Unilever Food Solutions Reveals What's Cooking In 2025

Based on global research, millions of online searches, and the collective experience of over 250 UFS chefs in 75 countries, the report is part data, part gut instinct, and all delicious.

The Annual Future Menus initiative helps chefs take the latest food trends from concept to creation. But its real star power? It goes beyond simply signposting trends.

The 2025 edition reveals how chefs can attract Gen Z diners and maximise loyalty through personalisation, cultural storytelling, and bold global flavours, turning insight into action.

So, what’s hot in 2025? According to the report:

1. Street food couture

Street food just got its designer moment. Think gourmet tacos, elevated mielies, and shisa nyama sosaties dressed up for the chef’s table. This trend takes everyday favourites and gives them the red-carpet treatment, without losing their gritty soul.

As Chef Mary puts it: “Street food is where flavour lives. It’s just getting dressed up a little and finally getting the runway it deserves.”

2. Borderless cuisine

Passport? Optional. Diners are hungry for dishes that blur borders and marry unlikely flavour profiles. This isn’t your average ‘fusion’. It’s thoughtful, story-driven cooking that draws on heritage, migration and imagination. Think: chakalaka ramen, Thai-style bobotie, or peri-peri Gochujang aioli drizzled on just about everything.

3. Culinary roots

The past is delicious. Chefs are digging deep – literally and figuratively – to reconnect with ancestral dishes, indigenous ingredients, and regional storytelling. From African heritage grains to reimagined Khoisan stews, this is food with a strong sense of place and pride.

4. Diner designed

Welcome to the age of "me, myself and menu." Diners want to customise their meals like they do playlists. Whether it’s gluten-free, low-waste, heat-level-two-but-add-coriander, 2025 is the year of personalisation. And tech is stepping up to help make it scalable, smart, and seamless.

“These trends are more than just flavour profiles or plating styles,” says Yonela Motloung, marketing lead for Unilever Food Solutions South Africa.

“They reflect how people want to eat, how chefs want to cook, and how food can respond to culture, climate, and connection. It’s about future-proofing your menu, not just chasing hype.”

She adds that while the full Future Menus report goes into rich detail and even includes recipe concepts, it goes beyond just naming trends. It explores what Gen Z diners are really looking for, how chefs can stay relevant, and offers practical inspiration to help turn global insights into local success.

So, whether you’re running a coffee shop, a food truck, a five-star kitchen – or you’re just an avid home chef – these insights offer practical ways to keep your diners curious and coming back.

The full Future Menus 2025 report is available for download.