Key Takeaways
- Affordability is the leading barrier globally: Cost is the most frequently cited obstacle for consumers trying to purchase healthier and more sustainable food, ranking well ahead of all other barriers.
- Availability and familiarity are important secondary barriers: Limited availability and low familiarity with sustainable brands and with what qualifies as healthy, sustainable food also constrain consumers’ ability to act, pointing to market and system gaps.
- Perceived value is not holding consumers back: Only a small minority of consumers say healthier and more sustainable food is “not worth it,” suggesting that uptake is constrained by practical barriers, not by a lack of appreciation for its benefits.
Latest consumer research from Grains of Truth, produced by GlobeScan in partnership with EAT, highlights a clear gap between aspiration and everyday reality when it comes to food choices. While interest in healthier and more sustainable diets remains high globally, affordability emerges as the most commonly cited barrier preventing consumers from purchasing healthy and sustainable food.
Beyond cost, access and lack of knowledge also shape consumer behavior. Many respondents point to the limited availability of healthier and more sustainable options, along with a lack of familiarity with brands and uncertainty about what qualifies as healthy and sustainable food. Together, these barriers suggest that challenges lie primarily in the food environment rather than in consumer attitudes.
Only a very small minority say a lack of perceived value is a reason for not eating a more healthy and environmentally conscious diet. This reinforces one of the central insights from the research, that progress depends less on changing minds and more on removing practical barriers that limit consumers’ ability to act on existing intentions.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
The findings point to a shift from persuasion to enablement and to a clear opportunity to unlock marketplace value while supporting better health outcomes and more sustainable food systems. Consumers are not rejecting healthier and more sustainable diets; they are instead facing practical constraints that limit uptake. Improving affordability, expanding availability, and clarifying what qualifies as healthy and sustainable can help convert existing demand into sustained market growth.
Grains of Truth is a collaboration between GlobeScan and EAT. This fifth edition of the report series provides a review of consumer perceptions and attitudes toward our global food system, based on a global survey with close to 32,000 respondents. The insights gathered reveal consumer understanding, current behaviors, core motivations, and significant barriers faced in consuming healthy and sustainable diets. The goal of this analysis is to equip actors in the food system, such as governments, policymakers, producers, and retailers, with the knowledge needed to respond to consumer desires and challenges, and to support the transformation of our global food system to one that is healthy, fair, and sustainable.
Survey Question: Why do you find it difficult to buy healthy and sustainable foods? Choose all that apply.
Countries surveyed: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Türkiye, UK, USA, and Vietnam.
