For many consumers, grocery shopping in recent years has been an exercise in compromise – either cutting back, trading down or skipping discretionary items to stretch food budgets as inflation pushed prices higher across categories, or forgoing indulgences and the convenience of ultra-processed foods to meet ever-moving higher health targets.
But now, consumers are fed up and they are demanding more – of everything.
What began as a hyper-focus on function – like the rise in 2025 of protein-maxxing and fiber-maxxing – is evolving to include more flavor, more fun, and more feeling, both literally as in sensation and figuratively as in an emotional connection to a brand that stems from transparent ingredients, sourcing and shared values.
The Specialty Foods Association at the inaugural Winter Fancy Faire in San Diego dubbed this move to maximalism “sensemaxxing,” and predicted it will be the trend of the year.
In this episode of FoodNavigator-USA’s Soup-To-Nuts Podcast, Leana Salamah, SVP of Marketing & Communications at the Specialty Foods Association, shares what sensemaxxing is and how food and beverage brands can leverage it to break through consumer concerns and earn a coveted spot in their carts and on their plates. She also shares other emerging trends that can help protect packaged foods and beverages from some of the biggest threats to the industry, including the campaign against ultra-processing and the impact of GLP-1s. Finally, she calls out new opportunities for brands that are open to palate and packaging pivots.
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Sussing out sensemaxxing
According to SFA, sensemaxxing is all about meeting consumer appetites at their apex, which Salamah described as a visceral response to the austerity and discretion many shoppers have exercised since the pandemic and their demand for “value.”
“Consumers are incredibly frustrated by prices at the grocery store, by what they see as inflation that is not going anywhere anytime soon. And a lot of what we are seeing them do is think about discretionary spending in terms of value,” which isn’t necessarily price but the idea of “what they are getting for that money,” Salamah said.
Sensemaxxing is about getting more bang for your buck – bigger returns either as bolder flavors, more dynamic textures and added functional benefits.
Salamah adds that sensemaxxing is a “conflagration” of existing trends that are “crescendoing higher.” For example, pickling is not new, but the intensity of the acid and flavors used in pickling are amping up and people are using the brine and vinegars to “wake up” dishes. Other examples are Dubai chocolate or boba tea – both of which combine textures and flavors to engage consumers in multiple ways simultaneously.
Sensemaxxing also is a reaction to the rise of AI and the promises and threats that it brings.
“When you think about this idea of what do we still have over the machines? It is our ability to feel. It is emotion. It is sensory,” and sensemaxxing is about tapping into that and “being woken up on a regular basis and reminded that [we] are sentient and sensory beings, and finding joy in that,” Salamah explained.
‘Rooted rituals’ counterbalance sensemaxxing
If sensemaxxing is at one extreme end of the emerging trends spectrum, at the other end is “rooted rituals,” one of five other trends that SFA called out at Fancy Faire.
“At its core, rooted rituals is this idea of engaging physically with the food that you are eating – whether that is during the preparation of it, during the consumption of it, the assembling of it,” Salamah said.
As examples, she pointed to DIY kits that call on consumers to shave, drizzle or combine ingredients. Even something as simple as measuring ingredients for a mocktail, mixing it with ice and adding an embellishment tap into rooted rituals as a trend.
While this may be on the opposite end of the spectrum from sensemaxxing, they both focus on human experience and the connection of food and memory, said Salamah.
Honest processing addresses safety concerns embedded in extremity of sensemaxxing
Even as consumers give into the adventure and distraction of sensemaxxing, they remain apprehensive about how those bold colors, flavors and textures were created – giving rise to SFA’s third key trend to watch in 2026: Honest processing.
This trend focuses on consumer education – explaining how something was made, clearly identifying ingredients and why they are included and addressing nutrient density questions.
Brands at Fancy Faire that exemplified honest processing include Ota Tofu Soymilk, which is made with non-GMO soybeans and is free of additives and artificial preservatives, and Jindilli Farms macadamia oil, which it says is cold-pressed and unrefined to retain maximum nutrients.
GPL-1s lead to ‘appetite reset’ whether or not consumers take them
The fourth macro trend highlighted by SFA and on display at the Winter Fancy Fair was dubbed “the appetite reset,” and described by the trade group as a “revolutionary rewiring between hunger and reward” born out of the increasing use and awareness of GLP-1 medications to manage weight and curb cravings.
Salamah explains this trend focuses on nutrient density and goes beyond GLP-1 users to include on-the-go consumers who don’t have time for a traditional meal or those who prefer to snack throughout the day but still need balanced nutrition.
For food and beverage makers, Salamah cautions this is a complete reversal from how so-called diet foods have long been formulated and positioned. Instead of focusing on low-calories and potentially sacrificing nutrition, this trend focuses on nutrient-density and delivering what consumers need within an appropriate caloric count.
If you are interested in learning more about the evolution of healthy snacking, tune in for FoodNavigator’s Healthy Snacking Trends webinar Jan. 21. The free event includes insights from industry leaders at Danone, Chobani, Lumina and The Hartman Group. Get all the details and register: https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Events/healthy-snack-trends/
‘Promiscuous palette’ shakes off restrictions limiting how or when to eat ingredients
Closely related to the desire for bold flavors fueled by both the sensemaxxing and appetite reset trends is SFA’s prediction that consumers embracing global cuisines will shake off restrictive attitudes about authenticity.
Salamah explains that for years consumers worried whether blending cuisines from different cultures was appropriation or disrespectful, but now fusion foods are more acceptable and it is opening the door for new usage occasions and partnerships that could drive additional volume or lower the barrier for trial.
Elevated packaging helps pantry staples break free of the cupboard
Finally, while what is inside foods and beverages matters most to consumers, many shoppers feast first with their eyes – which includes packaging. And increasingly pantry staples are stepping up their game to move out of the cupboard and onto the counter in a trend that SFA calls “shelf-stable chic.”
Once on the counter, products may be used more frequently or become a conversation starter with visitors that could lead to new consumers and higher sales volumes.
Ultimately, what these six trends revealed at the Winter Fancy Faire underscore how today’s consumers are done choosing between extremes – they want it all, including bold flavors free-from prescriptive uses, novel texture combinations, elevated nutrition, ingredient transparency and even self-expression, such as through countertop curation of packages and products they are proud to display and put in their bodies.
