The 2027 report from Whole Foods Market highlights eight trends ready to shape what’s new on shelves, in the kitchen, and on dining room tables in the year ahead

Today, Whole Foods Market unveiled their top food trends for 2027 in the retailer’s annual Trends predictions report. Whole Foods Market predicts 2027 will be the year of terroir (seeking a “taste of place” and product origin), Japanese comfort food, food as skincare, and a rise in bitter flavors. These and more are set to influence the food landscape showing up in restaurants, grocery aisles and home kitchens.

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Whole Foods Market 2027 Trends Predictions

The Whole Foods Market Trends Council – a collective of Whole Foods Market team members ranging from foragers and buyers to culinary experts – develops these trend predictions each year through a combination of deep industry experience, keen observation of consumer preferences, and long-standing relationships with emerging and established brands.

“Since we opened our doors, Whole Foods Market has led the industry in seeking and stocking the latest innovations in food and beverage," said Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, VP of Worldwide Grocery Stores Private Brands & Marketing and Whole Foods Market's Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer. “From being an early prognosticator of fermented foods to highlighting essential movements like regenerative agriculture, we've been on the forefront of what's new and next. We're excited to bring even more innovation to our shelves in the coming year and continue to find emerging trends that will impact the way we eat for years to come."

"This year's predictions reflect a real shift in how people are eating — a curiosity about origin, a willingness to try bitter and unexpected flavors, and a meaningful return to simpler, whole-food ingredients," said Cathy Strange, Ambassador of Food Culture for Whole Foods Market and member of the Trends Council. "Our Trends Council spends the year in the field, from farmer's markets to trade shows to neighborhood restaurants, and the 2027 list captures just how quickly these ideas are moving from emerging concepts into everyday kitchens."

Whole Foods Market’s top food trend predictions for 2027 include:

Terroir’s New Territory
Terroir refers to the soil, climate and geography that shape a product’s taste and character, and that idea is gaining ground far beyond the wine aisle. Growing interest in provenance and Protected Designations of Origin are drawing customers to the distinct flavors of regional honey, single-estate chocolate and named-source grains. Brands like Jacobsen Salt Co. and Counter Culture Coffee are helping to normalize origin-specific storytelling, while Row 7 Seed Co.’s tinned produce highlights vegetables grown on specific regional farms, preserving a sense of place from field to finished product. The concept has even expanded into categories like seafood through the rise of “merroir,” which highlights how the ocean environment influences flavor. Whole Foods Market is increasingly emphasizing regional identity through offerings like single-estate extra-virgin olive oils, Parmigiano Reggiano sourced from select farms in Parma, Italy, and exclusive products like Principe San Daniele prosciutto, a traditionally aged product sourced from the only Certified Humane farm in Italy.

Try the Trend: Jacobsen Salt Co. salts (product of Oregon; available in select stores), Row 7 Seed Co.’s tinned vegetables (sourced from single organic farms across the U.S.; launching in 2027), Parmigiano Reggiano (product of Italy), Principe San Daniele Prosciutto (product of Italy), Whole Foods Market single-origin coffees (products of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Kenya), Seggiano vinegars (product of Italy), Damya Extra Virgin Olive Oil (product of Tunisia), Whole Foods Market Steelhead Trout (product of Norway), Heydoh Single-Origin Soy Sauce (part of Whole Foods Market’s 2026 LEAP Early Growth Cohort), Whole Foods Market Transparent Trade Peruvian 70% Dark Chocolate (launching fall 2026).

Beautrition
Glowing skin is becoming an inside job. “Beauty from within” is gaining momentum as consumers are turning to ingredients rich in collagen, antioxidants, healthy fats and hydration to support skin health. Collagen jelly sticks, skin glaze gummies, olive oil shots and “drink your sunscreen” products are emerging in the beauty and wellness market, blurring the lines between snack, supplement and skin care. Both content creators and wellness media continue to drive momentum around nutrient-dense, skin-supportive foods like carrots, cabbage, cucumber and tinned fish. Sardines and oysters are gaining attention as skin-supportive foods, with sardines offering omega-3s and vitamin D, and oysters providing zinc and copper to support hydration, collagen production and a healthy skin barrier. This trend is also extending to food-inspired aesthetics (from “glazed donut skin” to “strawberry girl makeup”) and products made with edible ingredients (like lip plumpers enhanced with cinnamon and cayenne).

