Food and Beverage Trends Report

We analyzed more than 179 million global online conversations to discover the latest culinary trends, including consumer eating and drinking habits, restaurant experiences, and how consumers feel about AI in the food and beverage industry.   

Food and beverage brands that analyze these online conversations can discover the opportunities and challenges among the latest consumer preferences and adapt their strategies accordingly.  To give you a head start, in this report we’ll cover:   

• The state of online conversations around food and beverage 
• Top food trends 
• Top beverage trends  
• Home cooking trends 
• Restaurant trends 
• How consumers feel about AI in the food and beverage industry 
• Top food influencers on Instagram and YouTube 

The state of online conversations around food and beverage  

Food and drink are popular topics in online conversations and mentions have increased by 6% in the period between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. The conversation has also become more positive, with positive mentions up 26% and mentions expressing joy up 29%.   What does the online conversation around food and beverage look like? Let's take a closer look at how brands are posting on social media, the most popular emojis and hashtags, and the most photographed food and drinks. 

The social media performance of food and beverage brands 

It's vital for brands to stay on top of their social media strategy, or risk getting lost in the noise and overshadowed by the competition. To do this, it's important to know how your brand is performing on social media compared to your competition. With Brandwatch Benchmark, we’re able to analyze the social media performance of brands across different industries to provide helpful benchmarks.    

Here are some interesting benchmarks for the food and beverage industry:  

• The average Instagram post engagement rate for food and beverage brands is 6.61%. 
• Food and beverage brands post an average of 10 times per month on X. 
• YouTube videos from food and beverage brands get an average of 621k likes.  

Most-used food and drink emojis  

A picture, or in this case an emoji, is worth a thousand words and there's no easier, more succinct way to express emotions online. As of June 2024, there are 3,782 official emojis available and 135 of them are food and drink related. For Unicode to approve an emoji, there are several criteria that must be met, such as potential demand and being easy to recognize.    

Which of these food and drink emojis are used most in online conversations about food and beverages?   

Looking at the generational data reveals some interesting differences in emoji usage:   

• Baby boomers are more likely to post the birthday cake emoji. 
• Millennials are more likely to use the pizza emoji. 
• Gen X and Z prefer the burger emoji. 

Most popular hashtags  

Hashtags are a great way to get your content in front of a broader audience that is interested in and actively searching for the topic. They are also often used as an extension of the caption to describe situations, emotions, and opinions, or simply so it’s easy for others to find your post when searching for a particular topic.   

What are the most popular hashtags in food and beverage conversations?   

Top 10 food and beverage hashtags: 

1. #travel 
2. #food 
3. #foodie 
4. #vegan 
5. #eat 
6. #love 
7. #foodporn 
8. #delicious 
9. #instafood 
10. #yummy    

With the #travel hashtag, people like to talk and post about their favorite foods and drinks they discover while on vacation. The top ten hashtags show that people like to share their love for food with hashtags like #love, #delicious and #yummy.   

Top five mentioned places in food-related posts that use #travel: 

1. Italy 
2. Thailand 
3. Paris 
4. Bali 
5. Taiwan  

Top food trends  

Food enthusiasts love to experiment and try new things, and social media is one of the sources they turn to for inspiration. It's no surprise that new food trends regularly go viral on social media.   

What are the most popular food trends in online conversations? 

Bowls are number one in our ranking of food trends. In second place is spicy food, followed by fermented food and mushrooms in third and fourth place, respectively.   

Regional and generational differences in online conversations about food trends  

What are the most popular food trends in different countries? Breaking down the online conversations by region reveals some interesting differences: 

While bowls are the most popular food trend in online conversations among consumers in the US, UK, and Australia, consumers in Germany and Spain are more likely to talk about spicy foods. Consumers in France are more likely than any other analyzed region to talk about algae and seaweed products.   

Looking at the generational data, there are also some interesting insights into how different generations talk about food trends:  

• Gen Z are more likely to talk about bowls and ramen than other generations. 
• Millennials are more likely to talk about nut butters than other generations. 
• Gen X and baby boomers are more likely to talk about fermented foods than other generations.  

Let's take a closer look at the top food trends.

The ongoing love for bowls  

Bowls are the number one food trend in 2024, and they have been for a few years now. People love bowls, and the number of unique authors talking about them online increased by 3% from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months.    

It's all about presenting food in a beautiful way. Whether it's a colorful smoothie bowl for breakfast or a comforting bowl of soup for dinner, bowls are a hugely popular way to arrange a meal (and to photograph it).

It's no surprise that they're a favorite, as visuals are an important aspect in food conversations. Bowls are a trend that's not going away anytime soon.   

