Whole Foods Market has released its annual forecast of the top food and beverage trends for 2026, a prediction exercise the Amazon-owned grocer runs each year through its in-house experts and local foragers.

The company did not publish the individual trend line items in the announcement headline alone, and operators tracking the release will need the full report for the specific categories. What the forecast reliably signals, based on the grocer's track record with these annual lists, is where supermarket sourcing, private-label development and prepared-food merchandising are heading over the next 12 to 18 months.

Why do restaurant operators watch this list?

Whole Foods' trend forecasts have historically moved upstream sourcing decisions that later reach restaurant menus. When the grocer flags an ingredient or beverage category, suppliers scale production, and foodservice distributors follow with broader availability and sharper pricing.

For restaurant groups, the practical value is menu engineering lead time: categories named in the 2026 list are likely candidates for limited-time offers and new beverage programs next year.

Who produces the forecast?

Whole Foods assembles the list with input from its foragers and culinary experts across stores and regional teams, a structure the company has used in prior years' editions. The grocer operates more than 500 stores in the U.S., U.K. and Canada under Amazon's ownership since 2017.

What comes next?

The full 2026 trend list, with specific categories and products, is available through Whole Foods Market's newsroom, and restaurant menu and beverage teams will be benchmarking it against their own 2026 pipeline plans as the release circulates this week.