Try the Trend: Kuli Kuli Sea Moss & Blue Spirulina Superfood Gummies, True Sea Moss Mango and Pineapple Sea Moss Gel, Rizo Radiance Collagen Teas (available in select stores), Kosterina Extra Virgin Olive Oil Shots (available in select stores), Purely Elizabeth Instant Superfood Oatmeal with Collagen, Vital Proteins Sparkling Collagen Water (launching fall 2026), Whole Foods Market’s Detox Blend (coming to the salad bar in January 2027), Whole Foods Market Fresh Oysters, FOND.

The Yōshoku Effect
From pillowy milk bread to savory-sweet curry, Japanese comfort food is gaining momentum in the U.S., and much of that interest centers on yōshoku. Rooted in the adaptation of European and American dishes to Japanese tastes, this culinary tradition transforms familiar formats into nostalgic, highly craveable meals like tonkatsu, spaghetti Napolitan, Japanese curry rice and omelet rice (omurice) and Wagyu hamburger steak (hambagu). Social media is also fueling discovery through viral omurice and shio pan videos as well as konbini content featuring katsu and tamago sandwiches and warm curry bread (kare pan). Once found primarily in restaurants, yōshoku is now expanding to grocery aisles through everything from pantry staples and condiments to bakery items and dairy products. Whole Foods Market’s late-2025 launch of Japanese-style milk bread, which quickly went viral, reflects how growing customer demand for Japanese comfort food is translating into grocery innovation.

Try the Trend: Point Reyes Farmstead TomaRashi Cheese, KuiKui Black Sesame Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix (available in select stores), Matchaful Grain-Free Matcha Granola (available in select stores), Whole Foods Market Kitchens Japanese Style Milk Bread, Cabi Original Japanese Mayo (available in select stores), Kimono Mom’s Umami Sauce and Umami Furikake, Whole Foods Market Chicken Katsu Bowls (available in select stores), Alaskan Leader Miso Marinated Wild Alaska Black Cod.

Dish Reinvention
The most exciting new foods don’t necessarily taste new — they just show up where you least expect them. Consumers are increasingly embracing playful transformations of beloved dishes into entirely new forms, creating eating experiences that feel both nostalgic and novel. Across social media, birria tops ramen, smash burgers become tacos and cinnamon rolls find new life as focaccia. Restaurants are also fueling the trend with inventive creations like crab rangoon dip, scallion pancake BLTs and Korean BBQ-inspired duck confit. The concept is quickly moving into grocery aisles, inspiring products like lemon miso chicken Alfredo and mango sticky rice ice cream. Whole Foods Market is tapping into the trend through seasonal prepared foods, Bakery and coffee bar offerings like Elote Pizza, Beef Shawarma Soup and Buffalo-Style Chicken Lasagna.

Try the Trend: Mimi Cheng’s Korean-Glazed Grass-Fed Beef Dumplings, Whole Foods Market Buffalo-Style Chicken Lasagna, Saffron Road Crossroads Lemon Miso Chicken Alfredo, Van Leeuwen Mango Sticky Rice Ice Cream, Whole Foods Market Kitchens Beef Shawarma Soup (launching early 2027), Whole Foods Market Kitchens Zuppa Toscana Take-and-Bake Pizza (launching early 2027), Whole Foods Market Organic Cacio e Pepe Crunch Salad Kit, Truly Indian “Butter Chik’n” Naan (available in select stores), Laoban Birria Soup Dumplings (launching winter 2026).

Ingredient Minimalism
When it comes to ingredient lists, less is becoming more. Fueled by viral “read your labels” social content and growing scrutiny around additives and ultra-processed foods (UPF), shoppers are embracing pared down ingredient lists as a marker of quality. Manufacturers are responding by simplifying formulations, replacing once-lengthy ingredient lists with concise ones. A growing number of non-UPF apps and certification programs are also emerging to help consumers navigate store shelves. This broader industry trend has long been foundational to Whole Foods Market, where our Quality Standards currently ban more than 300 food ingredients.

Try the Trend: Vandy Crisps, Ella’s Flats Superfood Seed Crackers, Avaline Wine**, Daily Crunch Sprouted Nuts, Simple Mills Nut & Seed Trail Mix Bars (Non-UPF Verified), MALK Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk, Lovebird Cocoa O’s Grain-Free Cereal, RXBAR Protein Energy Bites, Whole Foods Market Pistachio Butter, Spindrift Tea (Non-UPF Verified), Teton Waters Ranch 100% Grass-Fed Beef Meatballs, HOL Health Club Bone Broth Protein Bars (part of Whole Foods Market’s 2026 LEAP Early Growth Cohort).

