SIAL INSIGHTS: A FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON GLOBAL FOOD TRENDS 2026
Featuring exclusive analysis from SIAL partners Kantar, Circana and ProtéinesXTC, the programme offers a rare opportunity for food industry professionals across the SIAL Network to explore the shifts influencing consumer behaviour trends, innovation and global market performance.
As the pace of transformation in the food sector accelerates, access to reliable foresight has become essential. SIAL Insights responds to this growing need by bringing together globally recognised experts and data partners to examine how demographic change, innovation models, purchasing power pressures and evolving lifestyles are reshaping the industry. Available in multiple languages thanks to AI-assisted translation, the broadcast will be accessible to the entire food ecosystem, from manufacturers and food retailers to food distributors, private label food companies, innovative food service operators and market analysts.
A collaborative look at tomorrow’s food landscape
The programme builds on years of collaboration between SIAL and three of the industry’s leading data and insight partners:
Kantar, active in more than 90 markets, provides a deep understanding of international consumer behaviour trends 2026. Through its long-running Food 360 study, which has become a reference in the industry, Kantar examines how expectations around sustainability, mobility, health and convenience continue to evolve.
Circana, with a global footprint across retail, consumption and media intelligence, offers real-time visibility on how innovative food products perform on shelves and in foodservice. By analysing millions of retail transactions and out-of-home consumption records each year, Circana gives a detailed picture of how innovations are adopted, compared, or replaced in markets increasingly shaped by purchasing power and inflation.
ProtéinesXTC, the long-standing analytical partner behind the SIAL Innovation selection process, contributes a global perspective on food product innovation. Each year, the agency analyses thousands of launches to identify the shifts driving formulation, packaging, positioning and clean label strategies.
What viewers will discover on 1 December
The SIAL Insights programme will offer a guided exploration of several major themes emerging across global markets in 2025 and 2026. Each partner brings a different lens to these developments.
Circana: Demographic change, visibility and the new place of private label
Emily Mayer, Director of Studies at Circana, will delve into three dynamics that are redefining innovation in food industry markets:
- Demographic transformations such as ageing populations, the rise of single-person households and delayed parenthood. Each trend influences practical expectations around portion sizes, readability and ease of use, driving new product design needs.
- The critical role of visibility in-store. Beyond a product’s concept or formulation, its ability to stand out on shelves increasingly determines its commercial trajectory. This applies equally to brick-and-mortar retailers and online food retailers operating in highly competitive digital environments.
- The shifting balance between national brands and private label. Private label food manufacturers are no longer following established brands; in many cases they are setting the pace, particularly in markets such as Spain where retailers like Mercadona operate with the agility of true brand builders. This changing landscape affects loyalty structures and category dynamics as consumers navigate inflation and purchasing power constraints.
ProtéinesXTC: Ultra-personalised health and accessible innovation
Xavier Terlet, Trends & Innovation Expert, will highlight two areas gaining particular traction:
- Ultra-personalised health, where consumers increasingly look for functional benefits tailored to specific needs. As innovation deepens in areas such as targeted nutrition and well-being, new opportunities, and questions, arise for manufacturers.
- The challenge of affordability, which has become central since mid-2025. As purchasing power remains under pressure worldwide, successful innovations often combine added value with price accessibility, prompting brands to rethink formulation, formats and production approaches.
Fragmented eating as the new normal
Maria Bertoch is Circana’s industry expert on foodservice in Europe. She will explore the evolution of the breakdown of meals outside the home in Europe, namely with the trend of snacking. Snacking is no longer a ‘between-meal’ activity, but a new way of eating, shaped by mobility and new lifestyles. From an economic standpoint, faced with the current situation, how are consumers managing to spend less?
She will also look at how retailers are diversifying their food service offerings, and what factors determine consumers' choices when it comes to snacking options. When consumers go to supermarkets to buy food for immediate consumption, what are they choosing? Salade? Sushi? Optimising the prices of these offerings is important, but so is diversifying the range to offer more choice.
An international broadcast designed for the entire food ecosystem
The one-hour programme will be broadcast in several languages using AI-supported translation, enabling viewers around the world to follow the insights simultaneously. A replay will be available on the SIAL Paris website and SIAL Paris YouTube, allowing professionals to revisit the discussions, share them internally or integrate them into strategic planning.
By combining global data, expert interpretation and on-the-ground perspectives from different markets, SIAL Insights will offer a continuous connection point for the industry in the period between physical trade shows. It is intended as an open, informed and forward-looking resource for anyone seeking clarity on the forces shaping food trend 2026 pathways, from innovation pipelines and retail strategies to consumer expectations and foodservice transformation.
In the meantime until 1st December, take a look at last year’s trends!