Many European Consumers Aim to Improve Eating Habits, with Health as a Priority

Many European consumers are striving to improve their eating habits, with health being their primary concern. Sustainability, however, is significantly less important. A major obstacle cited by many is the lack of reliable information, according to a survey referenced by RetailDetail.

Financial Constraints

When asked how they would like to improve their diet, 51% of European consumers stated that eating healthier is their top priority. Only 9%—less than one in ten—consider sustainability to be their primary concern when thinking about better eating habits.

Since 2020, the proportion of consumers considering sustainability in their diet has actually decreased from 51% to 46%, according to the latest EIT Food Trust report. This annual survey, commissioned by the European food innovation community, was conducted in July and August 2024, involving 19,871 consumers from eighteen countries.

A majority of consumers expressed their desire to reduce specific dietary components:

• 57% aim to lower their fat intake,
• 61% seek to consume less sugar,
• 59% wish to cut down on processed foods.

Less than one in five (18%) currently avoid animal-based products, while 25% aim to further reduce their consumption of such products.

Regarding obstacles to dietary change, nearly a third (31%) cite budget constraints as the main barrier, while 27% say breaking existing habits is particularly challenging.

Lack of Information

Many consumers report a lack of trustworthy food information: less than half (45%) feel they can differentiate between reliable and unreliable food information, and only 48% believe they know where to find credible sources.

Furthermore, less than half (46%) claim to have sufficient knowledge about food sustainability. Sofia Kuhn, Director of Public Insights and Engagement at EIT Food, emphasizes that it is unrealistic to expect consumers to change their behavior if they lack access to the necessary information.

Low Trust in Key Industry Players

Trust in key food industry players remains very low, as highlighted in last year’s edition of the survey.

Less than one-third of consumers consider retailers, governments, restaurants, and catering service providers to be reliable sources of information regarding food health and sustainability.

In contrast:

• Two-thirds trust doctors and healthcare professionals as sources of healthy eating information,
• 57% trust scientists and academics regarding food sustainability information.

Fewer than one in five consumers trust the media (newspapers, magazines, and television) to provide accurate information on food health and sustainability.