Bowls are often mentioned in conversations about vegan or plant-based diets, and Gen Z is more likely to talk about bowls than other generations.  

The most popular bowls in online conversations are:  

• Rice bowls 
• Poke bowls 
• Burrito bowls 
• Smoothie bowls  
• Salad bowls   

According to online conversations, rice bowls are preferred for dinner, poke bowls are popular for lunch, and smoothie bowls are the most popular bowl for breakfast. 

Restaurant brands can jump on this popular trend by serving their food in bowls. Aesthetics play an important role in the dining experience. Restaurants that nail the presentation of their food can increase the likelihood that consumers will take pictures and post them on social media, ultimately attracting potential new customers.  

For example, The Avocado Show, a restaurant in Amsterdam, presents its vegan poke bowls in a unique way, with pieces of avocado becoming the bowl itself. 

Consumers get spicy 

Spicy food is not for everyone, but more people are experimenting with spicy ingredients, making it the second most popular food trend in 2024. The number of unique authors talking about spicy food increased by 4% from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months.   

As with bowls, Gen Z is particularly fond of spicy food and is more likely than other generations to talk about this food trend. Consumers in the US, Germany, and Spain are also more likely to talk about it than other analyzed countries.    

How do consumers talk about spicy food? They are most likely to mention it in conversations about Mexican, Indian, or Thai food. Looking at conversations from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 and comparing them to conversations from the previous 12 months, these cuisines have seen the most growth in mentions:

• Vietnamese +113% increase in mentions 
• Japanese +57% increase in mentions 
• Korean +19% increase in mentions   

Here are the top five foods and ingredients in spicy food conversations: 

• Chili pepper 
• Chili sauce 
• Gochujang 
• Chili con Carne 
• Kimchi  

The trending spicy foods with the biggest increase in online conversations from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months are Buldak, Tom Yum, chili sauces, and wasabi.   

Buldak is a spicy chicken dish from South Korea, but the main driver of conversation is Buldak Ramen, a Korean instant noodle brand. The brand became famous for its very spicy instant noodles, and search interest for Buldak skyrocketed in June 2024. 

The spiciness of their product is so high that Denmark recently banned some of their instant noodles because the high levels of chili are considered a health risk, especially for children.    

What do consumers think about these spicy noodles? Of all the spicy foods and ingredients analyzed, the conversation around Buldak is the most negative, with 76% of sentiment-categorized mentions being negative. Consumers complain that they can't eat Buldak Ramen because they don't have the spice tolerance, or they get a strong physical reaction when they eat it. 

Consumers love to try new things, and food brands that offer spicy flavors can stand out from the crowd. Food brands need to make sure that consumers are properly informed about the level of spice, not only for safety reasons, but also to avoid consumers complaining that the food is too spicy or not spicy enough. 

Consumers turn to fermented foods for taste and health benefits   

The third most popular food trend is fermented foods. Fermented foods are not only about taste and shelf life, but also about health benefits – they are easier to digest and are good for the immune system. The number of unique authors talking about fermented foods increased 6% from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months.   

Pickled foods, sourdough, and kimchi are the main topics in fermented foods conversations. While most of the regions we analyzed talk most about pickled foods, consumers from the US are more likely to talk about sourdough, while consumers from Germany and France are more likely to talk about sauerkraut.   

Fermented foods are a favorite in conversations about Korean, Japanese, and American cuisine.  

During the Covid-19 pandemic, consumers got into the kitchen to try new things and distract themselves. Making your own sourdough starter was one of many things that became popular during this time. While search interest for "sourdough" dropped sharply after the hype in 2020, according to Google Trends, it has been rising again since the beginning of 2024. 

Food brands can appeal to health-conscious consumers by adding fermented ingredients to their products. Whether it is sourdough pizza, kombucha-infused soft drinks, or ready-to-eat bowls with kimchi and tempeh, there are endless ways for food brands to offer food products with added health benefits. 

Mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms 

Mushrooms are the fourth most talked about food trend online. They are versatile and an ingredient commonly found in many cuisines. In online conversations, consumers often mention mushrooms alongside dishes with chicken, cheese, meat, onions, and pasta.   

As with fermentation, consumers like to experiment with mushrooms, and the most mentioned mushrooms are shiitake, lion's mane, and portobello. On TikTok, shiitake videos have over 75 million views and lion's mane videos have over 56 million views at the time of writing.  

Shiitake mushrooms are native to East Asia and are popular in Japanese cuisine. Their health benefits and umami flavor make them a go-to ingredient in healthy and plant-based recipes. Lion's mane mushrooms are named for their long spines that look like a lion's mane and are popular in dishes as well as supplements. According to Google Trends, search interest for both shiitake and lion's mane reached a 5-year high in 2024.   

