Western Europe

During the COVID-19 pandemic era there was an increase in sales of indulgence and comfort food, such as cookies, and confectionery. However, by 2022, there was a marked return to normality, with people seeking out products that were better for them.…

Health claims related to xylitol remain relevant in the Finnish snacks market, and snack products containing xylitol are gaining in popularity. The Jenkki brand and its xylitol health claims have been present since the first xylitol sweetened gum was…

French consumers have long been cognisant of how sugar intake can be a significant contributory factor in the development of conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay, as the effects of this substance have been a focal point in media…

The increasing awareness of the link between high sugar consumption and obesity, especially amongst children, has shed light on the importance of reducing the sugar content of highly calorific foods, including snacks. Indeed, growing awareness of the…

There are multiple health and wellness claims in soft drinks, including natural and organic; fortified with vitamins and minerals; superfruit and immune system or brain work support; energy boosting and mental health care. These are targeted at a…

The selection of functional soft drinks is growing in Finland and consumers are exhibiting great interest in products that offer added protein and an energy boost. Finns lead hectic and active lifestyles in the cold and dark Nordic climate, making…

Overall volume sales of organic soft drinks in France declined for a second consecutive year in 2022, and at a steeper rate than in 2021. This was partly explained by the stabilisation of consumption patterns, as demand for such products surged in…

Sugar has become a key focus of consumer health concerns on the back of increasing publicity around the role of excessive sugar consumption in the development of a range of health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Sugary…

Consumers are becoming more concerned about sustainability, climate impact and animal welfare, as well as health issues, which is leading to a decline in meat consumption on a regular basis and promoting a choice of meat free alternatives. Thanks to…

The oat boom continues expanding in Finland. Not only are oats a traditional Nordic superfood, but there is also considerable new product development allowing brands to deliver value-added benefits. The health benefits of oats are widely known in…

The number of people adopting vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian diets is growing in France. While still somewhat underdeveloped as compared to neighbouring markets such as the UK and Germany, this trend has gained momentum in recent years, primarily…

Pasta has seen demand rise as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. As a staple product that can be stored and cooked easily, even by novice cooks, pasta saw great sales growth during the lockdown period and continued to benefit even after the easing of…

The health and wellness industry continues to grow in importance post-pandemic as consumers become more aware of the negative health impact of processed foods, seeking healthier foods and beverages from a range of claims such as natural, organic,…

The health and wellness industry continues to grow in importance post-pandemic as consumers become more aware of the negative health impact of processed foods, seeking healthier foods and beverages from a range of claims such as natural, organic,…

The health and wellness industry continues to grow in importance post-pandemic as consumers become more aware of the negative health impact of processed foods, seeking healthier foods and beverages from a range of claims such as natural, organic,…

The health and wellness industry continues to grow in importance post-pandemic as consumers become more aware of the negative health impact of processed foods, seeking healthier foods and beverages from a range of claims such as natural, organic,…

The health and wellness industry continues to grow in importance post-pandemic as consumers become more aware of the negative health impact of processed foods, seeking healthier foods and beverages from a range of claims such as natural, organic,…

Organic products came to the fore in several categories within cooking ingredients and meals in 2022. As demand has risen retailers’ shelves have become increasingly crowded with organic products with many stores creating specific areas of their…

In an inflationary environment, unevenly rising prices inevitably affected the purchasing power of many Spanish consumers in 2022, hampering the growth of certain health and wellness cooking ingredients and meals. Despite the temporary downhill…

Vegetarian, vegan and plant-based alternatives saw a boom in popularity in several packaged food categories towards the end of the review period with ready meals being no exception. There is a strong demand for healthier food alternatives in Sweden,…

In general, there has been long-term growth in vegetarian cooking ingredients and meals. In 2022, there was a temporary dip in retail sales of these products, although this was mainly an adjustment after a sharp increase in retail sales of vegetarian…

Turkey has a long history of consumers enjoying dips, although these are often either made from scratch at home, or consumed in neighbourhood restaurants. However, recently there has been an increase in the availability of packaged dips, which are…

Healthy and sustainable food is a topic of primary importance for many Italians, who not only want to improve their own health but also contribute towards improving the health of the planet. The growing interest in vegan butter and spreads is…

Although Spanish consumers had to tighten their belts in 2022 due to high inflationary pressures, various health and wellness dairy products and alternatives witnessed growth during the year. Demand for low fat/no fat claims stabilised in 2022, with…

Plant-based dairy, primarily oat-based, remained the most popular category in health and wellness dairy products and alternatives in Sweden in 2022. The category was notably boosted by the pandemic which led to consumers paying more attention to…

