Culinary Compass – August 2025

Welcome to the Culinary Tides’ monthly Culinary Compass, where we chart the course of the food industry’s latest trends, data, and developments. Each month, we’ll be sharing our top research picks, breaking news, and favorite industry insights, alongside all the latest from Culinary Tides, Inc.—including trend insight research, upcoming speaking events, and expert navigation advice. We are excited to bring you these curated highlights and exclusive content, designed to keep you ahead of the curve in our ever-evolving industry.

Let us help you jumpstart your strategy plan for 2025! Consider partnering with Culinary Tides, Inc. as your personal Think Tank, or for White space identification & navigation, Trend origin, longevity & trajectory reports, Concept development & refinement, or Ideation, Concept review & Strategy workshops.

Anchored Insight: Research

IFIC: 71% of Americans are actively trying to increase their protein intake—a steady rise from 67% in 2023 and 59% in 2022, 35% reported eating more protein over the past year, yet 79% either don’t know (53%) or are unsure (26%) about their daily protein requirements 

Innova: 21% say that mood enhancement is most important aspect of flavor, 51% say comforting flavors most influence their food and beverage choices, 39% are interested in trying more global cuisines, South Asian has fastest growth at 51%, Latin American at 21%, American at 17%

Regulatory Ripples: Government Updates

USA: FDA approves gardenia (genipin) blue, a natural color derived from the gardenia fruit, for use in foods such as sports drinks, teas, fruit drinks, and candies

EU: European Commission proposes a new restriction that would ban the use of 29 traditional meat-related terms, like “meat,” “pork,” “chicken,” “tenderloin,” and “bacon”, on plant-based food labels

The Best of Future Bites: Conference Insights

What were the most interesting and exciting trend topics from recent conferences? Take a quick educational break from your day and enjoy this 5-minute look at a trend that impacts the food industry.

Click Below to Watch ~ The Ozempic Revolution: How Obesity Drugs Are Redefining Consumers’ Food Behaviors

Best of News Comments

Every weekday we post news items and cutting-edge research which impact the food and beverage industry. If you missed them, check out a few of our favorites from the past month:

1) When Health Meets Politics: What the WHO Rejection Means for Food & Beverage: The U.S. rejection of WHO’s pandemic agreement signals more than just a policy shift—it marks a growing trend of national sovereignty clashing with global coordination. For the food industry, this could mean increased uncertainty around future health crises, supply chain protocols, and international food safety standards. Companies should prepare now for a future where health regulations vary more widely by country—and where swift adaptation becomes a competitive edge.

Where could it go next? Expect more fragmented responses to public health emergencies, greater politicization of food safety protocols, and rising consumer skepticism toward global health narratives.

2) Protein Nation: America’s Continued Climb Toward High-Protein Living:

The numbers don’t lie: Americans are obsessed with protein. The 2025 IFIC Food & Health Survey shows 71% are actively trying to consume more—up from 67% in 2023 and 59% in 2022. And for the third year running, high-protein diets top the list of most-followed eating patterns.

But this isn’t just about muscle—it’s about satiety, weight management, metabolic health, and perceived simplicity.

Where could it go next? 
🔍 Expansion of protein in unconventional formats (beverages, snacks, desserts)
🌿 Blended protein innovations (animal + plant for balance and function)
📦 Protein-forward claims becoming baseline, not a differentiator

For brands, it’s no longer should we offer high-protein—it’s how can we do it better, cleaner, and more creatively?

Anchored Insight: Tech Launches

Culinary Tides in the News

• Culinary Tides, Buona Companies, Roll Mobility leaders to give executive perspectives at Fast Casual Executive Summit – fastcasual.com
• Economic stressors altering 2025 food trends – foodbusinessnews.net
• Caution advised when making GLP-1 labeling claims – foodbusinessnews.net
• Asian Cuisine and Flavors Dominate Global Foods – todaysdietitian.com
• What’s Currently Trending in Tea? – worldteanews.com
• Forecasting flavors: The taste of 2025 – fastcasual.com
• Flavor Trends: What to Expect in ’25 – supermarketperimeter.com

Culinary Tides’ Next Conference Appearance

• August 28 & 29, 2025: SCIP Workshop Webinar

• August 7, 2025: IDDBA Webinar

• September 13 &14 2025: IBIE x2, Las Vegas

• September 25: IFT Philadelphia, NJ

• October 7, 2025: Fast Casual Executive Summit, Austin, TX

• December 4, 2025: IDDBA Webinar

Culinary Snapshot

Tide’s Table

Each month, Culinary Tides is taking you on a flavorful journey with our recipe feature! Inspired by the tides of trends, these recipes are crafted to bring a touch of charm to your table. From bright beverages and delicious desserts to hearty dishes and sides, there’s something fresh and exciting waiting for you in every edition. Dive in and make waves in your kitchen!

This month we celebrate Savory Breakfast! Have you tried this?

Free Downloads!

6 MUST Ask Questions to Make Your Next Workshop A Success

🚨 Ready to Make Smarter Moves in 2025? 🚨

The 2025/26 Shifting Sands Yearly Trends Report from Culinary Tides, Inc. & Menu Matters is your unfair advantage for food & beverage innovation.

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Get ready to future-proof your next move.
The Shifting Sands report doesn’t just track trends—it helps you win with them.

Watch the video for a preview of the report:

We recognize that you’re inundated with data and information, without the time or resources to sort through it all. Your main objective is to craft impactful solutions that resonate and succeed. Culinary Tides, Inc. streamlines this process by combining deep expertise, focused research, a fresh way of thinking, and a strong commitment to every client relationship, enabling your organization to move from overloaded to equipped.

Culinary Tides, Inc. is booking meetings now for those curious about our services: