More is more trend – summary
- More is more drives premium pricing and sales in foodservice
- Manufacturers struggle scaling due to cost, formulation and logistics complexities
- Functionality thrives with protein, fibre, probiotics etc. layering onto existing products
- Retail winners include dairy, beverages, snacks, confectionery, and bakery formats
- Opportunity lies delivering spectacle durability and social buzz at scale
The ‘more is more’ trend is taking over food and beverage.
From freakshakes to foot‑long hot dogs, triple‑stacked burgers, and desserts topped with sauces, sprinkles, and even S’mores Cookies, the move to indulge knows no bounds... at least not in the foodservice sector.
Manufacturing is a different story.
Manufacturing and ‘more is more’
The ‘more is more’ trend is driving sales and premium pricing in the service sector, but manufacturers are failing to embrace it. We’re simply not seeing the same extravagance on supermarket shelves.
Where are the exciting flavour combinations, where’s the over‑the‑top indulgence, and what about the product launches that trend on TikTok?
Yes, we’ve seen a few examples of this – Oreo’s limited‑edition mash‑ups, Ben & Jerry’s loaded tubs, and of course Dubai Chocolate – but they’re nothing to the extraordinary offerings now common in cafés and restaurants across the world. Why?
“The constraint for manufacturers is not uncertainty in demand, but the economic and technical complexity of delivering enhanced formulations at scale,” says Abhishek Dhar, food and beverage analyst at Markets and Markets.
Formulation
For manufacturers, formulation is often the first real barrier to ‘more is more’.
Layered indulgence looks effortless in foodservice, but translating that excess into a stable, scalable product is another matter entirely.
Multiple inclusions, fillings and textures must work together without compromising taste, shelf life or food safety, and still perform consistently at industrial volumes.
Fat migration, moisture transfer and flavour bleed can quickly turn a show‑stopping concept into a technical headache. Add heat treatment, freezing, thawing and long shelf lives into the mix, and maintaining the drama of indulgence becomes a delicate balancing act.
Packaging
Packaging’s another quiet constraint.
Over‑the‑top products often demand over‑engineered solutions to protect layers, fillings and textures through long supply chains. That means heavier materials, higher costs and tougher sustainability trade‑offs.
At the same time, packaging is a critical storyteller, especially for products designed to trend on TikTok.
Transportation
If ‘more is more’ is hard to formulate at scale, it’s even harder to move.
The more layers, fillings and formats a product has, the more fragile it becomes once it leaves the factory. Loaded desserts, filled chocolate bars, frosted bakery and hybrid products are heavier, messier and far more sensitive to temperature, vibration and time.
Sauces leak, layers shift, textures degrade, and what looked spectacular at launch can arrive looking decidedly underwhelming.
Add extended supply chains, the need for chilled or frozen transport, and rising logistics costs, and the margin pressure ramps up fast.
Unlike foodservice, where products travel metres not miles, manufacturers must deliver indulgence intact, consistently and at scale. For many, that last leg of the journey is where ‘more is more’ starts to feel like too much.
Retail
Even when manufacturers crack formulation, indulgence can still fall at the final hurdle – retail execution.
Supermarket shelves are optimised for efficiency, not spectacle. Retail designs favour consistency, fast turnover and space‑efficient SKUs, leaving little room for bulky, irregular or visually chaotic products.
Retailers, meanwhile, remain cautious about listing high‑risk, high‑cost innovations without guaranteed sales. This conservative environment can squeeze ‘more is more’ products into formats that dull their impact – the very opposite of what makes them exciting in foodservice.
Cost
Foodservice consumers have proven they’re willing to pay more for indulgent foods and beverages. But manufacturers remain cautious over cost – and Markets and Markets’ Dhar says there’s a good reason for this response.
“The contrast with the service sector is structural. Foodservice allows for immediate perception of value and flexible ingredient inclusion, without the need for standardised formulations or extended shelf life.”
In manufacturing, any enhancement must be delivered consistently across large production volumes, remain stable over time, and comply with labelling and regulatory requirements. These conditions increase both cost and formulation demand.
Having said that, there’s on aspect of ‘more is more’ that manufacturers are nailing – functionality.
Functionality in ‘more is more’
It wasn’t so long ago that the health and wellness world celebrated low-fat, low-carb, low-sugar, really just low everything, as the benchmark for goodness.
Things have definitely changed. Now good-for-you often means more.
Consumers want products that taste good and do good, hence the rise of of products with added benefits – protein‑packed desserts, collagen‑boosted chocolates, gut‑friendly ice creams and functional confectionery laced with adaptogens and nootropics.
And it’s this area of the ‘more is more’ trend that manufacturers are fully embracing.
“At a product level, delivering ‘more is more’ involves incorporating a set of value-added ingredients designed to provide specific functional or nutritional benefits,” says Markets and Markets’ Dhar. “These include proteins and amino acids for enrichment, dietary fibres for digestive health and satiety, and probiotics and prebiotics for gut health. These ingredients are introduced to add measurable benefits and, as a result, sit on top of existing formulations rather than replacing them.”
In other words, it’s easier for manufacturers to reformulate for functionality than it is to completely alter a product for indulgence. Although the word “easier” doesn’t necessarily mean easy.
“Combining multiple functional ingredients requires careful balancing of product performance,” says Dhar. “Protein enrichment can alter texture and mouthfeel, fibre can affect taste and digestibility, and botanical extracts can introduce bitterness or stability challenges.” All of which means it must be approached with care.
Biggest winners in ‘more is more’
The biggest winners from the ‘more is more’ trend, says Markets and Markets’ Dhar, are sectors that can pile on benefits without asking consumers to change how they eat or drink.
Dairy: Yoghurts, milks and drinkable formats are already recognised for their protein and nutrition credentials, making it easy to layer in probiotics, fibre, vitamins and indulgent flavours
Beverages: Drinks, especially ready‑to‑drink, act as all‑in‑one delivery systems for energy, hydration, protein and wellness in a single, convenient hit
Snacks: Bars, bites and fortified treats offer repeated daily opportunities to stack protein, fibre and functionality without friction
Confectionery: Chocolate bars, sweets and treats lend themselves to indulgent layering – filled centres, flavour mash‑ups, texture overload and added benefits like protein, collagen or reduced sugar without losing their treat appeal
Bakery: Cakes, pastries and baked goods thrive on excess, offering space for hybrid formats, stuffed and loaded recipes, premium ingredients and functional twists such as added protein, fibre or fortified flours, all without disrupting familiar eating occasions.
More is more opportunities
For manufacturers, the prize for getting ‘more is more’ right is significant.
Crack the technical, cost and logistics challenges, and indulgence becomes a powerful growth engine, unlocking premium pricing, stronger brand differentiation and products designed to travel fast on social as well as shelves.
The demand is already proven in foodservice – the opportunities are firmly in retail.
