Unilever Food Solutions presents the Future Menus Trends 2025
Asian flavors are becoming increasingly popular worldwide
In its third Future Menus Report, Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) presents four key trends that are emerging in the international foodservice sector for 2025. Observations show that flavor profiles from the Asian region are conquering European countries with a strong culinary tradition, such as France and Italy. Chinese and Japanese cuisines are now among the top five most popular in the world across all age groups - Korean and Mexican dishes are also becoming increasingly popular.¹
A bold, modern take on global food trends--this vibrant stacked dish showcases the fusion of richly braised meat, creamy cheese, crisp greens, and indulgent toppings, embodying the Future Menus 2025 vision by Unilever Food Solutions. Highlighting culinary innovation, this image represents the evolving landscape of foodservice, where tradition meets creativity to inspire the next wave of chefs and operators worldwide.
Unilever Food Solutions
This shift from West to East and from North to South is also reflected in the main food trends of the year:
Streetfood Couture
Traditional street food is being transformed into truly gourmet dishes in almost every gastronomic sector, including upmarket restaurants. This trend is being driven by Generation Z in particular: 65% of this age group value good quality at fair prices when it comes to food and restaurant visits.² Mexican, Indian, Korean and Filipino street food are booming.
Borderless cuisine
Increasing globalization is leading to a fusion of diverse culinary traditions, and more and more chefs are incorporating their multicultural roots into their work.
Eastern flavors can be integrated particularly well into Western dishes through authentic umami suppliers. This makes it easier to combine traditional flavors into unique creations and refine classics such as pasta, stews and burgers with spices from Southeast Asia.
Culinary roots
Chefs are reviving almost forgotten traditions, discovering old recipes, ingredients and hyper-local cuisines such as those from the Chinese province of Hunan, the Arab Emirates, the Basque Country and Oaxaca in Mexico.3 The international UFS team of 250 culinary consultants supports customers in their regions in revisiting and reinterpreting local culinary heritage with creative recipes and preparation techniques.
Diner Designed
Behind this trend is a growing demand for personalized dining experiences. 47 percent of people prefer to spend their money on experiences rather than material goods.4 It is in this area that UFS offers companies training, menu development assistance and helpful tips on how to easily incorporate food trends.
"Future Menus helps chefs to be prepared for the ever-changing demands of their guests by addressing the most important menu trends," says Star Chen, CEO of Unilever Food Solutions. "We provide more than 3 million customers worldwide with expertise, recipe ideas and professional products to satisfy the growing appetite for Asian and South American flavors identified in this year's study. Future Menus is improving year on year, helping cooking professionals to keep up with trends and contributing to double-digit growth for our company. Seven out of ten customers would recommend UFS today."
In addition to the Future Menus trend report, further regional inspiration concepts will be published on www.ufs.com over the course of the year. These will include popular dishes and recipes tailored to the specific gastronomic preferences of the countries in which UFS operates.
About Unilever Food Solutions
Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) is a company by cooking professionals for cooking professionals. It operates in over 75 countries and accounts for 20 percent of Unilever's Foods business. With a team of more than 250 culinary consultants, UFS offers high-quality products, industry-specific inspiration and expert support for the food service industry. The portfolio includes successful brands such as Knorr Professional and Hellmann's, which can be used effectively in professional kitchens. Innovative recipes, masterclasses, training courses and various initiatives help chefs to be more creative, efficient and feel good. Further information can be found at www.ufs.com.
About the Future Menus Trend Report
Unilever Food Solutions' Future Menus 2025 Trend Report was created based on data collected globally and extensive input from chefs, including industry reports, social media analysis using 237,000 keywords representing 312 million searches across 21 countries, perspectives from UFS' 250 Culinary Consultants and extensive feedback from more than 1,100 culinary professionals in 20 markets worldwide via UFS e-Panels. This information has been translated into practical, actionable solutions for foodservice professionals around the world, including recipe ideas, techniques and ingredient options.
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1 GlobalData Industry Insights: Condiment and Seasoning Opportunities in Foodservice, 2025
2 TouchBistro: Gen Z Diner Trends Report, USA, 2024
3 The Forge (2024) Trend Setter 3.0, Culinary Roots. Chapter 300924. Google search query analysis for the Future Menus 2025 Trend Report. Markets: Germany, Brazil, Indonesia, Ireland, Canada, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, USA, United Kingdom. Survey period: August 2020 to July 2024.
4 Euromonitor: Premiumization 2024
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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