UK Food & Drink | 2026/27
Gen Z Food Trends: Not On Paper
The fourth of our Gen Z food trend spotlights for 2026/27 shines a light on viral hacks and ‘out there’ combinations, with concepts unusual on paper set to stick in the UK
Generation Z:
The New Food Challenge
The New Food Challenge
Gen Z remains the most compelling and creatively challenging demographic in food and drink.
Their influence isn’t just reshaping what we eat, it’s changing how ideas are developed, how menus are built, and how products earn relevance.
And, for a generation fuelled by digital discovery and cultural remixing, anything too predictable quickly gets left behind.
This is a cohort that moves fast, demands more, and embraces experimentation at every turn.
Their expectations are shaped by scroll-worthy discovery and a global flavour mindset - and sometimes that means what works on paper often isn’t enough.
Brands need to surprise, delight, and provoke curiosity through unexpected formats, joyful reinvention and bold sensory storytelling.
Their influence isn’t just reshaping what we eat, it’s changing how ideas are developed, how menus are built, and how products earn relevance.
And, for a generation fuelled by digital discovery and cultural remixing, anything too predictable quickly gets left behind.
This is a cohort that moves fast, demands more, and embraces experimentation at every turn.
Their expectations are shaped by scroll-worthy discovery and a global flavour mindset - and sometimes that means what works on paper often isn’t enough.
Brands need to surprise, delight, and provoke curiosity through unexpected formats, joyful reinvention and bold sensory storytelling.
Generation Z:
Solving the Puzzle
Solving the Puzzle
Developing Gen Z strategies is no simple matter, with Gen Z food trend insight vital to solving the puzzle.
At Insights Lab by Egg Soldiers, we're working well into 2026/27 with Gen Z food trend strategies, helping global brands confidently plan for the future.
That includes what we've dubbed 'Not on Paper' - the new wave of flavour that's about fun first and logic second.
We're talking a space where the weird, the wonderful, and the wildly flavourful take centre stage - the focus of our latest FREE trends snapshot on Gen Z food trends for 2026/27.
Insights Lab is the next generation of food trend service. That's why we get Gen Z.
At Insights Lab by Egg Soldiers, we're working well into 2026/27 with Gen Z food trend strategies, helping global brands confidently plan for the future.
That includes what we've dubbed 'Not on Paper' - the new wave of flavour that's about fun first and logic second.
We're talking a space where the weird, the wonderful, and the wildly flavourful take centre stage - the focus of our latest FREE trends snapshot on Gen Z food trends for 2026/27.
Insights Lab is the next generation of food trend service. That's why we get Gen Z.
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Gen Z Food Trends 2026/27: Not on Paper
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GEN Z FOOD TRENDS HANDBOOK, 2026/27
GEN Z FOOD TRENDS HANDBOOK, 2026/27
What to expect from our FREE whitepaper:
- Discover Insight Lab's top 10 food & drink trends for 2026/27, forecasted specifically for Gen Z
- Follow the foodservice, retail and manufacturing trend paper trails for each of our forecasted trends, featuring targeted examples and actionable recommendations
- Understand Gen Z motivations as they reshape the UK culinary landscape, and we can help you nail bespoke strategy pivots