How Changing Food Preferences and Technology Are Transforming Food Markets

Abstract

The foods that consumers purchase and how they purchase food are changing over time. In this article, we discuss how health prioritization and environmental concerns, combined with new technologies, are changing consumers' food preferences and retail choices. Wellness trends have increased attention to functional attributes and specific nutrients such as protein, while intensifying scrutiny of ultra‐processed foods. Adoption of personalized technologies, including prescription medications, wearable devices and diet‐tracking apps, may alter the volume and composition of food consumed. Many consumers are also willing to pay a premium for sustainability claims, but may conflate environmental standards and healthfulness, which raises questions about credibility and effective labeling design. All of these considerations may be impacted by affordability concerns following a period of supply‐chain disruptions and disease outbreaks since 2020, causing food price inflation. This, combined with increasing income inequality, has resulted in a bifurcation of demand between value and premium consumer segments. Preferences are further separated by the channel consumers use to purchase food, as many households still purchase groceries online and order meals for delivery after the COVID‐19 pandemic. The availability of highly detailed consumer purchasing and health data allows for compelling future research on the causal relationships that arise from these trends, which will continue to shape the global food environment.