In online conversations about shiitake and lion's mane mushrooms, taste is one of the most frequently mentioned topics. Consumers like to add new ingredients to their dishes or visit gourmet restaurants that offer innovative plant-based dishes with ingredients like the trending lion's mane. 

Restaurant brands experimenting with mushrooms in their dishes, whether adding trendy mushrooms like shiitake or turning them into creative meat alternatives, can lean on this trend of mushroom love. 

Top beverage trends  

Next, we have beverages. What trends are we seeing in online conversations? When it comes to discussions about non-alcoholic beverages, coffee is by far the most talked about beverage. 

Other popular drinks include tea, juice, water, soft drinks, and smoothies. Coffee is more important to older generations than younger ones. Baby Boomers are the most likely to talk about coffee online, while Gen Z are least likely to talk about it. 

Consumers seek coffee alternatives  

Coffee is an important part of many people's morning routine, giving them a boost of energy to start the day. However, some consumers are looking for alternatives to classic coffee. Alternative caffeine options, which often come with additional health benefits are also called clean caffeine.    

Whether it's as part of a healthy lifestyle or because consumers can't drink coffee due to stomach issues, coffee alternatives are trending. The number of unique authors talking about clean caffeine is up 3% from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months.   

Health is one of the main topics in online conversations about coffee alternatives. Consumers are not only looking for more energy, but also for caffeine drinks that boost metabolism and don’t cause stomach complaints.   

Here are the drinks most often mentioned in clean caffeine conversations: 

• Green tea 
• Black tea 
• Matcha 
• Mate 
• Oolong 
• Mushroom coffee   

Mate along with mushroom coffee is the alternative that has increased the most in mentions from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. 

Google search interest for matcha, mate, and mushroom coffee all reached a 5-year high in 2024. Matcha is a green tea from Japan that's popular in tea, lattes, and desserts. Mate, on the other hand, is a herbal beverage from South America that has become increasingly popular as an ingredient in soft or energy drinks in recent years. Mushroom coffee is a newcomer to the beverage market and has been gaining traction recently.   

Consumers are divided in clean caffeine conversations. There are as many mentions expressing joy as disgust. In positive mentions, consumers talk about the good taste of the drink, the positive effects on their health, sleep, and energy levels. Consumers who express disgust say they can't stand the taste, get an upset stomach, or underestimate the amount of caffeine and have trouble falling asleep.  

Coffee alternatives are on trend, and beverage brands that offer caffeinated beverages with ingredients such as green tea or mate can reach consumers who are interested in healthy lifestyles. 

Cream sodas and healthier sodas become more popular  

Soft drinks may not have as many mentions as coffee or tea, but they are trending upwards in beverage conversations. The number of unique authors talking about them is up 9% from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. 

The top soft drinks in beverage conversations are lemonade, cola, and cream soda. Cream soda is also the beverage that has grown the most with mentions increasing 155% from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, compared to the previous 12 months. Notably, Gen Z is more likely to talk about cream soda than other generations.    

In positive conversations about soft drinks, consumers are praising their love for their favorite drinks, highlighting the flavors such as strawberry, or how they are the perfect refreshment in the summer.  

In negative conversations, consumers share their love-hate relationship with soft drinks. Some say they are addicted to soft drinks and have difficulty quitting drinking them.  

The number of unique authors talking about healthier soft drinks has increased by 12% from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. Consumers are looking for soft drinks with less sugar or added health benefits, such as prebiotic or probiotic drinks.   

As with food, consumers love to try new flavors in their beverages, but they are also trying to make healthier choices. Soft drink brands that experiment with new flavors but also offer healthier choices with less sugar or added health benefits can reach a broader audience. 

Home cooking trends

Home cooking vs takeout  

The higher cost of living and inflation in recent years has made consumers more conscious of how they spend their money. According to a survey from the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association, 81% of American cook more than half of their meals at home and 64% say they do it to save money. Meanwhile, consumers in a study by Popmenu say that they spend 10% less of their food budget on eating out or ordering food from restaurants in 2024 compared to 2022.    

The social data replicates the direction of the trend. Online conversations about takeout are down 7%, while mentions of cooking are up 12% from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, takeout conversations skyrocketed as more people ordered while staying home. Since then, cooking conversations have grown and outgrown takeout conversations, and the gap between the two conversations has widened.  Money is one of the main topics in negative takeout conversations. Consumers say they are spending less on takeout to save money.    

Online conversations about budget and food increased by nearly a third from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. Consumers are talking about being more price-conscious when it comes to grocery shopping and looking for cheap groceries and restaurant meals.    

