3 megatrends disrupting food & beverage
The global Food & Beverage sector is undergoing structural disruption. Consumer behaviours are evolving at speed, creating new challenges and opportunities for leadership teams across the value chain. Three megatrends stand out:
Value Recalibration: The Cost Squeeze:
Rising living costs are redefining what consumers perceive as “value.”
• Shoppers are trading down to private label, frozen proteins, and lower-cost staples.
• Retailers are responding with innovation in own-brand, blurring traditional boundaries between price and quality.
• Premium players must now work harder to justify their positioning with clear differentiation, storytelling, and proof of value.
Health & Wellness at the Core:
Health is no longer a niche driver. It is now a mainstream purchase decision-maker.
• The wellness economy is valued at $6.3 trillion, with food & beverage contributing nearly $860 billion.
• Functional benefits - gut health, clean label, “food as medicine” - are shifting from fringe to mass-market expectations.
• Claims linked to GLP-1 and metabolic health are starting to shape innovation pipelines.
Convenience as a Purchase Driver:
Convenience is no longer about format - it’s a category driver in itself.
• 60% of global consumers use convenience foods weekly; 20% daily.
• Growth is most pronounced in emerging markets, where urbanisation and digital access converge.
• AI-enabled commerce, social platforms, and last-mile delivery are collapsing the gap between desire and fulfilment.
The global Food & Beverage sector is undergoing structural disruption. Consumer behaviours are evolving at speed, creating new challenges and opportunities for leadership teams across the value chain. Three megatrends stand out:
Value Recalibration: The Cost Squeeze:
Rising living costs are redefining what consumers perceive as “value.”
• Shoppers are trading down to private label, frozen proteins, and lower-cost staples.
• Retailers are responding with innovation in own-brand, blurring traditional boundaries between price and quality.
• Premium players must now work harder to justify their positioning with clear differentiation, storytelling, and proof of value.
Health & Wellness at the Core:
Health is no longer a niche driver. It is now a mainstream purchase decision-maker.
• The wellness economy is valued at $6.3 trillion, with food & beverage contributing nearly $860 billion.
• Functional benefits - gut health, clean label, “food as medicine” - are shifting from fringe to mass-market expectations.
• Claims linked to GLP-1 and metabolic health are starting to shape innovation pipelines.
Convenience as a Purchase Driver:
Convenience is no longer about format - it’s a category driver in itself.
• 60% of global consumers use convenience foods weekly; 20% daily.
• Growth is most pronounced in emerging markets, where urbanisation and digital access converge.
• AI-enabled commerce, social platforms, and last-mile delivery are collapsing the gap between desire and fulfilment.
