The "more is more" trend is reshaping foodservice. Freakshakes, triple-stacked burgers, loaded desserts and over-the-top indulgence now define the café and restaurant experience. But supermarket shelves tell a different story. While Oreo mash-ups, Ben & Jerry's loaded tubs and viral Dubai Chocolate exist, they are outliers in a retail landscape that has largely rejected the extravagance common in foodservice.
Why manufacturers are stuck
The constraint is not demand. Foodservice has proven consumers pay premium prices for indulgence. The problem is economic and technical complexity. Formulation alone presents the first barrier. Multiple inclusions, fillings and textures must work together without compromising taste, shelf life or food safety, and perform consistently at industrial volumes. Fat migration, moisture transfer and flavour bleed can turn a show-stopping concept into a technical headache. Add heat treatment, freezing, thawing and long shelf lives, and maintaining the drama of indulgence becomes a delicate balancing act.
Packaging compounds the problem. 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. But packaging is also a critical storyteller, especially for products designed to trend on social media.
Transportation may be the most damaging constraint. The more layers, fillings and formats a product has, the more fragile it becomes. Loaded desserts, filled chocolate bars 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 underwhelming. Unlike foodservice, where products travel metres, manufacturers must deliver indulgence intact, consistently and at scale.
Even when manufacturers solve these problems, retail execution remains a hurdle. 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 remain cautious about listing high-risk, high-cost innovations without guaranteed sales.
Where manufacturers are winning
Manufacturers are embracing one aspect of "more is more" at scale: functionality. Products now combine protein, dietary fibre, probiotics and botanical extracts with existing formulations. Protein-packed desserts, collagen-boosted chocolates, gut-friendly ice creams and confectionery with adaptogens and nootropics are gaining traction.
Incorporating functional ingredients is easier than completely altering a product for indulgence. Proteins, amino acids, dietary fibres, probiotics and prebiotics sit on top of existing formulations rather than replacing them. However, combining multiple functional ingredients requires careful balancing. Protein enrichment can alter texture and mouthfeel, fibre can affect taste and digestibility, and botanical extracts can introduce bitterness or stability challenges.
The biggest winners are sectors that can pile on benefits without asking consumers to change their eating or drinking habits. Dairy products like yoghurts and drinkable formats are already recognised for protein and nutrition, making it easy to layer in probiotics, fibre and vitamins. Beverages, especially ready-to-drink formats, act as all-in-one delivery systems for energy, hydration, protein and wellness. Snacks and bars offer daily opportunities to stack protein and fibre. Confectionery can layer in filled centres, flavour mash-ups and added benefits like protein or collagen without losing their treat appeal. Bakery goods thrive on excess, offering space for hybrid formats, stuffed recipes and functional twists.