Just when you thought you’d perfected your menu, 2025 rolls in with a fresh set of
flavours. But, it’s not about scrapping the classics, it’s reimagining them for a new
generation of diners.
This month, Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) launched its much-anticipated Future
Menus 2025 report. Currently, in its third year, this report reveals the four culinary
megatrends set to take over plates, palettes, and pantry shelves. Based on global
research, millions of online searches, and the collective experience of over 250 UFS
chefs in 75 countries, the report is part data, part gut instinct, and all delicious.
The Annual Future Menus initiative helps chefs take the latest food trends from concept
to creation. But its real star power? It goes beyond simply signposting trends. The 2025
edition reveals how chefs can attract Gen Z diners and maximise loyalty through
personalisation, cultural storytelling, and bold global flavours, turning insight into action.
So, what’s hot in 2025? According to the report:
1. Street Food Couture
Street food just got its designer moment. Think gourmet tacos, elevated mielies, and
shisa nyama sosaties dressed up for the chef’s table. This trend takes everyday
favourites and gives them the red-carpet treatment, without losing their gritty soul. As
Chef Mary puts it: “Street food is where flavour lives. It’s just getting dressed up a little
and finally getting the runway it deserves.”
2. Borderless Cuisine
Passport? Optional. Diners are hungry for dishes that blur borders and marry unlikely
flavour profiles. This isn’t your average ‘fusion’. It’s thoughtful, story-driven cooking that
draws on heritage, migration and imagination. Think: chakalaka ramen, Thai-style
bobotie, or peri-peri Gochujang aioli drizzled on just about everything.
3. Culinary Roots
The past is delicious. Chefs are digging deep – literally and figuratively – to reconnect
with ancestral dishes, indigenous ingredients, and regional storytelling. From African
heritage grains to reimagined Khoisan stews, this is food with a strong sense of place
and pride.
4. Diner Designed
Welcome to the age of "me, myself and menu." Diners want to customise their meals
like they do playlists. Whether it’s gluten-free, low-waste, heat-level-two-but-add-
coriander, 2025 is the year of personalisation. And tech is stepping up to help make it
scalable, smart, and seamless.
“These trends are more than just flavour profiles or plating styles,” says Yonela
Motloung, Marketing Lead for Unilever Food Solutions South Africa. “They reflect how
people want to eat, how chefs want to cook, and how food can respond to culture,
climate, and connection. It’s about future-proofing your menu, not just chasing hype.”
She adds that while the full Future Menus report goes into rich detail and even includes
recipe concepts, it goes beyond just naming trends. It explores what Gen Z diners are
really looking for, how chefs can stay relevant, and offers practical inspiration to help
turn global insights into local success.
So, whether you’re running a coffee shop, a food truck, a five-star kitchen – or you’re
just an avid home chef – these insights offer practical ways to keep your diners curious
and coming back.
The full Future Menus 2025 report can be downloaded for free at
https://www.unileverfoodsolutions.co.za/chef-inspiration/future-menus-2025-landing-
launch/future-menus-trend-report/download-future-menus-trend-book-volume-3.html
and is packed with recipes, tips, and chef-led inspiration for every corner of every
kitchen.
ENDS
WORD COUNT: 544
Press Release Disseminated by:
Thulisile Mhlongo
PR Account Executive: Say Watt
071 326 9830
On Behalf of:
Yonela Motloung
Marketing Lead for Unilever Food Solutions South Africa