What are we going to eat in the next coming years?
Earlier last month, I recorded a podcast at Abbey Road Studios genuinely one of the coolest rooms I’ve been in for a recording. It was part of Beverage Forum Europe, so stay tuned for when it airs.
On the podcast, I talked a bit about what I think is coming in the next five years, ingredient-wise, and I wanted to go deeper here with more detail than a podcast segment allows.
1. Creatine
Yes, I had to talk about it. Creatine is here, and it’s not going anywhere.
In the next five years, I think we’ll see consumers taking in creatine across a much wider range of formats than the classic tub-of-powder-at-the-gym image most people still have. Expect to see it in:
- RTD (ready-to-drink) beverage formats: creatine formulated directly into functional drinks, not just mixed in yourself
- Sachets and RTM (ready-to-mix) formats: convenient, portable, on-the-go dosing
- Powders as a top-of-bottle add-in: layered onto existing products rather than sold as a standalone supplement
- Stacked with other functional ingredients: paired with nootropics for cognition, with other sports performance actives, and increasingly, marketed specifically for menopause support, as more research and consumer interest emerges around creatine’s role in that life stage
The format expansion is the real story here — creatine itself isn’t new, but where and how consumers will be taking it is about to look very different.
2. Lactoferrin
Lactoferrin is also going to start showing up in RTM and RTD categories. Lactoferrin is an iron-binding protein, found naturally in milk and various body fluids, that helps regulate iron absorption and supports the immune system and it’s especially effective at improving the bioavailability of iron.
This matters more than it might sound, because things are really changing within the women’s health space. We’re no longer diagnosing tiredness in women with just anemia, looking at ferritin levels is becoming more widespread. Women experiencing hair loss or persistently low energy are increasingly being evaluated this way, and lactoferrin can support across all of these areas. I think we’re going to see it positioned specifically around women’s health in the next few years, not just general iron supplementation.
3. Algae and Microalgae
Both algae and microalgae bring genuinely impressive benefits omega-3s, B-complex vitamins, and overall nutrient density, typically with a good source of fiber and a solid amount of protein too.
I think we’re going to see algae and microalgae infiltrate nearly every sector of food and beverage. In particular, the omega-3 angle is huge it offers a way to replace fish oil with a vegan, more sustainable alternative, without losing the functional benefit people are actually looking for.
4. Sugar Alternatives
The sugar dilemma you’ve heard it all before. We’re constantly looking for ways to reduce sugar while still holding onto great taste and texture, and there’s a wave of genuinely innovative new ingredients starting to hit the market: sweet proteins, palatinose, tagatose, allulose, among others.
I’m also hearing about some interesting new delivery mechanisms designed to make sugar essentially “stick” to the tongue longer which is fascinating, because it allows brands to cut actual sugar content while still giving the brain the perception of a sweeter product. I expect a lot more innovation in this space, and I think we’ll start to see indigenous ingredients from other parts of the world get cultivated specifically to support sugar reduction or replacement in mainstream products.
5. Yeast and Fermentation
This one isn’t a single ingredient so much as a whole category of process using different types of yeast and bacteria in fermentation, whether that’s traditional fermentation or precision fermentation, to create entirely new categories of ingredients.
Yeast proteins specifically are a great example: several types are now hitting the market, offering strong nutritional value and a genuinely good source of protein. These are already being used across plant-based yogurts, milks, and protein bars.
What excites me most here is the sustainability angle many of these ingredients can be produced without requiring arable land at all, which opens the door to production within cities, or in places like islands that have traditionally had to import nearly all of their food.
The bigger trend underneath all of this
Beyond these five specific ingredients, there’s a broader shift worth naming: a lot of what used to live exclusively in the supplement aisle is now merging into ready-to-drink beverages, ready-to-mix sachets, and powders. CoQ10, postbiotics, probiotics and prebiotics, and anything tied to gut health are all part of this crossover alongside ingredients supporting inflammation reduction, fertility, menopause, cognition, and of course, the almighty GLP-1’s.
My honest prediction: anything that supports metabolic function, cellular nutrition, and women’s health specifically is going to succeed in food and beverage over the next few years. The format is changing supplements aren’t staying in their own lane anymore and the ingredients that win will be the ones that can make that jump credibly.
What I ate this week that was delicious
I know you’ve been waiting to hear this. This isn’t the norm, but I was in Italy last week, so I can’t skip talking about what I ate during my time in Puglia.
Tomatoes! yes, many tomatoes were consumed in every way possible: bruschetta, sauce, you name it, I ate it. Italy just does food differently; every bite is filled with the passion of the chefs, farmers, and producers behind it. The gelato, the charcuterie, the fresh seafood, and of course, the pasta. But what really stole the show was the prosciutto pizza with pesto.
This piece was first published on Natalie’s Substack: As a Food Scientist, Here Are the Next Hottest Ingredients.