Each month the Sharp team saves you time by rounding up some of the latest trends from the world of food and drink. It’s designed to help brand founders use trends to navigate, fine-tune their positioning and increase brand awareness.
We headed up to IFE to see clients and discover the latest innovations and product trends. Health and wellness claims that tap into the consumer desire to eat and drink better and more mindfully were firmly in the spotlight. Here are some of the standout new sips and savours that we spotted on our travels:
Mindful Drinking
The consumer appetite for moderating alcohol consumption with tasty options is being satisfied by new mid-strength lager Brisk, available soon in Ocado Developed by co-founder of Infinite Sessions Tom Hannaway who is answering the call of the midweek drinker looking to cut down.
Brands with Purpose
We love seeing the food and drink community doing good and were thrilled to meet brand founders who have based their business models on benefitting others.
Sara Brand, founded of School Yard Kitchen during Covid using chillis from Ghana to create chilli-based products including delicious chocolate dipped pretzels in her kitchen in Scotland. Every purchase of their products directly contributes to sustainable development initiatives in Ghana and Scotland – whether it’s supporting educational programs for Ghanaian children or promoting social inclusion in Scottish communities.
Metabolic Health
Purpose Driven brands founder Tom Redwood is on a mission to educate us about fats with his Good Phats range that gives us only fats that are good for us and ensures we have the right oils and fats for the right culinary application whether you’re drizzling or frying. Good Phat’s stand out branding that will surely win today’s consumer. Check them out! Tom also runs Fu:Di a brand of keto approved granolas and condiments that don’t spike your blood sugar and improve your metabolic health.
High Protein
High protein claims are here to stay with Tesco reporting that the nation’s bestselling meal deal includes an egg protein pot as the side. We saw lots of protein forward NPD at IFE. Otelia a brand of high protein pasta with three varieties made from edamame beans, soybeans, and chickpeas was making its UK debut. Originally from Asia, we can confirm that it was super tasty and had a good texture – very similar to noodles and fresh pasta.
Sustainable alternative protein brand Wriggle caught our eye – can you guess what it’s made from yet? Yes, it’s powered by crickets! And yes, we tried the burger – they also do meatballs – and it was super tasty!
Superfood Ingredients
One of our standout products of the show was Scottish Honeyberries, a superfood berry from Asia that is being grown in Scotland by Scottish Honeyberry Growers. They are harvested and freeze-dried to maintain their antioxidants – they have a whopping 97% more than blueberries. And they’re super versatile when it comes to applications. We’ll be adding ours to porridge, breakfast bowls and cocktails darling! (Oh and they do chocolate and yogurt dipped honeyberries – drool!)
For the teetotallers, a new natural spring water drink featuring chopped fruit and superfood berries, herbs and spices foraged from woodlands is the offer from Wild Berry Brew an innovative new jam jar drink. With no added sugar, these taste great, and they are very Instagram-able too.
Who's stirring things up on socials?
New M&S Short Ingredient range – Short ingredient lists is the latest buzz phrase thanks to M&S, whose latest NPD saw them creating a stir on socials with their new range of single ingredient cereals. Gimmick or genius move? The industry is divided.
Gen Z going wild for Wine & Ice Cream – According to The Sunday Times pairing Wine and ice cream is trending on TikTok following the opening of The Dreamery in Islington – an artisan ice cream parlour and wine bar. Forward thinking restauranteurs have also been quick to add a pairing to their menu. Make ours a Pinot Noir with Belgian Chocolate and Sour Cherry Ice Cream!
New Processed Food Risk Scale
Zoe has introduced the Processed Food Risk Scale to help people assess the health impact of common processed foods and UPFs. The scale categorizes foods as no risk, low risk, moderate risk, or high risk, with rankings based on factors such as additives, hyper-palatability, and energy density.
Foods that score higher on the scale will be considered more harmful when consumed excessively as the presence of harmful additives, a combination of salt, fat, and sugar that makes them highly palatable, and a lack of fibre, makes them easy to overeat without realizing. Feels like a more nuanced approach to the UPF discourse which might encourage more manufacturers to improve the formulation of their products resulting in healthier outcomes.
Date for your Diary
veg-net is back, 4th June 2025 – following the phenomenal success of its inaugural event last year, veg-net, the ultimate networking and growth platform for the plant-based industry, is back for a second year.
SHARP is proud to be an event partner and can’t wait to join on 4th June 2025 at the prestigious Radisson Blu London Stansted Airport. Ambitious plant-based brands, buyers, and industry experts will gather under one roof to foster meaningful connections and unlock opportunities.
Delegate packages, priced at £1,950, include a minimum of 10 buyer meetings, two expert sessions and meals.
To register your interest: https://active-net.org/veg-net/contact/
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