Rethinking Sustainability in Food and Drink

This week saw Lumina Intelligence host a webinar that challenged many of our assumptions about sustainability in the food and drink sector. The session revealed a significant shift in consumer attitudes around sustainability set to impact foods and drink brands in 2026.

food and drink sustainability is being reframed

The plant-based movement that dominated the conversation for the past decade is showing signs of fatigue. Lumina’s data shows that consumers who never or rarely eat meat dropped by 1.6 percentage points, whilst ‘often’ was the only metric showing growth. This isn’t about returning to old habits. It’s about a more nuanced approach, where quality and provenance matter more than outright elimination. A trend that goes hand-in-hand with the growing concern over UPFs, as consumers seek out what they view as more natural products.

Wagamama’s decision to strip plant-based options from their menu at the end of 2025 perfectly illustrates this shift. When questioned about the move, they cited complete lack of consumer demand. Meanwhile, regeneratively farmed beef and heritage grains are gaining momentum as consumers seek ‘better, not less’ both out of home and in retail.

Today’s consumers are focussed on provenance, locality and transparency. According to Lumina’s research, 36% of consumers would pay more for provenance, with 54% believing this means products from a traceable supply chain. Little wonder we are seeing the rise of wild farmed flour from Minor Figures oat milk in supermarkets to Shake Shack and Town restaurant in London. While mainstream brands like McCain launch ‘Regen Fries’ championing regenerative agriculture and helping to educate consumers on responsible farming. Even Ikea has added broccoli leaf soup to its menu to help reduce food waste (as over 50% of the plant is leaf).

What this means for food and drink brands: Stop focussing on what you’re removing and start telling the story of what you’re improving (see more on this here).

food and drink supply chain vulnerabilities are real

The Dubai chocolate and pistachio trend of 2025 created a genuine shortage. It’s a stark reminder that viral moments can disrupt global supply chains. More concerning through are the long-term climate pressures. WWF data shared in today’s session highlighted that cocoa prices surged 136% between 2022 and 2024, whilst coffee prices jumped 40% in 2024 alone due to extreme weather events.

The chocolate industry is already adapting. Nestlé has relabelled Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband as having ‘milk chocolate flavour coating’ rather than milk chocolate, whilst McVitie’s Penguin and Club bars are now ‘chocolate flavour’ products. These aren’t temporary changes. Rising ingredient costs mean these reformulations are here to stay, but will they alienate consumers who are looking for more natural clean label products?

With this in mind we are seeing forward thinking manufacturers look for alternative solutions. Companies like New Cocoa, which uses European-grown faba beans to create chocolate alternatives with more stable pricing. Or Atomo, whose bean-free coffee secured multimillion-pound investment from Suntory Holdings and is now available in 73 cafés worldwide. Although niche, these aren’t fringe experiments. They’re becoming inevitable as climate pressures mount and food and drink manufacturers look to innovate away from unpredictable commodities.

What this means for food and drink brands: As climate change hits manufacturers need to look to mitigate escalating commodity prices through innovation that is aligned to consumer demand rather than simply the balance sheet.

Food and drink packaging innovation is accelerating

Lumina’s data shows 62.5% of consumers now buy products in recyclable packaging, up 13.3 percentage points year on year. This isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It’s an expectation.

Marks & Spencer launched a UK-first recyclable paper fibre tray for their chicken tikka masala, replacing plastic with an FSC-certified alternative that’s both oven and microwave safe. Unlike traditional composite packaging that requires separating multiple materials, this goes straight in with paper recycling at home – watch this space to see others follow suit.

Then there’s Holy Carp’s solution to those little fish-shaped soy sauce containers you find with sushi. They’ve created a plastic-free version made from the fibrous byproduct of sugar production that decomposes in weeks, not years. It’s filled in-store for freshness and maintains the familiar design consumers recognise.

What this means for food and drink brands: Small changes add up. Consumers notice when you make sustainability convenient rather than asking them to jump through hoops. Home recyclability matters more than ambitious schemes that require special bins or store drop-offs that most people won’t use.

Embedding sustainability sells better than preaching it

The most effective sustainability initiatives are the ones consumers benefit from without effort. Oakham Ales launched Sun City, the UK’s first solar-powered beer. The brewery’s rooftop solar installation will reduce grid electricity use by 15%, save £11,000 in the first year and cutting over 2,200 tonnes of carbon emissions across the system’s lifetime. But for consumers, it’s just a good beer that does good.

Belgian startup Winning Foods has created modular frozen meal kits they describe as ‘culinary Lego’. Users choose from 16 frozen elements that they can combine into meals via an app. Nothing goes to waste if plans change because everything stays frozen until needed. No more ‘Gousto guilt’ as you end up eating out more than expected and your good intentions of reducing food waste backfire.

Even emotional nudges work. Family Mart in Japan redesigned discount stickers to feature a wide-eyed, teary character saying ‘please help me’. This light-hearted approach increased purchase rates of marked-down items by 5%, translating to approximately 3,000 metric tonnes less food waste annually across their network.

While the Orangery restaurant in London grows 35,000 plants in an on-site hydroponic farm using 90% less water than traditional farming, with 70% of produce going straight to the menu. Diners get hyper-local food and an immersive experience. Here sustainability becomes storytelling, not a sacrifice.

What this means for food and drink brands: Stop making sustainability the customer’s responsibility. Build it into your offering so seamlessly that people participate without thinking about it.

How jellybean can help

At jellybean, sustainability is something we care deeply about, not just because it’s good for the planet but because done right, it’s good for business. That’s why we are on a journey to become carbon zero by 2030 (read more here).

Whether you’re launching regeneratively sourced ingredients, developing innovative packaging solutions or reimagining your supply chain, we can help you communicate your sustainability innovations in ways that resonate with operators, retailers and consumers alike.

Thank you to Lumina Intelligence for hosting such an insightful session today. These conversations are essential as we all work to build a more sustainable food system that actually works for everyone involved.

Source: Lumina Intelligence webinar: Rethinking Sustainability in the Food & Beverage Landscape 04.02.36