ADM's 2026 Flavor and Color Trends: A Year to Cultivate Personal Resilience

With the unveiling of its 2026 flavor and color trends outlook, ADM predicts that 2026 will be a year to cultivate personal resilience. Consumers around the world are intentionally seeking ways they can overcome persistent challenges and stressors.

ADM's new report spotlights three trend spaces influencing what flavors and colors – and food and beverage formats – are anticipated to captivate consumers in the year ahead. These three categories, and corresponding flavor and color trends, will mirror consumer desires to feel safe and in control, while also maximizing moments of joy and prioritizing wellness.

Authentic Wellbeing
Wellness is now at the forefront of consumers' minds, no matter their age. Now more than ever, people want to support their longevity and consider not only their physical well-being, but also their mental resilience and social connections. Orange and yellow hues alongside bright citrus flavors or creamy notes reflect interest in authentic, nourishing choices.

Give Me More
Deeper experiences that tantalize tastebuds are necessary forms of self-care during times of uncertainty. Consumers can enter a world of playful creativity through intriguing flavors and colors, and they’re daring brands to give them more. Bold blues and unique greens paired with culinary mash-ups and mix-ups and an "all-in-one" sensory theatre of tastes and textures encapsulate this demand.