Bitter Done Better
Customers aren’t just taking the bitter with the sweet; they’re choosing it instead, shifting toward more complex flavor profiles. Driven by expanding palates, digestive wellness and the sober-curious movement, bitter ingredients are showing up on restaurant menus and in packaged goods and beverages — from nonalcoholic cocktails, spirits and amaro-inspired drinks to chocolate enhanced with ingredients like fennel pollen, tarragon, burnt sugar, licorice root, ash and quinoa. Grocers are also offering more bitter greens, like radicchio, endive, escarole, broccoli rabe and dandelion greens. Meanwhile, social media continues to fuel curiosity around licorice, salmiak, bitter melon and other intensely bitter or herbal flavor experiences.

Try the Trend: Ghia Spritzes and Apéritifs*, The Pathfinder Hemp and Root Non-Alcoholic Spirit**, Lapo’s Amaro Cola* (available in select stores), Whole Foods Market Zucchini & Rapini Wood-Fired Pizza, Hella Cocktail Co. Grapefruit Bitters & Soda, Yogi Egyptian Licorice Tea, Bitter Greens (radicchio, endive, escarole, broccoli rabe), Darrell Lea Original Australian Black Licorice, Alter Eco Burnt Caramel Dark Chocolate Bar.

Zero Waste 2.0
While food waste reduction has been gaining traction for years, consumers are now embracing a broader zero-waste mindset, looking for ways to reduce waste across their daily lives. Rather than viewing sustainability as a series of individual actions, shoppers are embracing more circular systems that maximize resources and minimize what ends up in landfills. Upcycling has moved beyond the produce department, which led this trend, to become a source of product innovation in other categories. Wasted Pasta transforms unused bakery bread into dried pasta, Renewal Mill turns by-products such as oat pulp and okara into baking ingredients, Graza uses olive pomace in its Frizzle cooking oil and Whole Foods Market brand coffee spotlights cascara, the often-discarded fruit surrounding the coffee bean. To serve customers with zero-waste mindsets, retailers are investing in refill formats, bulk departments and circular collaborations. Examples include Whole Foods Market’s collaboration with Mill, food waste conversion technology that turns produce scraps into nutrient-rich chicken feed, as well as Too Good To Go and Enjoy Today, programs that offer customers deep discounts on products nearing expiration to help keep food out of landfills.

Try the Trend: Wasted Pasta (available in select stores), UpCircle Face Scrub with Coffee + Rosehip Oil, waste Cocktails** (available in CA), Fancypants Baking Co. Cookies (available in MA), Barnana Plantain Chips, Blue Stripes Cacao Superfruit Gummies, Graza Frizzle High Heat Cooking Oil, Lundberg Family Farms Organic Upcycled Jasmine White Rice.

The Bean Boom
Once relegated to side-dish status, beans and legumes are now claiming center-of-the-plate real estate as consumers seek whole-food sources of protein and fiber that also happen to be budget-friendly and gut-friendly. From brothy butter beans and crispy chickpeas to lentil-forward bowls and heirloom bean stews, legumes are increasingly appearing in chef-driven dishes that treat beans less like pantry staples and more like premium ingredients. In retail, products like instant lentil bowls and snacks made from chickpeas, edamame and lupini beans are showing up on shelves. Companies like Rancho Gordo and SIMPLi have built devoted followings around their bean club subscriptions highlighting ethically sourced legumes. And social media is even fueling renewed enthusiasm for beans through viral dense bean salads, cozy “beans on toast” variations and aesthetically styled pantry content (dubbed BeanTok) centered around colorful heirloom varieties.

Try the Trend: Loopini Protein Packed Frozen Pizza (available in select stores), SIMPLi Regenerative Organic Beans, A Dozen Cousins Trini Chickpea Curry, Biena Edamame Supersnacks, Lentiful Instant Lentil Bowls, BRAMI Chili & Lime Lupini Snacking Beans, SOMOS Mexican Street Corn Pinto & Black Beans, Whole Foods Market Organic Red Lentil Spaghetti, Whole Foods Market Pacific Protein Blend Frozen Vegetables, Patagonia Provisions Sardines & Beans.

* Must be 21+ in select states.
** Must be 21+. Please drink responsibly.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261014474795/en/

"This year's predictions reflect a real shift in how people are eating — a curiosity about origin, a willingness to try bitter and unexpected flavors, and a meaningful return to simpler, whole-food ingredients." — Cathy Strange, Whole Foods Market