Turning Intentions into Action
Helping Consumers Make Healthier Choices
People want to eat healthier, but perceived cost, inconvenience, and complex information often prevent them from turning their intentions into everyday habits.
New research from Ahold Delhaize and GlobeScan explores how food retailers can help close this gap. Based on a survey of more than 8,000 consumers across seven markets, alongside expert roundtables with stakeholders from across the food system, this report identifies practical ways to make healthier choices more affordable, easier, and more relevant. The findings show this meets customer needs, therefore strengthens engagement, loyalty, and commercial value.
Key findings
- Consumers want to eat healthier, but their intentions are not always translating into action. While 92 percent want to change their diets to be healthier and 79 percent are actively trying, only 14 percent describe their diets as “very healthy.”
- Affordability is a critical concern. In most markets, making healthier food more affordable is the health-related retail action most likely to strengthen shopping frequency and customer loyalty.
- Consumers need help identifying healthier options. Only 13 percent feel very confident that they can identify healthy food or beverages, highlighting the importance of clearer cues, simpler information, and practical guidance.
- There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Motivations for choosing healthier options differ across markets, from price and gut health to weight management, requiring solutions that reflect local and individual needs.
- Improving access to healthier choices also creates business value. Supportive healthy options are an important driver of customer satisfaction with their preferred retailer and can increase frequency and loyalty in shopping.
- Collaboration across the food system is essential. Retailers can influence and support consumer decisions at the point of purchase, but lasting change will require action from manufacturers, policymakers, health experts, farmers, and civil society.
To deliver this broader change across the food system, Ahold Delhaize is partnering with the Consumer Goods Forum to organize a series of action-focused discussions. They focus first on retailers, inviting experts to join in shaping this progress together, exploring scalable, commercially effective solutions that deliver what consumers and citizens are looking for.
To take part, please message health.sustainability@aholddelhaize.com to find out more about the ongoing convenings and opportunities.
GlobeScan conducted an online survey of 8,034 adults across seven of Ahold Delhaize’s key markets:
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Greece
- The Netherlands
- Romania
- Serbia
- The United States
The samples were designed to be nationally representative of the adult population in each market. Fieldwork took place between February 11 and March 8, 2026.
GlobeScan also facilitated two expert roundtables involving food retailers, manufacturers, civil society organizations, industry associations, and academics. The discussions explored the new consumer findings and helped identify practical opportunities for coordinated action
Ahold Delhaize is one of the world’s largest food retail groups and a leader in supermarkets and e-commerce. Its family of local brands shares a commitment to delivering great food, value, and innovation, creating inclusive workplaces, and driving progress in sustainable retailing.
Learn more about Ahold Delhaize and its local brands: https://aholddelhaize.com/about/
