What’s ahead for the food-away-from-home business in 2026

What’s on the table for C&U foodservice this year?

Long before Indian cuisine caught on in the foodservice mainstream, colleges and universities were regularly serving the Asian fare in their dining halls. You can say the same about plant-forward dishes, boba, stir fries, Mediterranean specialties, gluten-free choices, and a host of other selections that are now as common across the food-away-from-home universe as forks and spoons. So what’s next? What cuisines offered today in colleges and universities are likely to become virtual staples of other segments as the students age into prime customers of restaurants, employee cafeterias, and even senior living facilities? We asked Jeffrey Palmer, Executive Director of Campus Dining and Retail Operations for the University of California at San Diego. Here’s what he had to say in this first of a podcast series focused on what the chairpersons of our Foodservice Leadership Councils expect to be discussing with their peers during 2026.

Here’s a cheat sheet on what’s ahead for K-12 foodservice

Even in the best of times, few food-away-from-home segments are as complicated and demanding as the K-12 market. And these are definitely not the best of times. In addition to the usual budgetary issues, school foodservice directors (FSDs) are facing major revisions of what the government is defining as “healthy,” or what should be on kids’ cafeteria trays. What’s that going to mean for the FSDs? Here's what Danielle Boch, this year’s K-12 Silver Plate Winner and chairperson of our school Foodservice Leadership Council, expects in 2026.

How’s the MAHA movement look to someone who’s spent a career promoting health?

Lisa Eberhart, a registered dietician with more than 20 years of experience in college-and-university foodservice, airs her take on the federal government’s trumpeted plan to improve the health of young people.

What’s ahead for the food-away-from-home business in 2026

After an extraordinary year of chaos and uncertainty, what can the food-away-from-home business expect in 2026? In the industry’s first glimpse into what lies ahead, the head of insights, education and research for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association explains why the business needn’t panic. As Charlie McConnell has summarized it, the sky isn’t falling. He'll provide the color on why the industry is likely to see an acceleration of growth next year, albeit it moderate.