Food & beverage 2026: value, health and the AI grocery list

Food and drink shoppers are counting every euro and reading every label. More and more, they are also asking an AI what to put in the basket.

In brief: Food and beverage shoppers in 2026 weigh price and health on every item, and more ask AI first. In McKinsey's global consumer survey, 61% say price matters more than two years ago and 57% rank healthiness among their top three purchase factors. Of US consumers using generative AI for product discovery, 31% use it for groceries.

Price first, health close behind

In McKinsey's global consumer survey, 61% of consumers say price matters more to them than it did two years ago, and cost and perceived value are the top two reasons they stop buying a brand. Healthiness is the fastest-rising purchase factor: 57% now rank it among their top three (McKinsey & Company, 8 Apr 2026).

Deloitte's consumer products outlook frames the value shift more widely: 47% of consumers globally, including 35% of high-income households, now behave as value seekers, regularly giving up convenience to keep costs down. Only about a third of brands consistently deliver that sense of being worth it (Deloitte, 8 Jan 2026).

The winners are not always incumbents. 28% of consumers in McKinsey's survey buy more private label than two years ago, and small, independent brands delivered 35% of US food and beverage category growth by 2025, largely on functional benefits (McKinsey & Company, 8 Apr 2026).

AI on the shopping list

Among US consumers who use generative AI to discover products, 31% say they use it for grocery purchases, McKinsey reports. Shoppers also turn to ingredient scanners and AI-powered nutrition apps (McKinsey & Company, 8 Apr 2026). Mintel expects health-focused consumers to use AI to “shuffle” their weekly diets for more variety (Mintel, 9 Oct 2025).

Companies are less ready. In Deloitte's survey of 300 consumer products executives, only 31% say they are actively addressing how to influence AI-assisted shoppers (Deloitte, 8 Jan 2026). A second Deloitte survey of 200 retail and consumer products executives found that 75% call AI a top strategic priority but only 16.5% can quantify a return, and 40% of consumer products companies have no defined approach to agentic commerce (Deloitte, 18 Jun 2026).

Comfort in the familiar

Mintel adds an emotional counterweight. Consumers are “seeking refuge from a volatile and artificially intelligent world” in heritage, fermentation and long-life foods, and brands rooted in tradition can borrow that trust (Mintel, 9 Oct 2025).

What it means for marketers

• Make the benefit legible. Complete, consistent product descriptions across retailer and brand sites help both shoppers and AI systems understand what a product is for.
• Earn the worth it. Value seekers compare constantly. A clear functional or health benefit is what justifies the price over private label.
• Treat reviews as data. Ratings and reviews shape what AI systems recommend, as well as what people buy.
• Put AI savings to work on growth. McKinsey sees room for 200 to 300 basis points of cost reduction from AI and technology, money that can fund brand renewal (McKinsey & Company, 8 Apr 2026).

The basket is being negotiated between price, health and a new kind of adviser. Brands that are easy to understand will be easier to choose.

Frequently asked questions

How are consumers using AI for grocery shopping?

Among US consumers who use generative AI to discover products, 31% say they use it for grocery purchases, according to McKinsey. Shoppers also turn to ingredient scanners and AI-powered nutrition apps, and Mintel expects health-focused consumers to use AI to “shuffle” their weekly diets for more variety.

Are food and beverage companies ready for AI-assisted shoppers?

Not yet. Only 31% of 300 consumer products executives say they are actively addressing how to influence AI-assisted shoppers, according to Deloitte. In a second Deloitte survey, 75% of retail and consumer products executives call AI a top strategic priority but only 16.5% can quantify a return, and 40% of consumer products companies have no defined approach to agentic commerce.

What matters most to food and drink shoppers in 2026?

Price and health. 61% of consumers say price matters more than two years ago and 57% rank healthiness among their top three purchase factors, according to McKinsey. Deloitte finds that 47% of consumers globally, including 35% of high-income households, now behave as value seekers, and only about a third of brands consistently deliver that sense of being worth it.