Whole Foods Market: Will Food Trends be Sustainable in 2026?
Whole Foods Market has released its annual trends forecast for 2026, with several predictions centred on sustainability and agricultural innovation.
The Austin-based retailer's Trends Council has identified eight key movements that it expects will shape consumer behaviour across the year to come. Perhaps the firm's most striking prediction is the resurgence of beef tallow as a cooking fat.
The trend represents a departure from conventional vegetable oils, with tallow being promoted for its high smoke point and traditional culinary applications.
Whole Foods sees this as part of "nose to tail" consumption, utilising animal fat that would otherwise be discarded which of course promotes the reduction of waste.
The retailer plans to stock products including Epic Provisions Beef Tallow, FOND Grass-Fed and Regenerative Beef Tallow and South Chicago Packing Wagyu Beef Tallow Cooking Spray.
Restaurant adoption has already begun, with establishments swapping traditional oils for tallow in dishes ranging from french fries to pastries.
Supporting women in agriculture
The 2026 forecast emphasises support for female farmers, coinciding with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation's declaration of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.
"With multigenerational farms dwindling and fewer young people choosing careers in farming, it's more important than ever to celebrate changemakers in the industry," the report states.
Whole Foods is also keen to spotlight brands with direct support programmes for women in agriculture, such as Lotus Foods, which provides premium wages to women on sourced farms and funds local community improvements.
Then there is True Moringa, a brand that supports female tree crop farmers in Ghana by allocating land plots and providing training, irrigation access, organic certification, childcare and health insurance.
Kvarøy Arctic is another, operating an international scholarship and internship programme specifically for women focused on aquaculture.
The National Young Farmers Coalition's Young Farmer Grant programme also donates 50% of its grants to female-identifying, non-binary and trans farmers.
A growth in regenerative and organic sourcing
Several products featured in the Whole Foods Market report carry regenerative or organic certifications too.
Diestel Family Ranch Regeneratively Raised Ground Turkey is set to launch in March 2026, while Whole Foods Market's own Regenerative Organic Certified Maple Butter and Cilantro Lime Flavoured Rice already feature regenerative credentials.
Rancho Durazno Certified Organic Yellow Peaches and Tomatero Farm Organic Early Girl Dry Farmed Tomatoes represent produce-side commitments to sustainable growing practices.
The rise of fibre and plant-based ingredients
The forecast goes on to discuss the huge increase in the amount of consumers that are interested or conscious of their fibre intake, both for gut health and satiety. In particular, the firm points to the rise in popularity of ingredients like cassava, chicory and konjac.
Plant-based diets naturally include a great deal of fibre, but they also help to move the dial on global sustainability. Consumers trying new things like this helps to offset the carbon emissions created by the livestock industry.
"Curiosity, creativity and conscious choices are shaping the way people eat and shop," says Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer at Whole Foods Market.