In 2026, the World Is Watching “Gut Health” and “Protein” | Food Now

Food trends change every year, but the words commonly appearing for 2026 are fairly clear: the gut, and protein.

Interest in the gut

According to a report by the market research company Innova Market Insights, 59% of consumers believe gut health is very important for the whole body, and purchases of products containing functional ingredients are increasing. A field once treated as a matter of digestion is now being discussed in connection with the condition of the whole body.

Plant-based foods are shifting from “imitation” to “nutrition”

The position of plant-based foods is also changing. Until now, the focus was on imitation: how closely they could resemble meat or dairy products. Today, it is said that more people are choosing them for the nutritional value of plant-derived protein itself.

• The most widely used plant-based protein in new products is pea-derived protein
• Fava beans, chickpeas, and others are also growing
• The basis for judgment is shifting from "Does it resemble the real thing?" to "What can you take in from it?"

The current of making things yourself

Another trend being cited is interest in a so-called “traditional” lifestyle. Scenes of people making bread, butter, pickles, preserved foods, and fermented foods with their own hands are being shared on social media, drawing younger generations in. In the survey, 1 in 3 people said they had become more independent about their own health than before they answered.

Gut health, fermentation, preserved foods. None of these are new concepts; rather, they are things that have long been part of the Japanese table. It is quite delightful that the direction the world is heading overlaps with familiar scenes from our own kitchens.

For more on Japanese sweets, see this article here.

Reference: Innova Market Insights

—The Value Village Editorial Team