Gen Z and F&B: overview
- Gen Z accelerates micro-trends through social media and online communities
- Wellness matters, with strong interest in gut health, protein, prebiotics, sleep and mood support
- They drink less than previous generations, fuelling growth in no-low alcohol and ‘daycap’ occasions
- Sustainability earns attention, but taste, quality and value have a greater influence on purchasing decisions
- Global flavours, authenticity and novelty resonate strongly, but brands must deliver on taste to turn trial into loyalty
They drive food and beverage trends, and they decide when they’re over. They cause ingredients shortages and create shifts in entire categories. But why does this particular generation wield so much power? And what do they really want?
“Younger people always drive trends as they are more experimental and have the greatest cultural influence,” says Jonny Forsyth, Mintel food & drink principal strategist. “What differentiates Gen Z is that they have grown up on social media, meaning they are the first generation to create their own entertainment and user-generated content, rather than consume traditional media channels, which act as gatekeepers to content.
“They have also grown up in a media landscape that is much more fragmented than any which has come before. This means that trends are less predictable, that there are many more micro-trends, and that things move at a much faster pace.”
Born 1997 through 2012, they span across different life stages at 14-29 years old. Here’s the latest in the power generation’s wishlist…
Wellness and diet
“As with any generation, there is a huge amount of heterogeneity among different members,” says Forsyth. ”However, Gen Z are overall more wellness-obsessed than previous younger cohorts. This is because they have grown up in an age where there is far more knowledge about how diet affects health, both physical and mental.
“Our data shows that 44% of UK Gen Z adults claim health and wellness is their highest priority, second only to the cost-of-living (52%) and twice their concern with sustainability (22%).”
But it seems that they’re a pretty flexible bunch that don’t adhere hard and fast to any one reputation.
“They aren’t as clean living as the headlines suggest,” says Marieke Bokkes, market analyst at Innova Market Insights. “What we see is a preventive mindset rather than a set of rules, with wellness for Gen Z leaning toward mental balance, sleep, and mood support as much as physical health.”
More than three in five Gen Z and Millennials turn to diet for managing gut and digestive health problems, with over half or more looking for gut health foods containing protein, probiotics, and prebiotics, according to Innova Insights: July 2026 Edition report. High-fibre and whole foods are another preference.
Alcohol
They love BuzzBallz but also fuel the sales of no- and low-alcohol drinks. So which side of the fence do they actually sit?
“While Gen Z are not as healthy as they think or claim, the one area where they really are different is alcohol consumption,” says Forsyth. “Our data shows that one in five (20%) of 18-29 year-old Gen Z adults do not drink any alcohol, and 34% of Gen Z alcohol drinkers do so only once a week. As a comparison, these figures are, respectively, 18% and 27% for Baby Boomers.
“This is unusual. Historically, younger people tend to drink more because that is the age when people engage in riskier behaviours and go out more. They want to position themselves as the opposite of what their – mostly alcohol-loving – Millennial or Gen X parents did.”
This all fits with the social media tags of #sobercurious, #soberish and #zebrastriping (alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks during a night out).
Bokkes adds a global perspective that’s similar. “On alcohol, it shows up as moderation rather than abstinence: one in four Gen Z never drink, and one in three drink less than once a month, the lowest intake of any generation. They’re choosing to drink less because it fits the lifestyle they want, not because they’re giving something up.”
They’ve even embraced a different part of the day for drinking and made it feel more wholesome. The viral #daycap trend embraces an afternoon or early evening tipple. It often involves lower ABV drinks or early dinner at 6pm. Tucked up in bed by 10pm means they can tick the wellness box too.
Across regions, people are heading out to eat and drink earlier in the evenings, according to the Bacardi Global Consumer Survey (GCS). Younger consumers are at the forefront of this, with over half of those in France (51%) and more than one third in the U.S. (34%) reshaping routines around earlier evenings.
A third of consumers in Germany, Spain, Canada, and the UK are set to opt for the trend in 2026 and nearly half of Gen Z in the Netherlands are more likely to opt for the daycap over the traditional nightcap.
But that’s not the whole picture. “As with younger people throughout history, many Gen Z adults do drink to excess as they test their limits,” says Forsyth. And for those that do drink, it’s all about the canned cocktails.
According to Morning Consult, canned pre-mixed drinks now rank ahead of every other alcohol category for Gen Z in the US, and interest in canned cocktails roughly doubled in early 2026.
This tracks with the fastest growing beverage brand among Gen Z adults being Cutwater, a canned cocktails and craft spirits brand, according to Morning Consult. That was way ahead of the nearest soft drink, Canada Dry.
Sustainability
“Gen Z certainly talks a good game,” says Forsyth, “but this very rarely influences their purchase decisions as they are so focused on immediate rewards. Many do not practice important everyday sustainable behaviours, like recycling, but they will often engage in ‘Sustainability Theatre’ to avoid judgment from their peers.”
