Ongoing supply chain snarls, inflation, falling investment and shifting shopping habits have all but stifled innovation in packaged food and beverage in recent years – making true breakthroughs, like those recognized this week from market research firm Mintel, all the more notable.
“Globally, only around 35% of consumer packaged goods launches are genuinely new products,” according to Mintel. “The majority are renovations, including reformulations, packaging updates, line extensions and relaunches. In food and drink, the proportion of truly new launches is even lower, sitting at just over a quarter.”
On top of this, research by Boston Consulting Group estimates the majority of new launches fail.
“Suboptimal innovation performance has been a recurring theme even while 83% of CPG firms rank innovation as a top three priority,” according to the Boston Consulting Group, which found 65% of new product launches in 2025 were actually renovations – the highest in 30 years – and 76% of new product launches each year fail and two-thirds won’t sell 10,000 units.
A lack of ideas isn’t the problem, according to Mintel, which notes, “AI, analytics and retailer-led insights are dramatically reducing the time it takes to identify opportunities and bring products to market.”
Rather, Mintel suggests, the challenge for brands is “how effectively they decide which ideas to back, which to kill and which to scale.”
According to Mintel, this requires rapid testing and iterating while remaining laser focused on clearly defined opportunities that are tightly connected to real consumer needs and which deliver real impact.
This year’s Mintel Most Innovative winners offer a roadmap to the CPG industry for successful product development, including top consumer pain points focused on packaging innovation, health and wellness, convenience and sustainability.
Consumers are prioritizing health and functional innovation
As illustrated by this year’s Mintel Most Innovative winners, consumers increasingly want products that blend better-for-you ingredients, like protein, fiber and natural colors, with indulgence.
For example, winner DEFI Snacks’ Protein Chocolate Bars blends slow digesting proteins from whey and casein with sprouted organic buckwheat and single-origin cacao from Peru and Ecuador and no “fake sugar.” The result is an elevated eating experience with “superior texture” and digestibility for “sustained fullness,” according to the company.
Winner Nature’s Garden’s Probiotic Fruchias tap into similar emerging trends such as gut health, fibermaxxing and support for GLP-1 users. The products combine fruit purée , chia seeds and shelf-stable probiotics to create a soft, chewy alternative to fruit snacks.
Better Sour Gummies’ Tart Cherry gummy stars also offer a better-for-you alternative to the the popular fruit snack segment, but rather than using food dyes that concern consumers, it offers a red confection with color derived from the fruit.
Herbalife blends indulgence and function in its Protein Ice Cream, which further stands out from the competition because it isn’t sold in the freezer – but it is shelf stable. It is sold as a powder mix that consumers can prepare at home with an ice cream maker or blender.
Wanted: Kitchen hacks for easier home cooking
The award-winners also reveal a growing consumer demand for “kitchen hacks,” or ways to make home cooking easier and more accessible – especially as inflation discourages more people from eating out as often as they did a year ago.
For example, Bunnie Cakes’ Ready-To-Bake cupcake batter eliminates the need for measuring and mixing. Consumers simply need to cut open the corner of the pouch and squeeze out the refrigerated, premixed liquid batter. The design allows creates new usage occasions because consumers can make as many – or few – cupcakes as they want. This means they don’t have to wait for a party or special occasion to indulge, they can quickly bake one for a quick treat.
Milkadamia’s oat milk slices also empower consumers to make fresh oat milk at home quickly and in an amount that is approachable to reduce waste. The first-of-its-kind 2D-printed oat milk is shelf stable and has 85% less packaging and 86% less weight, which significantly lowers its environmental impact compared to liquid plant-based milk.
Another winner – Seara’s Panelinhas, which launched in September in Brazil – offers frozen meals in a colorful, reusable dish that means the meal can go directly from the microwave to the table without requiring another serving dish. Seara’s integrated product and packaging proposition has helped the line capture 5.5% market share and 1.5% household penetration since its launch, according to the company.
Allergen free options promote inclusion
Historically, allergen-free products have been positioned as “alternatives,” but Mintel winners show a shift towards fun and familiar that make specialty diet products feel mainstream.
Most consumers don’t want to be singled out for their dietary choices, which can make them feel excluded from events where all the other participants are eating the same thing.
Abe’s Iced Cakes, available in vanille and chocolate, are free of the top nine allergens and vegan, but they are also topped with bright sprinkles and look like a traditional sheet cake so that everyone can enjoy the same food together.
Another winner that emphasizes inclusion versus safe alternative is Diamond of California, which created a gluten-free nut pie crust that “is a total reformulation of their first nut pie crust in 2019 versus a free-from alternative,” notes judge Marla Commons, senior vice president at Global CPG Insights. She notes this subtle shift is a “bold move.”
Mindful drinking
As alcohol’s tight grip on social drinking continues to loosen, consumers want sophisticate beverage options for a range of occasions and with different benefits.
Several winners demonstrate the potential to meet this demand, including Giesen – 0% Spritz, which is a premium sparkling wine-based beverage with the alcohol removed. Likewise, Green Compass’ Six Beverage, which says it uses fully traceable hemp-derived THC and CBG ingredients from “trusted sourcing” for “a more health-conscious experience,” aims to build consumer trust in the emerging THC seltzer category.
Trip’s Mindful Blend is a non-alcoholic functional beverage with adaptogens and magnesium to help consumers find calm without the negative side effects of alcohol or THC.
Takeaways
As illustrated by these winners, true innovation is more than line extensions and price-pack architecture – it solves consumer needs in a way that is inviting and inclusive without compromise.
They also demonstrate how successful innovation elegantly fits into consumer’s lives – whether by simplifying the experience, adding new usage occasions or fitting into existing patterns.
