Food and Beverage

Whether you had a dry January, a damp January, or a flooded one, there is no doubt that the general trend towards living a more moderated lifestyle continues to grow in popularity. In the first week of February, we spoke to 500 UK consumers who cut down their alcohol intake during January, to understand why they chose to do so and their plans for future consumption. This is what they told us. Of the 500 consumers we spoke to, 19% cut out alcohol completely in January, whilst others were reducing their intake or choosing more no- and low-alcohol options. And this moderation looks to be here to stay, as 73% are planning to reduce the amount they consume in total across the year; another 14% are trying to give it up completely! Even if reality doesn’t match intent, the trend towards moderation is real.

With every new year comes new year’s resolutions, and in the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany, consumers aren’t just aiming to eat healthier in 2024. They’re rethinking their consumption of animal products, too. For the fourth year in a row, Toluna conducted an agile study during Veganuary—this time together with MetrixLab—to understand how consumers think and act when it comes to plant-based products. This year’s study surveyed consumers in the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany.

It’s no secret that Americans are fond of third-party food delivery apps. But did you know that over eight in ten (85%) are likely to order through one in the next three months? There’s massive opportunity out there for restaurants of all shapes and sizes to capitalize on this growing market, but there’s a catch: when consumers order through third-party apps, not all data is shared with the restaurant, leaving them with an incomplete understanding of the customer experience.

Children’s health has become the top priority for many parents since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. As a result, parents are highly focused on the quality of snacks for kids because of their direct impact on nutrition. To get an in-depth understanding of the current market outlook for the category snacks for kids in China, KuRunData, the leading provider of real-time consumer insights in China under the Toluna group, conducted a quantitative study of 400 mothers with children from ages 0 to 6, as well as a community discussion of 60 parents.

Of the roughly 500 consumers we spoke to, 30% are attempting to cut out alcohol completely this month, whilst others are reducing their intake or choosing more low-alcohol options. And this desire for moderation looks like it has staying power, as 71% are planning to reduce the amount they consume in total across the year.

The new year isn’t just for going to the gym or lowering alcohol consumption anymore. On top of these more traditional New Year’s resolutions, many people take up the challenge to participate in Veganuary. The trend originated in 2014, and every year, it inspires people across the globe to try vegan food in the month of January. In fact, it inspired more than 629,000 people across 228 countries and territories to sign up for Veganuary in 2022—making it the biggest one yet.

The Middle East region is experiencing a surge in the consumption of plant-based food and beverages, especially over the past few years. A recent Toluna study conducted in UAE and KSA sought to understand how the plant-based category is evolving, and it revealed that more than half of the consumers has ‘either tried or started […]

Dairy remains a favorite food group for many consumers across the globe, but its place in many diets has been the subject of scrutiny in recent years due to health factors and the rise of plant-based nutrition. Dairy alternatives, such as soy or coconut milk, have grown in popularity because they resemble the taste of […]

The pandemic caused a seismic shift in consumption for the wine industry. As restaurant and bar closures limited on premise activity, at-home consumption rose dramatically. In fact, at-home consumption rose so much that overall consumption is still up over the past two years despite on-premise struggles. However, even as businesses have opened back up, the […]

From an emotional perspective, people feel much different today compared to a few years ago. This is being driven by a variety of circumstances—including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, and the war in Ukraine—and has led us to wonder, ‘what are consumers doing to improve their mood or indulge?’ While some […]