Whole Foods: Beef tallow tops food trends

Whole Foods Market has listed beef tallow as its No. 1 food trend for 2026.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promoted beef tallow as an alternative to seed oils. But Whole Foods said the interest is deeper than current concerns. 

“Once a staple in traditional cooking and prized for its high smoke point and rich flavor, tallow is being rediscovered by consumers who value ancestral ingredients and are looking for oil alternatives,” Whole Foods said in the study.

“This old-school fat is having a moment on social media, though it’s actually been used for centuries for frying and baking. Restaurants have also been trading in traditional oils for tallow to elevate everything from french fries to pastries. And for customers supporting ‘nose to tail’ use of the animal, these brands provide a usage for fat that is normally discarded.”