UK Food and Drink Influences Consumer Report 2026
Social commerce is a force to reckon with in food and drink, 30% of social media users having bought these products on said platforms.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Opportunities
- Novelty can unlock spend, but relevance is crucial
- Tap food and drinks’ role as entertainment
- Social commerce demands attention
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THE MARKET
- Rising costs put the focus on price in 2025
- Graph 1: PPI and CPI for food, 2020-25
- Low cost isn’t consumers’ top priority despite caution
- Online and convenience will gain in grocery retail
- Changing grocery retail landscape shapes product discovery and access
- Social media and AI evolution disrupt product discovery
- Social media and AI evolution disrupt discovery
- Restrictions on HFSS food and drink limit visibility
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THE CONSUMER
- Taste, cost and nutrition lead in food and drink choices
- Taste leads in food and drink choices
- Good taste is non-negotiable, even for those under financial strain
- Ample opportunities for added value
- Explore targeted promotions enabled by technological advances
- The desire for novelty
- Highlight new experiences
- Newness delights, especially younger adults
- Spotlight new products to reap the benefits of NPD
- Ensure relevance to ingrained needs to unlock desire for newness
- Target new audiences to benefit from love of novelty
- Look to online channels to spearhead personalised discovery
- Embrace new technology to disrupt shopper journey at point of decision
- Tap food and drinks’ role as entertainment
- Social media is crucial to tap Brits’ enjoyment and sharing of food/drink content
- Social media is increasingly key to tap powerful enjoyment in food/drink content
- Brands’ own social media presence becomes crucial in 2026
- Harness under-35s’ love of posting about food/drink
- Embrace social commerce
- Social commerce demands attention
- Social commerce is widely used and expected
- TikTok Shop attracts big players
- Unlock value beyond revenue on social commerce
- Automation will reshape shopper journey
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PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- NPD shifts from new products to new varieties
- Graph 2: food and drink launches, by launch type, 2015-25
- Behind-the-scenes reformulation abounds
- Seasonal, limited edition and cobranded launches seek to offer novelty and create buzz
- Leading grocers develop in-store media
- Personalised prices and prompts evolve
- TV tops ad spend; outdoor and social grow
- Graph 3: food and drink above-the-line online display, direct mail and social media advertising expenditure, by media type, 2022-25
- Brand building and confectionery & snacks lead ad spend
- Graph 4: food and drink above-the-line online display, direct mail and social media advertising expenditure, by category, 2022-25
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APPENDIX
- Report scope
- The market
- Categories in scope of HFSS regulations
- Nutrient profiling model in HFSS regulations
- Media in scope of HFSS advertising regulations
- UK financial confidence and wellbeing indices
- Graph 5: financial confidence and wellbeing indices, 2019-25
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Repertoire analysis methodology
- UK generation groups
- Other data source methodologies
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
- Abbreviations
Social commerce is a force to reckon with in food and drink, 30% of social media users having bought these products on said platforms. Higher uptake among 16-34s points to this channel gaining share across the population in the longer term.
New HFSS advertising regulations coming into force in 2026 will have mixed effects, as the presence of compliant products varies widely. Brands’ own social media presence gains focus, being exempt from the restrictions.
Consumers’ love of food and drink content for entertainment continues to offer a powerful touchpoint for brands to forge emotional connections with shoppers.
AI stands to starkly disrupt product discovery and purchase, with uptake of AI research tools already widespread and given strong consumer desire for streamlining shopping.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Important factors when buying food and drink, including the leading role of good taste and its interplay with cost
- The appeal of novelty in food and drink, particularly among younger adults, and routes for brands and retailers to tap into this
- Consumers’ love of food and drink entertainment content, and of posting about food and drink, and the opportunities for brands in light of changing HFSS regulations
- Uptake of social commerce in food and drink and the desire to automate shopping
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