Making Trend Reports Stick

Eric Davis (L) & Steve Halsey co-authored this article

In food and beverage marketing, trend reports arrive with clockwork regularity. Hot honey. Pickle everything. Added protein where protein has no business. After a while, it all starts to blur. The real question for marketers isn’t what’s trending. It’s what will last and why.

To explore that question, we developed “The 2026 MorganMyers Food & Flavor Trends Report,” grounded in two nationally representative consumer surveys—one among U.S. adults and one among household grocery purchase decision-makers. The goal wasn’t to create another list of “flavors to watch.” It was to understand how flavors move from buzz to basket, and why only a small fraction ever earn permanent pantry space.

The findings offer a practical playbook for marketers who want their trend reports—and their clients’ products—to drive real growth.

Look beyond the fad

Most flavor trends never make it past trial. In fact, only about 12 percent of new flavors ultimately reach repeat-purchase “staple” status. That statistic alone reframes the conversation. The goal of a CPG brand, commodity board or ingredient company shouldn’t be to achieve “trend” status. The goal is staple status. That’s where the real money lives. Trend reports become useful when they shift from naming what’s hot to explaining what makes something stick.

The four-stage flavor journey

Flavor adoption is not random. MorganMyers has found that it follows a predictable progression: Spark → Sample → Shift → Staple

Spark. Flavors first gain attention through chefs, niche media and social buzz. Thirty-eight percent of shoppers actively follow flavor trends, and another 33 percent notice them regularly. Awareness is rarely the problem.

Sample. Curiosity turns into action when trials feels low risk. Seventy-eight percent of consumers say free samples are their top trigger for trying something new. Limited runs, foodservice appearances and co-branded promotions create permission to experiment.

Shift. Momentum builds when flavors appear in packaged goods and retail environments. Family recommendations (69 percent) and grocery promotions (59 percent) are powerful conversion drivers. This is where buzz starts to become behavior.

Staple. Very few make the leap. True integration happens when a flavor fits into everyday cooking routines. Only 12 percent reach this stage, and just 7.7 percent of decision-makers say new flavors “almost always” become repeat purchases.

For food and beverage communicators and marketers, the implication is clear: Awareness campaigns alone are insufficient. Trial strategy, household influence and practical versatility determine survival.

Avocado toast vs. sriracha

The pattern becomes clearer when you compare two high-profile examples.

Avocado toast began as a niche café item but crossed the full adoption journey. It moved into grocery promotions, packaged products and everyday recipes. It worked across meals and generations. Gen Z made it visible. Millennials and Gen X made it practical. Boomers already trusted the core ingredient. The result wasn’t just a trend. It became infrastructure.

Sriracha followed a different path. It generated enormous buzz and cultural cachet, but its versatility was more limited for everyday cooking. It struggled to achieve multigenerational integration. It didn’t disappear, but it never fully transitioned from novelty to pantry anchor. The difference wasn’t quality. It was utility and cross-generational appeal.

Generations decide what sticks

Flavor adoption is heavily influenced by generational roles. Gen Z sparks trends. Millennials and Gen X act as gatekeepers, balancing novelty with family practicality. Boomers anchor longevity once they adopt something.

But a flavor becomes a staple only when it resonates across all three. That insight has real implications for messaging. Bold, global heat may ignite social feeds, but trusted classics and premium comfort often secure repeat purchase. “Fancy butter,” for example, taps nostalgia, signals quality and still feels shareable in modern food culture, a combination that gives it unusual runway.

Trial turns buzz into behavior

If awareness creates a spark, trial determines survival. Free samples (78 percent), bundling with familiar products (62 percent), discounts (63 percent) and seasonal launches (59 percent) significantly increase adoption likelihood.

The through line? Reduce perceived risk. Consider Greek yogurt. Once a novelty, it moved from trend to staple because it delivered familiar taste, clear health benefits and versatile applications, from single-serve cups to smoothie bases. Packaging reinforced practicality. Messaging reinforced nutrition. Retail reinforced availability.

Contrast that with unicorn-colored foods or hyper-visual social sensations. They generated spark but rarely delivered sustained household utility. The lesson for marketers: Excitement must be paired with everyday use cases.

Flavors gaining momentum

Among emerging flavors showing strong indicators of progression is hojicha, a roasted Japanese green tea with nutty sweetness and lower caffeine. Searches for hojicha lattes have surged year-over-year, and its adaptability across lattes, desserts and savory sauces suggests broader runway.

Other flavors demonstrating similar balance include miso caramel, macadamia, black cocoa, chili mango and floral infusions. What they share is a blend of novelty and familiarity. They feel new without feeling risky. That balance often determines longevity.

Why this matters for communicators

Food companies don’t plant trends. They plant crops. They invest in supply chains. They build brands around flavors they hope will endure for years.

Trend reports are most valuable when they function as strategic tools, not entertainment pieces. The real opportunity lies in understanding how ideas move through adoption stages and in designing communications programs that support each step intentionally: sparking awareness in the right cultural channels; lowering risk at the moment of trial; reinforce utility at retail and in the home; and positioning versatility to secure repeat purchase.

The discipline required mirrors any strong marketing program: integrated messaging, generational nuance, retail alignment and sustained reinforcement.

In a crowded thought leadership landscape, reports that simply declare “what’s hot” blend together. Reports that explain why things stick, and provide a roadmap for getting there, earn attention and drive action. The pantry, after all, is the ultimate KPI.

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Steve Halsey is Principal and Chief Growth Officer at G&S Integrated Marketing Communications Group. Eric Davis is VP of Food & Beverage at MorganMyers, a G&S Agency.