It is surprising that as many as 46% of adults, and 63% of under-35s, consider it more important that ingredients are sustainable than that they are minimally processed. Sustainability benefits therefore hold promising potential for counterbalancing UPF concerns. This is good news for plant-based dairy and meat substitutes, and points to opportunities for preservatives to win favour by spotlighting their role in limiting food waste.
Sustained low consumer confidence, which saw a rise in price-consciousness in 2025, is a major threat to sustainable food/drink. The fall in prevalence of sustainable food/drink purchasing reflects this. In the immediate term, products and solutions that help both the planet and people’s wallets, like reducing food waste, have strong potential to tap into consumers’ savvy shopping mindset.
People’s openness to non-traditional origins in food & drink holds promise for brands needing to source products or ingredients elsewhere than is customary due to supply chain disruptions. 41% of adults see it as more important that a food/drink product is sustainable than for it to come from the traditional region for that product.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Importance of various attributes when buying food & drink, including price, taste, health and environmental impact.
- The top three food & drink categories where people pay attention to sustainable claims
- Consumer awareness of climate change, and of more sustainable farming practices, such as organic and regenerative agriculture
- The relative importance of sustainability vs minimally processed in the minds of consumers
- Attitudes and behaviours in relation to plastic packaging
- The importance to consumers of food & drink’s provenance, and the interplay between this and sustainability
- Trends in launch activity in food & drink with environment-related ethical claims
Greater cost-consciousness saw buying sustainably slip back in 2025, but this looks set to regain momentum longer term.
Alice Baker, Food and Drink Analyst
Market Definitions
This Report explores consumers’ usage of food & drink products with sustainability claims and related barriers, behaviours and attitudes.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities
- Explore alternatives to plastic, but also explain its benefits
- Continue plastic reduction efforts, but also educate consumers on plastic’s benefits
- Sustainability benefits can help overcome concerns around processing
- Spotlight the environmental advantages of non-traditional origins
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Outlook for sustainable food & drink
- Subdued financial wellbeing hampers sustainable shopping habits
- Graph 1: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-25
- Net zero goals, food technology and packaging waste attract attention
- What consumers want and why
- Price gains importance, hampering sustainable shopping intentions
- Graph 2: most important factors when buying food & drink products, 2022, 2024 and 2025
- Buying sustainably slips back in 2025
- Graph 3: frequency of choosing sustainable food & drink products, 2022, 2024 and 2025
- Meat/poultry and fruit/vegetables are the categories where people are most focused on sustainability
- Graph 4: importance of sustainability claims in purchase of selected food/drink products, by category, 2025
- Many would avoid plastic packaging; half of adults claim to be familiar with regenerative farming
- Graph 5: behaviours relating to sustainability in food, 2025
- Sustainability trumps ‘authentic’ origins for many, and can also overcome concerns about processing
- Graph 6: attitudes towards sustainability in food, 2025
- Innovation and marketing
- Companies continue their efforts to make packaging more sustainable; launches flag up regenerative farming and upcycled ingredients
- Examples of food & drink launches with sustainable claims in 2024-25
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market drivers
- Subdued financial wellbeing hampers sustainable shopping habits
- Graph 7: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-25
- Interest in sustainability to gain ground as income pressures ease
- Flexitarian trend firmly mainstream
- Graph 8: meat eating habits, 2019-2024
- Half of 16-34s have reduced or shun meat
- Graph 9: meat eating habits, by age, 2024
- Livestock reduction highlighted as key to meeting net zero targets
- The UK Dairy Carbon Network aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Net Zero Transition Plan recommends steps to government and industry
- Climate change presents a threat to food security
- News of extreme weather boost efforts to be sustainable
- Government backs technology innovation to improve food security
- FSA establishes a regulatory sandbox for cell-cultivated products
- Many consumers are open to precision fermentation and GM food & drink
- DRS postponed until 2027
- Barriers to overcome ahead of the DRS rollout
- The EPR scheme comes into force…
- …but is met with resistance from businesses
