Insight of the Day: Consumers prioritise health over sustainability in food choices

• Why it is Trending: Food choices are fundamental to both individual well-being and the sustainability of the food system. This report highlights a significant, and potentially concerning, shift in consumer priorities that has major implications for the food industry. The report is from February 11, 2025, and reflects a 2024 survey, making it highly relevant.

• Overview: The EIT Food Trust Report reveals that European consumers are prioritizing personal health over environmental sustainability when making food choices. Financial constraints and a lack of reliable information are major obstacles.

• Detailed Findings:

  • Health is the top priority for 51% of consumers; sustainability for only 9%.

  • Sustainability concerns have decreased since 2020.

  • Consumers want to reduce fat, sugar, and processed food intake.

  • Budget and breaking habits are the biggest barriers to change.

  • Low trust in food information from retailers, governments, media; high trust in doctors and scientists.

• Key Takeaway: Health overwhelmingly dominates food choices for European consumers, with sustainability significantly less important. Lack of trust and affordability are key issues.

• Main Trend: Health prioritization over sustainability in food purchasing decisions.

• Description of the Trend (Name): Health-First Food

• Consumer Motivation: Personal health and well-being, longevity, reducing perceived health risks.

• Driving Trend: Increased health awareness, media focus on diet, economic pressures, distrust in food industry information.

• Motivation Beyond the Trend: A fundamental desire for control over one's health and well-being in a complex and uncertain world.

• Description of Consumers:

  • Age: Broadly applicable, with some variation between generations (Gen Z more open to new trends).

  • Gender: Not specified, likely all genders.

  • Income: All income levels, but budget constraints are a significant factor, impacting choices.

  • Lifestyle: People who are concerned for their well being, health conscious people.

• Conclusions: The trend reveals a strong focus on personal health, potentially hindering progress on sustainability. The food industry faces a challenge in building trust and making healthy, sustainable options accessible.

• Implications for Brands:

  • Must prioritize health messaging and product development.

  • Need to address affordability concerns.

  • Transparency and credible information are essential to build trust.

• Implication for Society: Potential for improved public health, but risk of neglecting sustainability if not addressed concurrently.

• Implications for Consumers: More healthy options may become available, but consumers need to be discerning about information and navigate potentially conflicting priorities.

• Implication for Future: The tension between individual health and planetary sustainability will likely increase, requiring innovative solutions from the food industry.

• Consumer Trend (Name, Detailed Description): Pragmatic Health Prioritization: Consumers actively prioritize immediate, personal health benefits (reducing fat, sugar, processed foods) when making food choices, often relegating longer-term sustainability concerns due to cost and information barriers.

• Consumer Sub Trend (Name, Detailed Description): Information Authority Shift: Consumers increasingly distrust traditional food information sources (brands, media) and instead rely on healthcare professionals (doctors) and scientists for credible guidance on healthy eating.

• Big Social Trend (Name, Detailed Description): Individualized Wellness Imperative: A strong focus on personal well-being and self-improvement, often prioritizing immediate personal needs over broader societal or environmental concerns.

• Worldwide Social Trend (Name, Detailed Description): Global Health Consciousness: A widespread and growing awareness of the critical link between diet and overall health, driving a global demand for healthier food options.

• Social Drive (Name, Detailed Description): Self-Preservation & Control: In an era of perceived uncertainty and risk, individuals focus on aspects of their lives they can directly control, particularly their health, through informed food choices.

• Learnings for Brands to Use in 2025:

  • Health is the dominant purchase driver.

  • Sustainability is a secondary concern for many.

  • Trust in traditional information sources is very low.

  • Affordability is a major barrier.

• Strategy Recommendations for Brands to Follow in 2025:

  1. "Healthify" Products: Reformulate existing products and develop new ones with clear health benefits, focusing on reducing fat, sugar, and processed ingredients.

  2. Value-Driven Health: Offer healthy options at competitive price points to address budget constraints.

  3. Radical Transparency: Provide clear, honest, and easily accessible information about ingredients, sourcing, and nutritional value.

  4. Expert Endorsement: Partner with trusted healthcare professionals and scientists to build credibility and provide reliable information.

  5. Simplify Sustainability Messaging: If addressing sustainability, connect it directly to personal health benefits and avoid complex jargon.

• Final Sentence (Key Concept): The dominant trend of Health-First Food, where European consumers prioritize personal health over sustainability due to cost and information barriers, compels food brands to focus on affordable, transparently healthy products and credible communication in 2025.

• What Brands and Companies Should Do in 2025: Food companies need to focus on affordability, and develop healthy product lines. Partnering with trusted figures like doctors and scientists to verify health claims.

• Final Note:

  • Core Trend: Health-First Food: Consumers overwhelmingly prioritize personal health benefits when making food choices, often sidelining sustainability due to practical constraints and distrust in information.

  • Core Strategy: Accessible & Transparent Wellness: Offer affordable, healthy food options with clear, credible information backed by trusted experts to build consumer confidence.

  • Core Industry Trend: Functional Food Focus: A shift towards developing and marketing foods with specific, demonstrable health benefits beyond basic nutrition.

  • Core Consumer Motivation: Empowered Self-Care: Consumers taking proactive control of their health through informed food choices, seeking tangible benefits and trustworthy guidance.

• Final Conclusion: The EIT Food Trust Report underscores a critical juncture for the food industry. While the desire for healthier eating is strong, the path to a truly sustainable food system is complicated by consumer priorities, economic realities, and a crisis of trust. Brands that can successfully navigate this landscape by offering affordable, healthy, and transparently communicated products, while building credibility through expert partnerships, will be best positioned to meet consumer needs and contribute to a more sustainable future. The challenge lies in making healthy and sustainable choices synonymous and accessible, rather than competing priorities.

Source: https://www.retaildetail.eu/news/food/consumers-prioritise-health-over-sustainability-in-food-choices/