The Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute (KHNI) has highlighted ten key health and nutrition trends for 2025. These trends were developed with insights from an industry network of over 100 scientific experts, including nutritionists, food scientists, sustainability leaders, regulatory specialists, and more.
 
This open access report offer a glimpse at the scientific developments that will shape nutrition innovation in 2025, with a subject matter expert opinion spotlighted per trend.
 
“This report shows us that areas like healthy aging, reducing sodium, and understanding the microbiome are all areas where science is evolving,” said Aoife Marie Murphy, PhD, of the KHNI. “These trends can inform new product innovation, delivering the health benefits that consumers are looking for, while also considering taste, affordability, and sustainability.”
 
The KHNI, a team of industry and scientific experts established to advance food science, will celebrate its 10^th anniversary in 2025. In its seventh annual edition of its health and nutrition trends, the KHNI presents the latest breakthroughs in research, technology, product development, and consumer behavior. This year, each of the ten trends falls under the megatrend “sustainable nutrition.”
 
This year’s global trends include:
 

• Accessible Nutrition: ensuring nutritious food is affordable and available to everyone, regardless of income or location, with a focus on affordable, nutrient-dense options to combat hunger.
• Weight management and satiety: increasing demand for satiety-boosting foods and the rise of GLP-1 receptor agonist medications are driving innovation for weight management.
• Healthy aging and longevity: enhancing longevity and quality of life for aging adults through distinct nutrition formulations that prioritize taste.
• Targeted nutrition: personalized dietary solutions addressing unique health needs, leveraging AI and biological data for tailored nutrition plans.
• Processing paradox: processed foods can enable safe, sustainable, convenient foods, but nutritional quality must be prioritized to address public health challenges.
• Microbiome: targeting the microbiome can unlock benefits beyond digestive health, and microbiome modulators including diet, probiotics, postbiotics, and more can offer opportunities for product innovation.
• Women’s health: addressing the distinct nutritional needs across women’s life stages, with a focus on hormonal balance and mental well-being through specific ingredients.
• Sodium reduction: increasing global regulatory pressure to reduce salt has spurred innovation in taste modulation and customized solutions.
• Policy shifts: stricter regulations like front-of-pack labeling and taxes on unhealthy foods are driving the global food industry toward healthier and more sustainable practices.
• Biotechnology for the future of food: advancements in microbiology, bioprocessing, and AI are transforming how we produce food, making it smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable.