Searches for “banana bread lattes” are up 6,267% year over year. That single figure sits in Nestlé USA’s 2027 Food and Beverage Trend Forecast, which the company unveiled on October 20 and which Food Business News and Prepared Foods both covered. Nestlé says it speaks from a vantage point of brands found in 98% of US households.
The company’s framing is simple. “We track thousands of early signals across conversations every year, and only a handful become meaningful trends,” Linh Phillips, director of consumer insights and foresight at Nestlé USA, said in a statement. “What’s coming through clearly is that value has become personal.” Shoppers, she said, are deciding what is “worth it” on their own terms, whether that means more flavor, a specific benefit or an experience made for them.
Zest replaces heat
First on the list is a swing from spicy to zesty. After a decade of chasing heat, Nestlé says, consumers want something bright, sharp and lively. Searches for “zesty foods” are up 130% year over year, and sour-category sales have climbed 309% since 2022. The company points to ingredients like yuzu kosho, calamansi, sumac and chile citrus.
Protein with a second job
Protein is not fading. About 63% of US consumers are still trying to get more of it. What shifts in 2027, according to Nestlé, is that protein stops being the only goal. Shoppers want a second benefit too, from gut health to aging to beauty. Searches pairing protein with probiotics are up 300% year over year, with collagen 190% and with fiber 150%. Searches for “protein comfort food” have reached breakout status, Nestlé said.
Fruit in the cup
Coffee has always carried faint fruit notes, and the forecast expects them to move to the front. Social conversation around fruit-flavored coffee has grown more than 23% over the past year. Among Gen Z coffee drinkers, 63% say they prefer coffee with a lot of flavor. Matcha is following the same path, with fruit-forward versions reshaping a category projected to reach $7.3 billion by 2030.
Global food gets a zip code
International dishes have gone mainstream. Nearly three in four Gen Z and Millennial consumers count one among their comfort foods. Now the interest is narrowing: 66% want to explore regional variations within a given cuisine. Nestlé cites one example, saying regional Mexican preparations report 30% higher customer satisfaction scores than generic ones.
A little extra
The last trend is about small touches. Nearly three-quarters of US consumers say special touches make an experience feel more worth the cost, and nearly half say they are hunting for new foods and flavors most or all of the time. Presentation, bold flavor and complex texture carry the premium. In 2027, Nestlé says, the extras will be “built in, not added on.”
These are Nestlé’s own predictions, drawn from its research and third-party data, not independent findings.
Sources
- Nestle USA names top trends for 2027 | Food Business News
- Nestlé Identifies 5 Food and Beverage Trends for 2027 | Prepared Foods