Asking for advice and sharing their experiences is a key driver in this discussion, and one platform they're going to is Reddit.    

Here are the top subreddits for food and budget-related conversations: 

From big general subreddits like r/AskReddit to specific subreddits like r/budgetfood, consumers turn to the Reddit community for help. Consumers discuss how to save money or shop on a budget, where to find the best cheap meals, or how to continue eating healthily on a limited food budget.    

While the sentiment in these conversations is slightly more negative than positive, positive mentions increased 43% from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, compared to the previous 12 months. Consumers from Australia and Germany are most positive about budget and food, while consumers from Spain and France are most negative on the subject. Consumers are happy to share in positive conversations when they find a good meal deal that not only fits their budget, but also meets their expectations for quality and service.  

Brands can target more price-conscious consumers by offering special deals or valuable tips on their social channels, such as pointing out cheaper product alternatives or posting recipes with affordable ingredients. 

Cooking for one gains traction  

Online conversations about cooking for one or single-serve meals increased by a third from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. “Cooking for one” videos have 157 million views on TikTok at the time of writing, and there are over 130k posts on Instagram using the hashtag #cookingforone.   

Overall, online conversations are positive, with joy being the most expressed emotion. It’s also the emotion that has grown the most over the analyzed period, with mentions up by over 60% from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months.  

Money is one of the most frequently mentioned topics in conversations about cooking for one. Consumers are looking for ways to save money. They are also interested in easy recipes that are high in protein or low in calories.    

While consumers are most likely to talk about dinner meals, mentions of single-serve snacks increased by 20% from July 1, 2023 to June 20, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. Again, protein plays an important role in conversations. Consumers are talking about healthy snacks and discussing snacks they can eat to maintain or lose weight.   

Negative conversations are often driven by consumers having to change their habits to save money or to eat healthier. There are also consumers complaining that grocery products are not suitable for single households, which can lead to food waste. 

Single-person households are on the rise. In the EU, more than a third of households are single people and the number of single-person households without children increased by 21% from 2013 to 2023. Brands can target this consumer group by offering single-serve-friendly products to reduce food waste, or by offering recipes or tips for preparing food in a single household.   

Restaurant trends 

Consumers talk less about dining out  

Online conversations about restaurants are on the decline. Consumers are talking less about their restaurant experiences, with a 9% decrease in mentions from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. 

In general, consumers like to talk online about the food they ordered, the service they received, and their overall experience at the restaurant. The discussion is more negative than positive, with 60% of sentiment-categorized mentions being negative. Consumers are dissatisfied with the service or quality of food they are getting for their money – especially with many prices rising.   

When their expectations are met or exceeded, consumers are eager to share their restaurant experiences and recommend the places to their peers and online communities.  

Italian, Mexican, and Chinese restaurants are the most talked about cuisines in restaurant conversations. Meanwhile, French and Japanese cuisine saw the highest percentage increase in mentions in restaurant conversations from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months.  

Restaurants need to be aware of the most common consumer pain points. As consumers become more selective about how they spend their money, only restaurants that hit service and quality expectations will outperform their competition. 

Brunch and snacks trending in restaurant conversations 

Dinner is by far the most popular meal mentioned in restaurant conversations. While brunch and snacks are not the most mentioned meals, their mentions increased the most from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months.   

Of all generations, Millennials are the most likely to talk about brunch and restaurants. They're known as the brunch generation, and their love affair with brunch isn't slowing down. But of all meals, brunch is the most negatively talked about.   

As with restaurant experiences in general, consumers expect quality for their money. Disappointing experiences are the main topic of negative conversations around brunch. Consumers say the brunch offerings are too expensive or, in hindsight, not worth the money. They also share their disappointment with the menu, either because it is not to their liking or because the restaurant does not share the menu on its website. 

Millennials and Gen Z are more likely to talk about snacks and restaurants than older generations. Whether it's a side dish to a main meal at a regular restaurant, an ice cream stand, or a snack bar for grabbing something on the go, younger generations are all about snacks.   

The number of unique authors talking about snack bars has increased by 15% from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. Search interest for "snack bar" has also increased over the past five years.    

Brands need to understand the preferences of different audiences, such as different generations. With these insights, they can create messaging that is tailored to the needs and interests of key audiences. 

Bringing cuisines together: The fusion trend 

Fusion kitchens combine ingredients and recipes from different cuisines and cultures to create unique and creative dishes. Whether it is sushi burritos, chicken parmesan, or ramen burgers, people are interested in trying new combinations.   

