The global food and beverage market is expected to be worth $8.9tn by 2026 with six leading cruise lines accounting for over $2bn in food and beverage annually, according to research by Seatrade Cruise.
A desire for healthy and nutritious food options is set to steer the cruise industry culinary scene for the period 2025/26, with authentic food experiences and immersive dining projected to have a weaker influence than in 2024, according to the latest Seatrade survey findings compiled and written by Holly Payne in January 2025.
An online survey conducted by Seatrade Cruise between October and December 2024 is the foundation for the Cruise Food and Beverage Trends Report 2025, which reflects the current observations and future predictions of 48 professionals from the F&B space, including cruise lines, manufacturers, distributors, suppliers of food and/or beverage, associations, training providers and consultancies. Each individual was invited, via Seatrade Cruise’s communication channels (website, email, social media etc.) to answer 15 standardized questions and to provide additional comments where necessary.
This is the third annual Cruise F&B Trends Report published by Seatrade Cruise.
Asked to predict the top three food trends most likely to take off, survey participants first identified health and wellness/functional foods followed by emerging cuisines/flavors and authentic, hyper-local food experiences.
By comparison, authentic cultural food experiences, immersive dining and local culinary options were recognized as the leading three food trends in the 2024/25 survey.
Modern twists on classical dishes, upgraded grab-and-go or room service and ‘over the top’ sweets and desserts are the least likely food trends to accelerate in 2025/26.
The uplift in health-conscious options also extends to the beverage segment with drinks containing low to no-alcohol predicted to take off, in line with last year’s survey results. Specialty teas and tisanes are among the least likely options to gain traction, along with premium bottled waters.
Cuisine: fusion food to prevail
Overall, while cuisine at sea will continue to be diverse and encapsulate dishes and ingredients from around the world, fusion food is set to become a significantly more popular choice for cruise menus, while Asian flavors and Middle Eastern & Mediterranean cuisine will also be firm favorites. This builds on the results of the previous survey where the category of Asian fusion scored the highest number of votes.
Costs concerns
Inflation or price increases impacting budgets is the leading cause of concern in the field of cruise food and beverage for the period 2025/26 – the foremost challenge identified in the previous survey. On the other hand, supply chain disruption and longer lead times for restocking/orders are set to become less challenging, replaced by difficulties in connecting with suppliers or key decision-makers, as well as training and retaining kitchen/dining room staff.
Meanwhile, allergen-free options and eco-friendly packaging emerge as the most in- demand and difficult to procure products – the latter remaining at the top of the list for a second consecutive year.
.
Personalized F&B options
Technology in the food and beverage space is projected to shift during the period 2025/26, moving from an emphasis on ordering apps and virtual menus to AI and innovation for personalized F&B experiences. Technology innovations determined to have the greatest impact on cruise dining include data analytics for personalized dining, AI for supply chain optimization and waste reduction, cloud technology for restaurant management, and restaurant reservation systems.
