Sample foods of the future at The UK Food & Drink Shows

Sample foods of the future at The UK Food & Drink Shows

Visitors to The UK Food & Drink Shows will have the chance to see and sample some of the most innovative products from across the globe.

Taking place at the NEC Birmingham from Monday 13 to Wednesday 15 April, The UK Food & Drink Shows is the must-attend trade event of the year.

Around 1,200 businesses will be exhibiting across the four shows, and more than 25,000 visitors are expected to attend the event to explore new products, services and equipment that will help their businesses flourish. As well as being a fantastic networking opportunity, the shows each feature a packed programme of speakers and panels designed to inspire and inform.

A key focus of The UK Food & Drink Shows 2026 will be innovation - and particularly innovation with well-being and sustainability at its core. This will take the form of two new features: the Taste The Future competition and a dedicated area called Spotlight on Future Foods.

Taste The Future

Over the three days of the shows, the Taste The Future competition will give standout brands the opportunity to present on the Taste the Future Stage.

Ten sessions - each dedicated to a specific food or drink category - will see four products go head-to-head. Show visitors will have the chance to sample the products and score them on taste, packaging and innovation.

The schedule for presentations and sampling is:

Monday 13 April: Tea & coffee (10.30am), Soft drinks (12pm), Snacks (1.30pm), Low2No (3pm)

Tuesday 14 April: Bakery (10.30am), Soft drinks (12pm), Confectionery (1.30pm), Alcohol (3pm)

Wednesday 15 April: Dairy (10.30am), World Foods (12pm)

Top scorers will advance to the live final on The Grocer Stage on Wednesday 15 April, with the ultimate winner securing major industry recognition and a grand prize from marketing feedback agency Stickybeak worth £5,000.

Take a look at the Future Food Sessions on the website.

Spotlight on Future Foods

New for 2026 will be the Spotlight on Future Foods at Food & Drink Expo. This dedicated area will highlight the brands and innovators redefining what ‘good food’ means.

This space showcases wellness-driven, clean-label, and sustainable products that deliver on taste and convenience, highlighting the disruptors shaping the future of food.

Below we take a look at just four of the brands exhibiting in Spotlight on Future Foods.

To find out more about the shows and to register for free tickets visit foodanddrinkexpo.co.uk.

Four Spotlight on Future Foods brands

Holy

Holy offers a range of zero-sugar soft drinks in a powdered format, including energy, hydration, iced tea and milkshakes. Sold in tubs and sachets, the range is designed to be simply mixed with water (Or milk in the case of the milkshakes).

Already available in 6,000 retail stores across Europe, the brand has recently announced a £10m investment as it pushes into the UK retail market and has established a dedicated team in London.

Holy was founded in Berlin in 2020 by three friends, Mathias Horsch, Fredi Jost and Philipp Nass, who saw an opportunity to disrupt what they saw as a stagnant soft drinks category.

It was launched as a direct-to-consumer brand with a subscription and repeat purchase model, and has focused on building an engaged online community, developing new flavours based on direct customer feedback.

The founders say the DTC-led approach has allowed Holy to refine its flavour profiles, optimise formats and scale sustainably before expanding internationally.

They point out that being a powder - and not having to ship water around a country - changes the model: “It fundamentally alters transport weight, logistics costs and margin logic versus legacy ready-to-drink formats. This also results in having the flexibility to funnel that saving into investing in ingredients, quality and product development.”

Juggle

Juggle founders Gareth Budd and Peter Turrill launched the business in 2024 with the aim of offering ‘healthier’ versions of everyday treats.

Budd has a background in R&D and innovation working for the likes of Nestlé, Müller & Molson Coors, while Turrill has worked in marketing and management for businesses such as Quaker and Goldenfry Foods. Caroline Gibbs, who has worked for Genius Foods, Biotiful and Montezuma’s, joined the team this year as commercial director.

Juggle says its proposition is unique in the category - fruit sweets made with 10 times more real fruit juice and around half the ingredients of sweets typically found on shelf. The vegan and coeliac friendly products contain no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or oil, and are available in three flavours: Berry Blast, Citrus Kick & Tropical Burst.

The business started small, ensuring it had the taste and texture right before increasing batch sizes and eventually finding a UK manufacturing partner. The products continue to be made in small batches, and Juggle says it values quality over quantity.

The brand first hit the shelves last October in WHSmith Travel stores on clip-strips and is aiming to roll out to main fixture soon. Juggle will be launching in online retail channels shortly through Amazon and D2C, and is in discussions with other retail partners.

Dr Will’s

Dr Will’s is a UK-based premium condiment brand co-founded by medical doctor Will Breakey, who was frustrated with the high levels of refined sugar, artificial additives, and cheap processed oils found in mainstream sauces. He has worked alongside Liam White, who previously worked in investment banking, and Josh Rose, who has a background in brand development and entrepreneurship, to bring the products to market.

The business says it differentiates itself from larger competitors through its commitment to natural ingredients, transparent labelling, higher-quality oils, and strong wellness-focused branding.

Dr Will developed the first recipes in his home kitchen alongside White’s mum, who was a food writer, combining medical insight with culinary expertise to reformulate classics such as ketchup and mayonnaise. Once the recipes were perfected, production shifted to small-scale UK manufacturers capable of producing the sauces commercially while maintaining the brand’s strict clean-ingredient standards.

Launching in 2017, the products were first sold from market stalls before targeting independent delis and farm shops. The company secured its first retail listings in 2019 with its tomato ketchup, which is sweetened with dates, initially in health-food retailers and independent stores, before expanding into major supermarkets.

The range now comprises 10 products including ketchup, mayonnaise, BBQ sauces, hot sauces, and salad dressings, and is available across retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Co-op, and Ocado. The brand has also expanded internationally and now exports to the UAE, where it is stocked in Carrefour, and further expansion is planned for 2026.

Cadence

Cadence is a premium electrolyte and hydration brand developed to deliver sodium, potassium and magnesium in a functional ready-to-drink format.

The brand was created by Ross MacKay, founder of plant-based chicken brand Daring, and George Heaton, co-founder and creative director of British luxury fashion brand Represent.

Its first product, 250ml cans of Citrus Cadence, launched in 2024 through the brand’s e-commerce platform alongside brand building activity on social media, Google advertising, and other digital channels. Listings were also secured in specialist wholesale and the drink later rolled into retailers including GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe, Holland & Barrett, and Target. Cadence is also available in Dubai and Australia, with additional international markets set to open soon.

After launching the RTD version of Cadence, the business expanded its line-up to include sachets, gels, and bars.

“As new and evolving research continues to highlight the benefits of proper electrolyte intake, our mission became to reshape the narrative around salt,” says a spokesperson. “We set out to create a science-backed perspective that celebrates its role in human performance. That pursuit led us to develop the ideal electrolyte balance—one that reflects purity, supports physical performance, and enhances mental clarity.”