This week, our team had the opportunity to attend the International Food and Drink Event (IFE) 2025. This gave us a chance to explore the latest food and drink innovations and connect with industry leaders.
As part of the wider Food, Drink & Hospitality Week, IFE brought together key events such as IFE Manufacturing, The Pub Show, HRC and International Salon Culinaire, making it the UK’s largest celebration of industry innovation.
Here’s a roundup of our event highlights, from exciting product discoveries to engaging seminar discussions.
Emerging Trends in Food & Drink
As we walked through the exhibition hall, we identified some key trends making a serious impact:
- Protein Power: Health trends have shifted from low-fat, low-sugar and low-salt products to an overwhelming demand for high-protein options. Brands like fu:di are bringing high-protein pasta to market, while The Curators are offering protein-packed crisps that balance great taste with nutritional benefits.
- Plant-Based Innovation: The vegan and plant-based category continues to boom, with brands such as Araw unveiling creamy, dairy-free ice cream alternatives, Oatly expanding its popular range of oat-based milk alternatives and Taiwanese Vegan ‘Cheese’ made from tofu and olive oil.
- Sweet Treats with a Twist: Health-conscious snacking is on the rise, with low-sugar gummies by NeatSweets attracting attention, alongside the growing trend of freeze-dried sweets, with offerings from Sweeto and Tasty Vibes from United Food Brands providing a fun, crunchy texture.
Flavours Taking Centre Stage
Several flavours stood out across a broad range of products at this year’s show, signalling what we can expect to see more of:
- Truffle: Adding a premium edge to everything from pâté and cheese to cured meats, crisps and spreads.
- Hot Honey: A bold sweet and spicy combination that’s making its mark in sauces, snacks and even ice cream!
- Birthday Cake: Nostalgic and playful, this flavour is making a resurgence across sweet products.
Innovation in Action
With so many creative brands in the Start-Up Market, some of the most memorable product innovations included:
- Wriggle: These high-protein burgers and meatballs are made from crickets, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional meat consumption.
- Prepear: A Korean pear drink designed to help combat hangovers, Prepear blends tradition with modern wellness trends.
- Umri: A wellness drink tailored to support sleep, mood, and menopause health, with a focus on empowering female consumers.
- NeatSweets: Low-sugar gummies containing less than 2g of sugar per sweet, proving that healthier options can still pack a punch in taste.
Seminars and Showcases
As well as an exhibitor hall bursting with amazing products, IFE 2025 also featured a series of engaging seminars and showcases. Here’s what stood out most.
New Product Tasting Theatre
This theatre allowed brands to pitch their products interactively, offering the audience a chance to sample their latest creations while learning about their brand stories and how these innovations could add value to the market. See above for the brands that stood out most!
Future Food Stage
The Future Food Stage offered valuable insights for businesses aiming to grow and stay ahead of emerging industry trends. One standout session, Plant-Based Potential: The Future of Veganism, featured experts from The Vegan Society, Veganuary and Plant Futures Collective.
The panel explored how veganism and plant-based products are influencing the future of food and drink, diving into retail strategies, consumer behaviours and both the challenges and opportunities within the expanding market. Key takeaways included the debate over using “vegan” vs. “plant-based” as a product descriptor, the significance of third-party verification and how increased wariness of ultra-processed foods (UPF) has been weaponised against plant-based products.
Trends and Innovation Platform
With trends and consumer behaviours driving businesses forwards, this stage delivered the latest insights set to rock the food and drink industry. One key talk here was The Convenience & Impulse Opportunity, focusing on the UK’s 35,000 convenience stores and the challenges retailers face in choosing products. This session covered everything from the barriers to success, brand storytelling and the importance of pricing.
What’s Next for the Future of Food and Drink?
IFE 2025 proved to be a hub of innovation and creativity, offering insights into the future of the food and drink industry. From protein-packed products to wellness-focused beverages and exciting new flavours, it’s clear that the ever-evolving landscape of consumer preferences is only gaining momentum.
Want to read more about the behind-the-scenes of food and drink brands? Check out our blog post on How Food Brand Launch New Products.
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Sources
https://fooddrinkandhospitalityweek.co.uk
https://scottishhoneyberrygrowers.co.uk
