One of the world's largest food retailers is out with its predictions for the biggest food trends of 2026. Cincinnati-based Kroger also is partnering with Google to use its updated AI assistant as a personal shopping assistant.
In a release, Kroger says it plans to do a nationwide roll-out of Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience to help people with meal planning and grocery shopping. Gemini also will be listening in on customer service calls "to proactively identify and resolve issues."
"A customer planning a week of dinners, seeking recipe inspiration or jumping into a new food regimen, will be able to ask our integrated assistant to create a shopping list based on their immediate needs, their budget and family's unique preferences," says Yael Cosset, executive vice president and chief digital officer for Kroger, in a statement. "We are streamlining every aspect of the shopping experience from building a basket and getting relevant offers and savings, to scheduling a delivery faster than ever before."
What exactly will that look like? Kroger says its shopping assistant will be able to:
- Complete complex tasks from a single instruction — such as explore meal ideas, build complex carts for a big occasion, reorder a past purchase or compare product details.
- Convert a customer request, like "I want to prepare vegan tomato soup" into a guided recipe, with a detailed ingredient list, that can be added to their shopping carts with a single click.
- Make recommendations based on Kroger's proprietary data asset and grounded in actual assortment, pricing and availability, meaning customers receive relevant, reliable suggestions they can act on immediately.
2026 Trends
Kroger says its team of food experts are predicting the following six trends will dominate this year.
Dairy
Kroger says "cultured classics will claim the dairy aisle." Fermented products like various yogurts, along with cream cheese and cottage cheese are expected to go into a lot of dips.
Protein
Protein was the catchword of food trends in 2025, showing up in call kinds of products. Trend experts project that will continue this year, especially paired with fiber in snackable formats.
'Girl dinner'
Speaking of snacks, the retailer expects "grazing will go mainstream." It will be stocking up on one-bite snacks and mini meals.
Citrus
The Pantone color of the year may be a minimalist — read: bland — shade of white, but Kroger thinks its customers will be more interested in bright citrus flavors "from zesty yuzu to vibrant blood orange, globally inspired forms of citrus will brighten everything from sparkling waters to refreshing desserts."
Home cooking
When folks aren't snacking, Kroger thinks shoppers will be looking for good deals on ingredients for making "restaurant-style home cooking" — or ready-made sauces and dishes that at least taste like they simmered on the stove all day.
Asian fusion
Kroger expects flavors like gochujang, matcha, miso and sesame will pop up in all kinds of dishes, especially in its ready-to-eat cases.
Kroger operates more than 2,700 supermarket and multi-department stores under 20 brands, including Ralphs, Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer and King Soopers, across 35 states and the District of Columbia.
While Kroger and Albertsons are the largest grocery chains, Walmart has the largest share of the grocery market.
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