Lyons Magnus Spotlights Five Food and Drink Moves Chefs Will Need to Know in 2026

Forecast drop: who said what and why it matters now

Lyons Magnus, the U.S. ingredient and food-solution provider, has published its 2026 Food & Beverage Trend Forecast and highlighted five categories it expects to shape menus and product launches next year. The company frames the list as a practical road map for chefs, operators and manufacturers who want to stay current without chasing fads. As the release put it, “These trends show where flavor, function and convenience are coming together to meet operator needs and consumer tastes.”

Why Lyons Magnus’ view matters to chefs, operators and food brands

Lyons Magnus has supplied sauces, bases, syrups and premixed ingredients to restaurants, coffee shops and food makers for decades. That gives the company an eye on both the back-of-house challenges operators face and the small changes that can scale across menus. When Lyons Magnus highlights a trend, it isn’t just about what’s stylish in fine dining — it reflects what can be produced, shipped and used consistently in high-volume settings. For busy kitchens and food brands, that practical lens makes the forecast worth a look.

Five emerging categories for 2026 — quick snapshots and menu uses

Here are the five categories Lyons Magnus singled out, each with a short example of how it might appear on a menu or in a product line.

1) Function-forward beverages: Drinks that do more than taste good are getting a bigger spotlight. Expect coffeehouse and quick-serve chains to roll out ready-to-drink coffees and teas boosted with easily dosed vitamins, adaptogens or gut-friendly ingredients. On menus, these show up as boosted lattes, afternoon recovery tonics and bottled energy blends that claim calming or digestive benefits without heavy sugar.

2) Plant-forward whole ingredients: This is less about meat substitutes that try to mimic beef and more about whole-cut plant proteins and hearty vegetable preparations that stand on their own. Think thick jackfruit stews, grilled mushroom cuts and legume-based bowls that work as mains on their own or as hearty sandwich and wrap fillings.

3) Flavor layering and global mash-ups: Operators are blending comfort and world flavors for a feel-good but familiar bite. Examples include miso-maple glazes on protein bowls, ancho-chile and citrus marinades for roasted veg, or fusion sauces that allow staff to upgrade a standard menu item with a single pour.

4) Clean convenience and shelf-stable solutions: Lyons Magnus points to products that cut labor without adding processing or hard-to-pronounce additives. That includes chef-ready sauces, concentrated bases and shelf-stable mixes that let a kitchen deliver a composed dish quickly while keeping ingredient lists short.

5) Sustainable ingredient moves: This covers traceability, upcycled ingredients and lower-impact sourcing that brands can use to tell a clear story. On menus you may see single-origin syrups, upcycled pulp chips, or sauces that highlight reduced-water or regenerative-sourced components.

What operators and suppliers should consider about these trends

These categories point to a practical, not purely trendy, future for foodservice. For operators, the payoff comes from menu items that deliver recognizable value to guests while saving labor or simplifying prep. For manufacturers and ingredient suppliers, the real work is turning these ideas into stable, transportable formats that hold up under real kitchen conditions.

Opportunities: Brands that can offer concentrated formats, consistent flavor and simple usage guidance will get traction fast. Small-batch or regionally inspired items can be scaled if suppliers provide clear specs and a reliable shelf life.

Challenges: Moving from concept to kitchen-ready product requires solving shelf-life, taste stability and cost. Operators will also weigh whether guests will pay a premium for function-forward drinks or sustainably sourced ingredients in everyday menus.

Signals to watch in 2026 and how Lyons Magnus built the forecast

Look for these early signs that a trend is moving from talk to table: trade-show rollouts of concentrated bases and easy-use sauces, pilot programs at regional coffee chains for functional beverages, and more packaged products that mention upcycled ingredients or regenerative sourcing on the label. Pay attention to dealers and distributors offering sample packs for operators — that’s a common route to rapid adoption.

Lyons Magnus says its forecast mixes internal sales data, discussions with chefs and customers, and category tracking across foodservice channels. That means the list leans toward trends that are feasible to produce and deploy at scale, not just creative one-off dishes. For operators and brands choosing where to invest, Lyons Magnus’ view is useful because it balances what’s desirable with what’s possible in high-volume foodservice.

Readers who work in menu development should watch for suppliers bringing small, test-friendly formats to market early in the year; those moves often predict which items will migrate from limited-time offers to permanent menu slots.

Sources

• prnewswire.com