When it comes to habits such as meat consumption, the picture is cloudy. Two in five Gen Zs (41%) intend to follow a meat-free diet in 2026, including those who are already meat-free, according to Finder. But red meat purchase intent went up among Gen Z by eight percentage points, alongside a three percentage point increase for dairy, between September 2025 and January 2026, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
Sustainability still matters to Gen Z, but it’s not a frontrunner from a global perspective. “Thirty-eight per cent say sustainability is very or extremely important when buying food and drink, which is actually behind Millennials and Gen X,” says Bokkes.
“What would justify paying more is telling: product quality and taste top the list, well ahead of certifications, carbon footprint, or ethical labour claims. Sustainability earns attention, but it needs a tangible, personal benefit attached to earn a premium.”
“What draws them, particularly to Asian and Korean food, is a flavour that arrives with a cultural story attached, which is richer than novelty for its own sake.”
Marieke Bokkes, market analyst at Innova Market Insights
Global flavours
This generation is known for its love of global flavours. Is it down to the constant search for novelty?
“Partly, yes,” says Bokkes. “Fifty-six per cent actively seek out new flavours, and 54% are interested in cuisines from other countries.”
About 65% of Gen Z consumers globally consider uniqueness or novelty either essential or a desirable factor when purchasing products, according to a GlobalData survey across 42 countries. And it has a strong appetite for ’newstalgia’ (products that evoke warm memories from childhood), according to the survey, especially with bold, modern twists such as bright colours, unexpected textures and global mashups.
But their adventurousness is also down to their love of a story behind a brand and desire for emotional connection with their food. “What draws them, particularly to Asian and Korean food, is a flavour that arrives with a cultural story attached, which is richer than novelty for its own sake,” says Bokkes. “Their choices are emotional too. For example, they may choose smoky barbecue in a lively moment and something softer like vanilla when they want calm.”
Brands need to be careful with the story though - 64% of Gen Z avoid brands they perceive as inauthentic, according to Unilever.
It’s also about growing up in a more connected world, where you can watch TikTok videos about matcha or gochujang, says Forsyth. And there’s a generational shift compared with their parents. “They have grown up in much more diverse societies and had access at a younger age to more ethnic dishes, through restaurants, food trucks and supermarkets,” he says.
Gen Z parents
With the age span that the generation covers, some are now becoming parents and, again, they’re doing that differently to their own parents.
A recent report from AlixPartners called Young Parents and Gen Alpha found that only 13% of young parents shopped a single channel (a channel being, for example, traditional grocery store, online retailer, discount store or natural store) in 2025 – and even those consumers likely shopped different stores within the channel. And 74% of young parents shopped at least three channels. They lean into online shopping and prepared foods.
The report warns that unless retailers adapt to younger shoppers, they could lose 15% of their customers in the next five years. “Grocers have for years relied on backward-looking data to make forward-looking decisions,” says the report, “but we are at an inflection point where the next generation is so different that historical data is becoming ineffective as a predictor of what’s coming next.”
Grocers need to “become multispecialists, solid across the board but absolutely compelling in a few disciplines narrow enough to master”, says managing director Matt Hamory. “Fresh is too broad; prepared meals for young families, for example, meets a clearly defined need for a desirable consumer group.”
Trends vs commercial reality
A hashtag on social media can translate into sales, but it can often be short-lived, requiring flexibility from CPGs. “Online communities matter more to Gen Z than to other generations,” says Bokkes. “That interest does translate into the aisle, and we have seen it move ingredient supply, as with the Dubai chocolate bar and pistachios. The caveat is that virality creates trial rather than loyalty. Products that do not deliver on taste see steep drop-offs after the first purchase.”
The problem with viral trends, says Forsyth, especially those that originate from TikTok, is that they have such a short lifetime in most cases, so are built for novelty, rather than longevity.
“This actually suits retailers more than brands, as private label can innovate much more rapidly,” he says. “M&S and Aldi do this really well in the UK. However, social media also provides valuable innovation ideas for brands who are able to move quickly. Lindt did so with Dubai chocolate and drove real commercial value.”
What do brands misunderstand about Gen Z?
Two things stand out, says Bokkes. “The first is where trust sits. This generation builds trust through naturalness, transparency and authenticity, and they respond to creators and online communities rather than corporate messaging. On value, they are price-sensitive, but they expect products to be well made and reliable, and will not trade quality away for a lower price.”
For Forsyth, it’s the say-do gap. “I still speak to many clients who are surprised that Gen Z are not very sustainability-minded even though the data clearly shows that they do not practice what they preach,” he says.
Finally, what they really want from food and drink is “products that address their needs, whether that is improving sleep, focus or gut health”, says Bokkes. “They want products made from ingredients they recognise and can verify on the label. At the same time, they don’t want to compromise on flavour or pay a premium they can’t justify, and they want this from brands that are transparent and communicate with them as peers rather than lecturing from above.”