High protein products in the dairy category became increasingly popular as consumers prioritised their health and wellness in 2022. This trend was initially fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened awareness of the connection between diet and…

The health and wellness trend is shaping product developments in dairy products and alternatives in Turkey, with a noticeable rise in fortified/functional products, especially in drinking milk products, and cheese, as well as baby food. For instance,…

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on consumer purchasing behaviour when it came to hot drinks. Indeed, trends such as the increased focus on preventive health, which developed in 2020, remained quite relevant in 2022, with this being…

Despite holding overall low value sales share within Spanish hot drinks, demand for organic options rose in 2022. Organic tea experienced certain resilience with a positive evolution in both green tea and the larger category of fruit/herbal tea. The…

The lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic combined with the economic fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to skyrocketing unit prices as Sweden experienced spiralling rates of inflation. This led to a drop in disposable income which in…

Organic claims are significant in both the tea and coffee categories in the hot drinks market in the Netherlands. However, in 2022, there was a sharp decline in retail value sales of the organic claim. While organic remains one of the smaller…

Tea consumption in Turkey is vast, with most consumers drinking tea daily, and most tea produced within the country. According to the World Tea Committee, Turkey is the number one country by per capita consumption of tea. The tea industry in Turkey…

The pandemic adversely affected consumption of snack bars with these products having fallen out of favour as consumers spent more time at home, but with the return to normal life in 2022, sales also returned to growth. Convenience and taste were at…

Spaniards are increasingly reducing their sugar intake when consuming packaged foods, including snacks that contain low sugar content. This trend has become mainstream within sweet biscuits. Local consumers want to treat themselves but with no…

Swedes love their snacks with high levels of per capita consumption for most categories but demand for healthier options remains comparatively quite low. Unlike most packaged food categories where consumers are opting for healthier alternatives of…

Vegan snacks registered a strong sales performance in 2022 as all vegan categories achieved above average growth, including vegan ice cream, which performed particularly well. Moreover, the range of vegan chocolate confectionery is constantly…

Consumers in Turkey have become highly price-sensitive, given the steep inflation rate and the decrease in tourism, as the country traditionally benefited from tourist arrivals from both Ukraine and Russia, with this disrupted by the war in Ukraine.…

The strongest trend in health and wellness soft drinks in Italy in 2022 concerned the development of low sugar and no added sugar soft drinks. This was linked to the growing media attention on Italy’s rising obesity rate and the health risks…

Sugar intake remains one of the primary concerns for consumers in Spain, which supported demand for low sugar, no sugar and no added sugar claims within soft drinks in 2022. A major contribution comes from no sugar cola carbonates. While lower-income…

The shift from traditional or sugary alternatives, such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, to low/no sugar variants, like Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Coca-Cola Light, and Pepsi Max, is not a new trend, but it is the longest standing health trend in soft drinks. This…

The transition to low sugar and no sugar products began a few years ago, although the pandemic accelerated the trend. The pandemic brought significant changes in the way consumers approached their health and wellness which led to a sudden and…

The consumer base in Turkey increased in 2022, as the country saw substantial immigration, and also a strong influx of tourists. Despite inflationary pressures and higher prices, the consumption of soft drinks increased, and the focus on health and…

In packaged cakes, there is a growing demand for products that both satisfy the need for indulgence while still being considered a healthy eating option. In this context, Italian consumers are looking for low fat and low sugar cakes and that are rich…

In 2022, demand for staples foods was polarised between consumers searching for lower prices due to high inflation in the country and those who opted to adopt healthier diets and were willing and able to pay more for higher quality or specific value,…

Plant-based meat and seafood substitutes enjoyed strong growth in current value terms in 2022 with the category continuing to benefit from the rising number of vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian consumers in Sweden. Consumers are looking to eat…

At the beginning of the review period, gluten free staple foods was an underdeveloped category. Specialised channels such as health food stores and organic supermarkets were the main distribution channels and consumers who struggled with issues…

One of the major issues of the pandemic was that people had fewer opportunities to do physical activities, as they stayed at home most of the time. Accordingly, many people gained weight, with the number of people diagnosed with overweight and…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in Q4 2023 and 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence remains among the key economies. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of…

The health and wellness industry continues to grow in importance post-pandemic as consumers become more aware of the negative health impact of processed foods, seeking healthier foods and beverages from a range of claims such as natural, organic,…

During 2022, convenience and health and wellness remained two of the most important megatrends influencing demand patterns among Austrian consumers and this combination of a desire to eat healthier types of convenience food supported strong growth in…