The colour green has enjoyed influencing trends lately: from Charli XCX’s ‘Brat summer’ elevating slime green to cult status, to matcha moving from a niche ingredient to a social media sensation.
Trends, however, don’t last forever, so food and drink brands are already looking for what comes next.
Perhaps inspiration can be found from Prince – the artist whose love of purple made the colour iconic. It’s also a reminder that a single colour can carry personality, mood and meaning.
And there are already signals indicating a shift in purple’s status.
The power of the purple palate
Ube – the vibrant purple yam long embedded in Filipino cuisine – is gaining global momentum, to the point where Filipino farmers are reportedly struggling to keep up with demand. For those who grew up with it, ube evokes nostalgia.
For newer audiences, it offers an unfamiliar yet approachable flavour experience. Its mildly sweet, nutty and creamy profile, with hints of vanilla and coconut, gives it broad appeal and makes it easy to work across formats.
While its colour may be bold, ube’s ‘green credentials’ are also strong. Naturally vibrant, it aligns neatly with clean‑label expectations and consumer interest in ingredients that feel authentic rather than engineered. It is rich in antioxidants – particularly anthocyanins, which give ube its distinctive shade. It also benefits from a health halo that resonates with today’s wellness‑minded shoppers.
Ube is already appearing across sweet biscuits, ice cream and cakes. In the US, Yancey’s Fancy has gone further with its Ube Gouda, marbled with dramatic purple veins. To broaden appeal, brands are wisely pairing ube with familiar flavours such as vanilla – a strategy Starbucks has adopted with its spring 2026 Ube Vanilla beverage – helping to balance novelty with reassurance.
And it was all yellow
However, purple’s dominance is by no means guaranteed. At the other end of the colour palette, with its bright yellow tones, sits pineapple.
While ube reflects Prince’s music – experimental, bold, and boundary-pushing – pineapple is more akin to Coldplay: melodic, approachable and easy to access. Its sunny hue and familiar flavour create a sense of comfort, making it a reliable, crowd-pleasing choice for brands.
In uncertain times, shoppers often gravitate towards flavours that feel comforting or escapist. Pineapple delivers both: tropical enough to lift the mood, yet familiar enough to feel safe.
Its versatility is a major asset. Pineapple works across drinks, sweet bakery, savoury dishes and sauces, with its sweet‑tart punch adding brightness and complexity. Nutritionally, it brings vitamin C, manganese and enzymes, reinforcing its better‑for‑you credentials. Culturally, too, pineapple carries emotional weight – exotic in western markets, everyday elsewhere – lending authenticity to global NPD.
From meat snacks and sauces to sodas and desserts, pineapple continues to surface worldwide, most recently adding a twist to a classic in McVitie’s Jamaica Ginger Pineapple & Coconut Sticky Pudding Cake.
Whether green, purple or yellow, colour remains one of the most powerful tools a brand can wield – to shape expectations, signal flavour, and make products instantly recognisable. For food and drink brands, the opportunity is clear: use colour not just to catch the eye, but to tell a story, evoke emotion, and create products that resonate beyond the palate.
Regina Maiseviciute Haydon is associate principal at Mintel Food & Drink
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