According to Google Trends, search interest in "fusion cuisine" reached a five-year high in June 2024. Online conversations also increased, with mentions up 25% from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. 

Popular foods in fusion kitchen conversations are Japanese, Italian, or Indian. According to online conversations, these are the most popular fusion cuisines:  

• Japanese and Chinese 
• Japanese and Italian 
• Italian and American 
• Indian and Chinese 
• Indian and Mexican 

Overall, online conversations about fusion food are overwhelmingly positive, with two-thirds of sentiment-categorized mentions expressing positivity. Consumers share their positive experiences of eating food with new and interesting flavors and eating "special" dishes that they don't usually see in other restaurants.    

In negative conversations, consumers are disappointed that the quality of the food didn't meet their expectations or that the food is too expensive. Others are critical of the fusion of cuisines. While some consumers don't mind that fusion food is not ‘authentic’ or see it as a distinct cuisine, others are critical of the authenticity of fusion cuisine. 

Restaurant brands need to ensure they are providing quality food to meet consumer expectations, especially for higher-priced fusion cuisines. Brands can engage consumers interested in the experience of trying new cuisines by adding information about the inspiration for their dish to the menu or posting content on their social media channels.  

In this Instagram post, the owners of Shalom Japan, a Japanese-Jewish fusion kitchen, talk about their background and the thought process behind how they create their dishes: 

How consumers feel about AI in the food and beverage industry   

AI is now disrupting many industries, with a lot of innovations designed to make processes faster and our lives easier. The food and beverage industry is no exception.    

Food and beverage brands are using AI technology for chatbots to improve customer service, to make food or restaurant recommendations in their apps for a better customer experience, or to improve logistics and reduce food waste. There are many use cases on how AI can benefit food and beverage brands to reduce costs and (when done well) to increase customer satisfaction.   

What are consumers thinking about AI? 

Mentions of AI in online conversations about food and beverages increased by 30% between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. AI technology can help consumers find recipes based on their diet or available ingredients, use voice-activated assistants to answer questions hands-free, or find products with the help of a chatbot. 

A main driver of the conversation is how AI will change our lives, for better or worse. Despite all the potential convenience, when we look at the sentiment of the conversation we see that consumers fear the worst. Over 80% of sentiment-categorized mentions are negative, and negative mentions increased by 56% in the period analyzed compared to the previous 12 months. Across all generations, millennials are the most negative about AI in food and beverage, and consumers from the US and Australia are more negative about the topic than other countries we analyzed.    

It's not just the fear of AI eliminating many jobs and a dystopian future that leads to a lot of negativity, but also brands using AI in ways that don't improve the customer experience. From chatbots that don't understand questions to AI-generated food images, consumers are critical of how AI is used by brands, particularly when the use of AI makes the customer experience worse. 

Brands using AI need to make sure they have the customer in mind. If the technology doesn't improve the customer experience or removes authenticity, consumers will call it out. AI isn't going anywhere and, as more innovations emerge, brands able to leverage AI while remaining authentic and helpful will deepen customer loyalty.

Top food influencers on Instagram and YouTube  

Food enthusiasts are always looking for inspiration, and one way to do that is to follow influencers and content creators. Influencers can have a big impact on their followers' purchasing decisions, and brands that work with them can build stronger relationships with new and existing audiences.  

Using Brandwatch Influence, we searched for the top food influencers on Instagram and YouTube. We looked for accounts with at least 100k followers and mentions of "food," "recipes," "cook," or "chef" in their bio or account name.    

Here are the top 10 food influencers on Instagram and YouTube, ranked by average engagement: 

There's a lot you can do with food, so it's no surprise that the top food influencers on our list are incredibly varied. Whether it's a cat or a DJ cooking, ASMR videos or inspiring recipes, professional chefs or home cooks, consumers love their content. Let's take a closer look at our top-ranked influencers and what makes them special.  

On Instagram, Kenny Song is at the top. Kenny is a home cook from Toronto who uses Instagram to share his love of cooking and making videos. His account is full of videos of him cooking, mostly Asian dishes that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and ear. His ASMR cooking videos get an average of 802k likes, and one of his most popular videos of him recooking a viral recipe got over 3.6 million likes.   

DJ Marshmello is most popular for his music, but he also loves food and his Cooking With Marshmello account on YouTube has made it to number one in our rankings. His short clips average 574k likes and 12.4 million views. Wearing his iconic Marshmello mask, he cooks everything from large ostrich eggs to watermelon jelly to beef wellington, and with his songs playing in the background, his cooking videos are also a clever way to promote his music. 

With influencer marketing tools like Brandwatch Influence, brands can easily discover influencers and content creators that align with their brand values and manage their influencer relationships in one place.