- Experts across the industry to help the government develop a new food strategy
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Most important factors when buying food & drink products
- Price gains importance…
- Graph 10: most important factors when buying food and drink products, 2022, 2024 and 2025
- ..hampering sustainable shopping intentions
- Buying sustainably slips back in 2025
- Graph 11: frequency of choosing sustainable food & drink products, 2022, 2024 and 2025
- Financial health facilitates buying sustainably
- Graph 12: frequency of choosing sustainable food and drink products, by financial situation, 2025
- Buying sustainable food & drink peaks among Gen Z
- Graph 13: frequency of choosing food and drink products with sustainability claims, by generation, 2025
- The presence of children promotes sustainable shopping habits
- Leverage children’s ‘pester power’ around sustainability
- Importance of sustainability claims in selected food & drink categories
- Consumers pay more attention to sustainability claims in some categories than others
- Graph 14: importance of sustainability claims in purchase of selected food/drink products, by category, 2025
- Meat/poultry and fruit/vegetables lead on consumer sustainability focus
- Meat, poultry and dairy are key focus points for eco-conscious shoppers
- Own-label and branded meat products flag up their environmental credentials
- Help consumers  to use less-popular cuts
- Need to educate consumers on the importance of sustainability for grain-based products
- Behaviours relating to sustainability in food
- Eight in ten adults think most plastic food/drink packaging is unnecessary
- Graph 15: behaviours relating to sustainability in food, 2025
- Growing government and public scrutiny on plastic
- Seven in ten adults would favour a product with non-plastic packaging
- Eliminating plastic is not always the best choice
- Educate consumers on plastic’s benefits…
- Graph 16: those who would choose a product which claims to have a small carbon footprint over one that doesn’t, by age group, 2025
- …including highlighting where it is the more environmentally friendly option
- A need to drive awareness of regenerative agriculture
- Half of consumers are familiar with the concept of regenerative farming…
- …but understanding is likely to be limited
- The food & drink industry must adopt such practices, creating a need to get consumers on board
- Regenerative farming has catching up to do with longer-standing green concepts
- Consumers underestimate the environmental impact of farming
- Graph 17: perceived environmental impact of different stages of a coffee product’s lifecycle, 2024
- A need for more data-driven evidence of environmental impact
- Regenerative farming can shift the narrative for animal-sourced food & drink
- ‘Regenuary’ gains traction, offering potential as a springboard to drive awareness
- Attitudes towards sustainability in food
- Sustainability trumps ‘authentic’ origins for many consumers
- Graph 18: attitudes towards sustainability in food, 2025
- Highlight the environmental advantages of non-traditionally sourced food & drink
- Supply chain disruptions make alternative sources and ingredients essential
- Emphasize the environmental benefits of non-traditionally sourced products
- Traditional origins’ associations with quality pose a challenge
- Flag up premium attributes to boost quality associations around food & drink from non-traditional origins
- Highlight local sourcing
- Sustainability benefits can help overcome concerns around processing
- UPF concerns have a significant impact on food & drink choices
- Consumers prioritising sustainability over minimal processing is good news for plant-based alternatives
- Calling out how ingredients/processes extend shelf life will chime…
- …especially given the money-saving benefits of reducing food waste
- Communicate how using additives reduces food waste…
- …and how processes can do the same
- Products using upcycled ingredients benefit from emphasis on sustainability over level of processing
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INNOVATION TRENDS
- Launch activity and innovation
- Sustainable claims are more widespread in some categories than others
- Graph 19: share of food & drink launches with selected ethical claims, 2020-25
- Brands and retailers continue their efforts to reduce plastic use
- Examples of food launches with ‘reduced plastic’ claims
- Companies explore alternatives to plastic
- Use of recycled plastic in packaging continues
- Categories dominated by glass bottles explore lighter-weight alternatives
- Regular and treat items highlight regenerative farming
- Further activity in food & drink calling out upcycled ingredients, though still rare
- Chocolate-based products highlight their palm-oil-free recipes
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APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
- Infegy Atlas – coverage
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