​Scroll LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok (at least my For You Page anyway), and you’ll see it straight away - the vegetable of the moment. Once upon a time it was Tenderstem broccoli, now it’s mushrooms that look too beautiful to eat, or carrots in colours that feel more fashion than food. It all looks very modern, very reactive and very now.

But after two years recruiting in horticulture and fresh produce, I’m really enjoying having the front row to something that most consumers never see: these “overnight” trends usually began years ago, quietly, far far away from social media. Breeding sits almost completely out of sight from your supermarket shoppers, yet it dictates so much of what ends up on our plates. Flavour, texture, colour, shelf life, even how well a vegetable photographs. By the time something goes viral, the biggest decisions have already been made.

I recently had the pleasure of learning about how it all happened with Tenderstem broccoli (a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese kale, originally bred in Japan in the 1990s) from the breeder who first put it into the hands of consumers. At the time, it wasn’t an obvious win. It behaved differently, looked different, and didn’t fit neatly into existing categories. Most large retailers weren’t interested, only M&S were willing to take the risk and put it in front of customers. That decision didn’t just launch a product, it created a new eating habit. Today, Tenderstem feels so normal that it’s easy to forget it was ever a gamble at all.

What I find the most impressive is the disconnect between breeding timelines and social media hype. Breeding works in years, sometimes decades. Social media works in weeks. When those two worlds collide, it creates pressure all the way down the supply chain, and I’ve noticed that it’s the growers and technical teams who really have to absorb it. It seems that their role isn’t just about yield or pests anymore, now it’s about translating long-term breeding decisions into consistent results for a market that shifts and loses focus on a daily basis.

From where I sit, the people making this happen are rarely visible - breeders, trial specialists, technical managers, and highly skilled growers. So here’s my question for anyone reading this: next time a vegetable dominates your feed, do you pause to think about the years of work behind it? And for those in the industry, are we recognising and valuing the skills it takes to make something viral feel effortless?

And for those interested, here’s a short history of viral fruit/veg trends that I’ve noticed since joining MorePeople in 2024:

●     Carrot ribbon salad: A visually striking take on carrots sliced into ribbons with flavourful dressings became a summer staple on TikTok feeds after going viral in 2025.

●     Ribbon vegetables generally: Long, noodle‑like ribbons of veg such as courgette or carrot used in salads and cold dishes have been trending because they’re both photogenic and adaptable.

●     The greens “Dinosaur” trend: Encouraging people to eat big handfuls of leafy greens like spinach or kale in one go, which was one way to eat your greens…

●     The sweet potato trend: While not just the veg itself going viral, the cheese‑stuffed sweet potato lunch recipe took off on TikTok with millions of views and spiked interest in sweet potatoes as a simple, viral lunch idea, yes I’ve tried it, and yes it was really good!

●     Candyfloss grapes - candyfloss‑flavoured grape varieties that generated excitement and social buzz when they reached UK shelves, these were another M&S special and often shared as novelty bites in reels and stories.

I’d love to hear which fruits or vegetables you think will dominate 2026 and what “behind-the-scenes” roles you think will define the next decade of fresh produce.