What’s in food matters more than ever

CHICAGO — Food companies, take note: Americans are scrutinizing the content and cost of the food and drink they consume and acting on their perceptions, food and nutrition consultancy FoodMinds finds.

In the past year, more than half of US consumers (54%) started or increased purchases of food and beverage items they perceived as having less processing, fewer additives or preferred ingredients, according to FoodMinds’ 2026 Conscious Consumption Index. The national survey of 1,000 US adults responsible for household grocery shopping also found that 46% stopped or cut back on purchases deemed as more processed or containing undesirable additives or ingredients.

The index also spotlighted a “perceived tension” between cost and ingredient and processing preferences, Chicago-based FoodMinds noted. Of consumers polled, 58% believe that affordable foods often are the most processed. Sixty-one percent consider healthy, sustainable foods as too expensive, and 49% think food companies should make healthier foods more affordable.

“Americans are using ingredients and perceptions of processing to help decide what belongs in their shopping carts,” said Lauren Hoffman, senior vice president at FoodMinds, which describes itself as a global marketing and communications firm at the intersection of nutrition science, food policy and public health. “For food companies, understanding those perceptions is essential to communicating nutrition science in ways that address consumers’ questions and concerns.”

Indeed, consumers said easily digestible information about food and beverage product contents would make brand messages about healthier, more affordable or less processed offerings more believable, FoodMinds’ survey found. Among respondents, 33% said clear ingredient lists on packages would build more trust, and 25% cited Nutrition Facts information showing lower added sugar, sodium or saturated fat.

Also key to building trust are affordability and access, FoodMinds added. Thirty percent of consumers polled named improving access to healthier foods in lower-income communities as a priority, while 28% said lowering the prices of healthier foods would boost trust.

Source: FoodMinds 2026 Conscious Consumption Index

In brand message testing, statements about the way foods are made and recognizable ingredients, with explanations of purpose, ranked among those most frequently selected as likely to raise trust, FoodMinds said. For parents, statements about affordability, convenience and clearer information carried the most weight in encouraging purchases.

“Consumers want clearer information about their food, and they want healthier choices to be affordable,” said Andrea Carrothers, senior vice president and group lead at FoodMinds. “Companies can build credibility by explaining what is in their products and why and supporting nutrition claims with understandable evidence. Addressing affordability alongside those efforts is essential to responding to what consumers say they need.”

To get more food and nutrition intelligence, consumers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence, the index showed. Of survey respondents, 44% said they use AI tools or AI-generated search results for food, nutrition or grocery information. Unsurprisingly, younger consumers were more likely to leverage AI, with 60% of millennials and 55% of Gen Zers noting AI use versus 21% of baby boomers.

Still, most consumers are uncertain about the use of AI: Just 31% of respondents indicated they somewhat or completely trust AI tools to provide accurate food, nutrition, ingredient and food processing information.

Users of GLP-1 medications tend to be more active in seeking out nutrition and ingredient information, the Conscious Consumption Index also revealed. Of households with GLP-1 use, 69% search at least weekly for nutrition information (versus 50% for non-GLP-1 households), 63% for information on ingredients and additives (versus 41% for non-GLP-1 households) and 58% for information on processed or ultra-processed foods (versus 37% for non-GLP-1 households). Thirty-one percent of GLP-1 users, too, were likely to feel overwhelmed by conflicting information about which foods are healthy, compared with 20% of non-GLP-1 users.