The food system is facing a new era in which health is becoming increasingly important when it comes to shopping criteria. Consumers are strongly considering their grocery shopping strategy and are expecting to be better informed.

Understanding consumer needs has always been a key focus for grocers. But with the amount of data available today and the insights they provide, there are increasing opportunities for grocers to cater to consumer preferences.

Deloitte commissioned a study comparing health motivators in buying behaviour across European countries and population groups, summarising the main findings below. From recent studies in Cyprus, it seems that the local consumer is also taking a health-first approach.

64% of the respondents indicated that over the past 12 months they have become more interested in learning more about the influence of food on their health. 79% of respondents seek information on healthy living. Health is clearly increasingly becoming a stronger buying consideration when shopping for food.

Health as a determining factor when buying food

Deloitte asked consumers whether health was a consideration when buying food and on average, respondents scored health fairly high on the scale (5.19). When looking at the results on a country level, it is particularly noticeable that in the Mediterranean/Southern European countries, such as Portugal, Italy and Spain, health is a relatively more important consideration when buying food, compared to the Nordic/Northern European countries.

Figure 1

Sustainability as a determining factor when buying food

The study shows that consumers are also beginning to consider sustainability when buying their food. With an average of 4.69 in response to the relevant question, it is evident that although sustainability is important, consumers see health as a bigger deciding factor in their purchasing decision. However, the European countries are again divided in their responses. As with their view on health, we see again that the Mediterranean countries rank sustainability higher than the Nordics. Despite all the focus on health and sustainability, the cost of groceries still remains an important factor.

Figure 2

The European perception of health

Consumers in Europe are increasingly becoming interested about the impact of food intake on their health - 64% of respondents indicate that over the past 12 months they have become more interested in learning more about the effects of food on their health.

Figure 3

An above-average interest is particularly noticeable among women, young people, people with a higher education level and/or a higher income. Households with children also show an above-average interest over the past 12 months. Respondents in urban and suburban areas have become slightly more interested in the effects of food on their health, than respondents in rural areas.