Innova’s 2026 forecast is all about healthy stress-busting
A party where BYOB means bring your own bathing suit. Alone at home and cherishing it? Generation Z calls this ‘protecting the peace.’ Short on prep time for dinner? Just toss and boss with AI — drop all your ingredients into a smart appliance and it will sort, chop, stir and cook for you.
Welcome not to the future, but to the consumer trends, attitudes and tech innovations shaping what — and how — people will eat and drink next year.
Netherlands-based market researcher Innova Market Insights held a webinar previewing its Global Consumer Trends 2026 report, and Canadian Grocer was online for the topline findings.
The push for healthier, more flexible lifestyles, especially among generation Z, is driving casual, outdoor social meetups. Innova’s data shows 59% of consumers now favour these over formal, late-night gatherings like clubbing.
Wellness and social connection are embodied by pop-up “plunge parties.” Guests dip into ice-cold tubs, warm up in the sun or saunas and dance to music. “Plunge parties foster a sense of collective resilience and bonding for younger consumers,” Innova notes.
Adding momentum to the sober-living movement, these meetups are boosting demand for functional foods and beverages.
The webinar highlighted an Instagram post from Plunge Party, a wellness club in San Francisco with the tagline “Cold plunges, caffeine and REAL connections.” In the photo, plungers toast with Machu Picchu Energy, an organic, zero-sugar twist on yerba maté, a naturally caffeinated South American tea fortified with antioxidants and adaptogens. The brand was founded by Bernardo Paiva, former chief sales officer of Anheuser-Busch InBev and CEO at Labatt Breweries of Canada.
Stress seems to be the new normal. Over the past year, 85% of consumers globally report feeling stressed.
While new social rituals help, people are also redefining time alone to ease anxiety. Solo hours at home are no longer just for chores or planning outings—and definitely not for nursing FOMO. “Consumers are actively choosing to spend time alone to focus on self-care, lift mood and restore themselves physically and mentally,” Innova reports.
One in three say solo time helps them cope with stress. Drawing on its worldwide network of trendspotters, Innova notes a U.S.-based generation Z participant observed, “The term ‘protecting my peace’ has been used to describe this concept,” while another added that cooking at home just yourself is part of the ritual.
READ: Five wellness trends set to shape how Canadians will shop in 2026: CHFA
A further 29% say an indulgent food and beverage experience fits into their “me time.” Solstice and Nocturne, a dark chocolate bar from Vitalia with adaptogenic mushrooms, believed to promote calm and balance, taps into this trend, according to Innova.
While consumers are still concerned about privacy, Innova’s research finds digital tools and generative AI being adopted by consumers to simplify elements of their lives. In fact, 36% of global consumers have a positive perception of AI, with younger generations the most enthusiastic. In addition, 57% of consumers agree that they are interested in learning more ways to utilize AI. One in two say it helps spark creativity.
Meal-tracking apps like Lifesum are already on the job. Lifesum also offers planning and expert advice, and includes a bar code scanner for nutritional analysis on millions of food items. There are also apps to suggest recipes using only the ingredients in your kitchen.
AI has also been developed to help streamline meal preparation for consumers.
In India, Upliance 2.0 is an AI kitchen appliance designed “to completely prepare a meal,” says Sarah Nash, trends team lead at Innova. “You just add the ingredients, and it handles everything from chopping and sorting to cooking.”
The device can cook more than 750 recipes across 35 cuisines. It even cleans itself!
