Updated: 
May 15, 2023
Updates monthly

Tracking Trends in the Food and Beverage Industry

Grocery cost concerns are stabilizing across most categories
Share of respondents who said they are very concerned about the cost of the above categories

The food and beverage industry continues to navigate a complex landscape as constantly evolving macro forces — from concerns about the broader economy to the future of work — shape daily choices around eating and drinking. Leaders in food and beverage must stay informed on consumers’ changing attitudes and behaviors around grocery shopping, cooking and dining out.

Morning Consult is tracking consumer trends in the food and beverage industry through a monthly survey of U.S. adults.

Find a more detailed methodology for this monthly tracker below.

Key Takeaways

  • Grocery cost concerns are stabilizing as inflation eases. The share of consumers who said they are “very concerned” about the cost of groceries across most categories has remained relatively steady over the past three months as top-line inflation continued to fall, reaching its lowest level in two years in April.

  • Grocery delivery shows year-over-year growth. The share of consumers who got groceries delivered in April reached 22%, up 5 percentage points from a year ago. Men were 7 points more likely to say they ordered groceries for delivery this April than last, compared with a 3-point increase among women.

  • Food insecurity has risen: 16% of U.S. adults said they “often” or “sometimes” did not have enough food to eat in April, a 5-point increase from a year ago. After February, many households experienced reductions in extra pandemic-related SNAP benefits.

How Consumers Get Groceries

Share of respondents who said they got groceries the following ways in the past month:

Measuring Food Insecurity

Shares of respondents who said they often or sometimes did not have enough food to eat in the past month
Share who said they did the following at least once a week in the past month:

Consumers Who Tried New Recipes This Month

Shares who said they tried a new recipe for the first time in the past month

Frequency of Using Restaurant Types

Respondents were asked how often they purchased food or beverages from the following types of restaurants in the past month:
Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Share of U.S. adults ages 21 and older who said they drank the following at least once a week in the past month:
Shares of U.S. adults ages 21 and older who said they drank the following at least once a week in the past month:

Consumers’ Healthy Eating and Drinking Habits

Shares who said they plan to choose healthier foods and drinks next month

Consumer Diet Preferences

Respondents were asked if each of the following describes their diet:

Source of This Data

Methodology

The Morning Consult Food and Beverage Monthly Trend Tracker relies on Morning Consult’s proprietary survey research capabilities. The interviews are conducted online, and the data are weighted to approximate a representative sample of U.S. adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race and region. Results from the full survey have a monthly sample size of 2,200 U.S. adults and an unweighted margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.

About Morning Consult

Morning Consult is a global decision intelligence company changing how modern leaders make smarter, faster, better decisions. The company pairs its proprietary high-frequency data with applied artificial intelligence to better inform decisions on what people think and how they will act. Learn more at morningconsult.com

Email [email protected] to speak with a member of the Morning Consult team.

Emily Moquin
Lead Food & Beverage Analyst

Emily Moquin is the lead food & beverage analyst on the Industry Intelligence team, where she conducts research, authors analyst notes and advises leaders in the food & beverage industry on how to apply insights to make better business decisions. Prior to joining Morning Consult, she worked at Gartner as a director analyst, covering consumers and food & beverage, and on the consumer insights team at H.J. Heinz. She graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations, as well as political science. @emilybmoquin

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