Capitalising on the hottest trends in the food industry with Dynamics Food

Dry January: booze-free lifestyle shift

Dry January isn’t just a trend anymore; it’s a lifestyle shift. In 2025, 15.5 million Brits pledged to go alcohol-free for the month (Alcohol Change). Big brands are jumping on board: Lucky Saint is now the official beer of the Dry January challenge, and Majestic Wine saw a 600% spike in no- and low-alcohol sales since 2022 (The Drinks Business). Even Kylie Minogue’s sparkling alcohol-free rosé is making traction.

The UK’s no- and low-alcohol drinks market is expected to hit £800 million by 2028, up from £380 million in 2024 (The Drinks Business). That’s not just a trend, it’s a tidal shift.

Veganuary: Plant-based going mainstream

Meanwhile, Veganuary 2025 broke records with 25.8 million people worldwide giving veganism a go (Veganuary). From Ferrero’s vegan Nutella to Burger King’s plant-based King Rib, big brands are jumping on the trend. Even oat milk became the default at Backwerk’s German bakery chain.

While participation is up globally, UK sales of meat-free products dipped 12.4% in January 2025 (AHDB). That’s a wake-up call for businesses, proving that trendiness alone won’t cut it. You need the right tools to stay agile and profitable.

Food businesses: thinking of launching a vegan or alcohol-free product?

Is your food business looking at launching a vegan or alcohol-free product? Hold your horses! Before you dive into R&D, does your current business system give you confidence in the reporting and analysis of the financials in your business? If you’re relying on Excel, or even worse, paper, you might be plunging headfirst into losses rather than capitalising on the market.

When the things you can’t control change unexpectedly, such as the currency you buy raw materials, Dynamics Food, the end-to-end ERP solution, powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and designed for the food industry, will help you quickly work out the business impact. You need to know what products, orders, and contracts are affected and how you can minimise the impact on your margins and cash flow. 

Dynamics Food gives you real-time insights into your financials, supply chain, and product performance. So when the unexpected hits, like currency shifts or ingredient shortages, you’re not scrambling, you’re strategising. 

What’s the point of steering your business in an alternative direction with a loose grip of your current state of affairs?

Traceability isn’t optional; it’s essential

Can you truthfully comply with the demands of your consumer? If you enter a phase of new product development to launch a vegan or alcohol-free product on the supermarket shelves, it’s essential to have full farm-to-fork traceability to track every batch, machine, and ingredient, so you can trace the journey your food has taken.

If your new vegan product ends up with a meat contamination, or your new alcohol-free beer makes you start seeing double, you’ll need more than an apology. If that does happen, you need to be prepared to hit the recall button and retrace all your steps. A product recall disrupts operations, and there is a risk of reputational damage if you don’t have a leg to stand on under the spotlight.

Managing traceability in Excel spreadsheets won’t cut the mustard. You can’t rely on a system that only half of your company can access. Dynamics Food gives you that clarity. No more version-control chaos or half-baked data. Just one unified system that helps you identify all your raw materials batches and the equipment used to manage your finished products, so you can act fast, stay compliant, and protect your brand.

Future-proofing your food business

What would you rather do? Stick with outdated systems and risk your BRC accreditation? Or invest in a future-proof solution that helps you ride the trends, not chase them?

Dynamics Food is the next step to smarter decisions, smoother operations, and a business that’s ready for any new industry trends. Want to chat with our team? Get in touch to find out more about Dynamics Food.