So much is changing rapidly in our world. Consumer behavior, what we relate to, and what inspires us is also changing—sometimes, seemingly moment-to-moment. As a food brand, how can you keep up? Here, I’m sharing the top 5 upcoming 2025–2026 food packaging design trends with staying power , so you can stay ahead of the curve and be a leader of setting precedents—not a follower of fad trends that quickly come and go. These are positive trends you DO want to follow.
1. The cool factor of food packaging
It’s all about seeing and being seen. With so much emphasis on discovering the next coolest thing, and sharing that on social media, cool food packaging is where it’s at. People are looking for iconic new looks, and fresh-looking snacks, drinks, foods that will elevate their own impression. Someone recently said about one of our packaging designs, “I’d feel cooler just being seen with that package.” And that, my friends, is the point of this trend.
The cool factor of food packaging. It can organically spread so that everyone is your unpaid brand ambassador. But really, it’s about sharing good food with good people, and this is one way for a food product to spread the word and gain popularity.
So go out on a limb, try something new, take a fresh perspective, be daring, be bold, and be courageous in establishing your own new cool design trends.
2. Simple, raw, real design
Clean and polished design definitely still has a place. But ever since the pandemic uprooted our world, consumers’ behaviors and interests changed in a lasting way. And now, with so much uncertainty currently and ahead, we are seeing yet more change.
As such, consumers are increasingly attracted to design that is more raw, rough, irregular, and imperfect—embracing the imperfectness of humanity. It speaks to consumers in a real way, versus a perfectly polished way that could feel like just another corporate façade. Also as we see more and more AI images, which often look overly perfect, there is more of a thirst for real, human design.
Not every brand will align with this food trend as a personality, but this type of raw creativity can look very different depending on the brand. It might be youthful and playful for one brand, or bold and edgy for another. Go beyond perfection into realness. Play around with what this could mean for your food or beverage brand.
This food packaging design trend is also in response to the stark minimalism we saw for so long in the food category, which was once thought to express premium and luxury but eventually started to collectively feel vapid and lifeless. Humans connect with energy. We thrive on expression, connection, creativity, and joy. Embrace this approach in your branding.
3. Simpler messaging
Every food brand has so many great things they want to proclaim about their food product, but this often results in a food package crowded with a slew of certifications, nutrient callouts, and more. The thinking is that all these great claims will most certainly convince a consumer to buy the product. However, consumers are becoming overwhelmed, and more and more skeptical of these claims, wondering what the brand may be hiding. It’s also Just. Too. Much.
Consumers are gravitating more toward refreshingly simple messaging on package. When the pendulum swings too far in one direction (crowded packaging with too many clams), it bucks back in the other direction. Simplicity in food packaging messaging feels like a breath of fresh air. It can also feel calm and peaceful in these turbulent times. Plus, attention spans are getting shorter.
Some certifications and callouts certainly deserve to be on the front of a package. But be very selective. Identify only the most important 1, 2 or 3 things and place those strategically on your food packaging’s front panel. As for the rest? Consider a secondary or back panel for those, or work it into the product description. Keep your descriptive messaging short and to the point. Also, see the next point, and consider saying less. [I started talking about this back in 2018.] [More tips on food packaging messaging here.]
4. Let consumers decide what’s good or bad for them in food
Functional foods, specific diets, and differing dietary needs have become such a focus in the food space over the past many years. Nearly every food package is categorizing something that is good or bad for you, or telling you how to think about food. However, every person’s needs are specific to their bodies, and what works for one person may not work for another. Take IBS for example, where for some people, whole grains and many fruits and vegetables can make them terribly sick.
Telling consumers what’s good or bad about food casts a negative feeling. Not every food is for every person. Food brands have been telling us what’s good and bad for us in our food, and consumers are confused and fed up. It’s time to put the power back into the hands of the consumer to decide what’s best for their individual bodies. This also empowers individuals to find out what works best for themselves, versus assuming that what a package says applies to everyone.
Think of this food packaging design trend as a partnership between food brand and consumer—where the consumer has the freedom to decide for themselves—versus a directive telling consumers what to think.
5. Friendly competition
More food brands are taking a refreshingly new approach regarding the competition. Instead of seeing other brands in their category as competitors, they are seeing them more like colleagues—brands respectfully co-inhabiting the same space. Take different dietary needs, for example—many products in the space can serve entirely different audience subsets.
How can this mindset benefit your food brand? It might come into play directly on your food packaging or website—however, you already should not be dissing your competition, because that gives negativity (you shouldn’t have to talk down about another brand to prop up your own).
Instead, with this mindset of “we all can win,” focus on your brand’s and product’s unique strengths. What differentiates you from other brands or products in your space? Once you’re clear on your specific differentiation, leverage that in your messaging. The more you define your niche, the more you carve out your own unique space within the category.
Many consumers, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are into brands that do good in the world, and promote positivity. Plus, the food industry is a small world. The more we promote care and wellbeing for those around us, the more positive energy we put out into our spaces and our worlds. And that’s really important right now.
Summing it up
With lots of change happening in 2025-2026, this upcoming year is about simplifying, doing cool stuff, being real, and being nice. Think of it as a new back-to-basics kind of approach, but it’s not going back. We are in a new place and creating the new norms from here, together with those around us.
Interested in leveling up your food brand? Get started here.
