The Big Five: 2025’s Defining CPG Signals

The most important food and supply chain signals of 2025 are clear:

Protein and GLP-1–adjacent wellness are going mass
AI is quietly running “self-driving” supply chains
Sustainability has moved from marketing to math
Retailers are weaponizing data like media companies

Think fewer vibes decks.
More dashboards.
Less “better-for-you” storytelling.
More SKU-by-SKU margin surgery.

Signal 1: Protein, GLP-1, and the New Wellness Basket

Consumers are no longer casually “health-curious.” They’re shopping like they have a lab in their pocket and a GLP-1 prescription in their nightstand.

Younger shoppers and GLP-1 users are trading ultra-processed staples for functional, protein-dense, portion-aware products, steadily eroding share for legacy center-store brands.

Snacks and beverages with 15g+ of protein already represent ~$4.9B in U.S. sales, growing at roughly 9.3% annually
(SPINS)
Brands like Olipop show where demand is heading. Prebiotic sodas tied to gut health have reported ~340% year-over-year revenue growth and a 68% repeat rate within 90 days, proving that function plus flavor beats “diet” branding every time.

What this means:
Protein is no longer a niche. It’s infrastructure.

Signal 2: AI Is the New Co-packer

Behind the scenes, AI has become the operations leader CPG companies can finally afford to listen to.

Enterprise platforms are enabling self-driving supply chains, reducing noise, smoothing forecasts, and quietly reclaiming millions in wasted cost.

One global CPG reported that AI-driven forecasting reduced operator alerts by 42% and delivered ~$30M in cost savings, exposing just how much inefficiency lived in spreadsheets and gut instinct
(Thoughtworks)
72% of CPG and retail leaders now report integrating AI into supply chain operations, while 81% are simultaneously prioritizing sustainability, turning AI from a buzzword into the backbone of resilience and ESG reporting
(Wipro)

What this means:
AI isn’t replacing people. It’s replacing guesswork.

Signal 3: Supply Chains Are Still Expensive, Just Smarter

2025 didn’t give food supply chains a break. It gave them better analytics and worse geopolitics.

Inflation, energy volatility, tariffs, and climate shocks continue to push up transportation, packaging, and ingredient costs, forcing procurement teams into near-constant triage.

The recent doubling of certain U.S. tariffs on imported steel is projected to add up to $0.30 per can for some products, a tiny unit cost with massive downstream impact at scale
(Lacerta)
While truckload freight rates are roughly flat year-over-year, brands are aggressively using route optimization, load consolidation, and intermodal strategies to protect margins as trade tensions and shipping disruptions persist
(Intrepid Investment Bankers)

What this means:
Cost pressure didn’t disappear. It got more surgical.

Signal 4: Sustainability Moves From Brand Story to Balance Sheet

In 2025, sustainability exited the brand team’s mood board and entered the CFO’s spreadsheet.

Regulations, tariffs, and retailer scorecards are forcing CPGs to quantify carbon, recyclability, and waste reduction at the SKU and lane level.

Advanced automation, AI, and IoT in packaging and logistics are enabling productivity gains of up to 77%, reducing labor intensity, errors, and material waste
(Innova Market Insights / Industry studies)
Brands are using AI to redesign products and packaging with less material, higher recyclability, and lower manufacturing emissions, aligning compliance, cost savings, and brand equity in a single modeling loop.

What this means:
“Green” now has a unit cost, a margin impact, and a reporting requirement.

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Signal 5: Consumers, Retailers, and CPGs Are Now a Group Chat

The 2025 consumer is value-obsessed, wellness-driven, and expects brands to be both transparent and entertaining. Meanwhile, retailers increasingly behave like media platforms, not aisles.

Winning CPGs are wiring together consumer data, supply visibility, and rapid product development to keep pace.

Clean-label, high-protein, and functional products continue reshaping core categories as incumbents invest in science-backed nutrition, even while private label and challengers chip away at processing-heavy SKUs
(BCG)
Natural and wellness-oriented segments are forecast to continue outpacing conventional CPG growth, as aging consumers and younger shoppers converge on healthy aging, gut health, and performance as everyday needs
(McKinsey)

What this means:
The shelf is no longer static. It’s responsive.

What Comes Next

These signals aren’t abstract forecasts. They’re the reality our partners are navigating daily, from AI-driven formulation optimization to supply chain transparency demands, from waste reduction mandates to emerging ingredient ecosystems.

The companies that will win in 2026 and beyond aren’t waiting for perfect information. They’re building adaptive systems, leveraging intelligent data, and making decisive moves now.

At Journey Foods, we believe technology, when applied thoughtfully, can create a more efficient, sustainable, and equitable food system. That’s why we built JourneyAI: to turn complexity into clarity, data into decisions, and disruption into advantage.

If you’re ready to explore how ingredient and supply chain intelligence can transform your business, let’s talk.

👉 Connect with us on LinkedIn
📩 Questions or partnerships: hello@journeyfoods.com

Here’s to a year of bolder moves, smarter systems, and better food for all.