultaneously, the ‘Swicy’ (Sweet + Spicy) trend is evolving, with Hot Honey and Spicy Mango driving double-digit growth in bakery and confectionery products.
Elevated staples beyond cheddar
Consumers are redefining comfort by trading standard options for premium, texture-rich varieties. The charts map the evolution of 31 specific cheese varieties, revealing a shift toward heritage-rich profiles.
Manchego and pecorino are driving premiumisation in European savoury snacks, while versatile, texture-rich options are gaining share in North America – responding directly to the 68 per cent of consumers who say cheese flavours bring a level of comfort with excitement to savoury snacks.
APAC MARKET
- Cheese evolution – while cheddar and mozzarella remain the dominant cheese profiles in the region, the APAC market is shifting toward more sophisticated and texture-rich varieties, with parmigiano reggiano and scallion cream cheese explicitly identified as the ‘New & Next’ trending flavours to watch.
- Dragon fruit usage – while dragon fruit is exploding in beverages globally, the charts pinpoint that specifically within the APAC and Australia regions, this flavour is now making a distinct emergence across sweet product categories rather than just drinks.
- Salty snack premiumisation – the APAC salty snack market is moving toward high-end, umami-rich luxury profiles, with white truffle, butter dashi, sea urchin, and caviar identified as future flavours, alongside regional favorites like Japanese furikake and Korean pajeon (or scallion pancakes).
- Complex hot beverages – innovation in the tea, coffee, and cocoa category is embracing savoury and fermented traditional ingredients, with pu’erh tea, sweet miso, and glutinous rice forecasted as future trends, moving beyond the established dominance of jasmine and matcha.
- Dessert-inspired sweets – the sweet category in APAC is heavily driven by the reimaging of traditional regional desserts into flavour profiles, evidenced by Thai milk tea, mango sticky rice, and black sesame ranking among the fastest-growing flavours.
- Rise of regional savoury heroes – in the meat, meals, and sauces categories, there is a massive surge in specific Korean and regional Asian ingredients, with Cheongyang chilli, Korean smoked galbi, and asin tibuok (Philippine smoked salt) identified as key emerging trends replacing generic descriptors.
- Botanical alcohol trends – for alcohol and alcohol-inspired beverages, APAC consumers are gravitating toward aromatic and functional botanicals, with matcha tea and pandan listed as fastest-growing, paving the way for future flavours like orange blossom and fermented passion fruit.
More information on the 2026 Global Taste Charts is available online at explore.kerry.com, with deeper coverage of the Australian market set to feature in the Food & Drink Business March edition.
