Over eight combined years as an editor at VICE, Refinery29 and Dazed, Amelia Abraham commissioned stories, managed teams, shaped branded campaigns and grew audiences. Abraham now works mainly as a freelance copywriter and brand consultant. Recent clients include Nike, Hinge, Royal Mail, Dr Martens, Lyst, and Matches Fashion. Having published two books on queer culture, 

 (Vintage, 2021), Abraham has talked about LGBTQ+ culture everywhere from Sky News to BBC Radio 4 to the Southbank Centre, and regularly delivers LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion talks for brands.

People are mining the past for stable comfort 

Ultra Cosy 

People are opting out of constant self-improvement

Being+

We all know how it feels to be peckish and not know what you’re hankering after. Consumers are battling a combination of hunger and confusion more than ever when it comes to snacking. Gen Zers experience this most profoundly, with 57% across the US, UK, France, and Germany recognising the importance of being healthier but not knowing what to do about it. 

McKinsey & Company

 As the generation that’s most concerned about the planet, deeply invested in a sober lifestyle, and also highly impacted by cost of living, Gen Zers could be summarised as conscious eaters. In fact, nearly three in four Gen Zers followed a diet or eating pattern in the past year, emerging as the most likely generation to do so. 

Food Insight

 Yet they also love snacking, deals, and novelty in their food and beverage choices.

All of this means they’re a perplexing group to deal with for marketers and big brands. However, there’s a big opportunity to engage with Gen Zers around the subject of food. ​According to the report Young & Hungry by Cassandra, ENGINE’s insights and strategy group, Gen Zers think of themselves as the foodie generation. 

Hospitality News

 They take pleasure in making food and consume and share food content online at an unprecedented scale, particularly through TikTok. From the viral charcuterie, to the obsession with canned goods, Gen Zers’ big foodie loves aren’t what you’d expect.

When it comes to indulgence in particular – Gen Zers are in a bind – their natural curiosity makes them far more likely to explore new food and drink products, with around 50% of Gen Zers claiming they are ‘very likely’ to try innovations in sweet treats and fast food. And yet, the same portion said cost would influence their decisions. 

Ask Attest

 Within this context, how can brands speak to Gen Zers’ snacking tastes, treat choices, and supermarket habits? And where should brands show up to make an impression?

The rising cost of living crisis is limiting Gen Zers’ indulgences, with around 80% in the UK saying it’s having a significant impact on their likelihood to try new food and beverage products. 

 This is impacting their approach to cooking and eating, with the rise of canned goods exemplifying this. At the top of their priority list, Gen Zers want ‘candid and chaotic content that eschews the entrenched culture of curation’. 

Canvas8

 Food doesn’t have to be fussy, it can be lo-fi, with cooking on the cheap a way to pass time at home. Instagram influencers like 

 encapsulate this spirit, serving up dishes with a side of accessible down-to-earth masculinity. The same goes for 

 the latter being a popular Instagram account of a North London cafe taken over by two young chefs, serving up traditional British greasy spoon fare with an updated twist.

On TikTok, life hacks, cheap meals, and budget buys proliferate as Gen Zers feel the pinch. Fast food brands in particular have been speaking to this moment, with a messy and DIY approach to eating that embraces Goblin Mode and appeals to those making cutbacks. A recent 

 campaign emphasised downtime, championing the message ‘do less’ – which for many young people amid the cost of living crisis, is the only option. In fact, 75% of Gen Zers in the UK admit that they’re feeling the impact of inflation and the rising cost of living. 

Yahoo

For swathes of Gen Zers, this places fast food as the only indulgence option. In the US, more than a third of Gen Zers report that they’ll indulge in restaurants such as McDonald’s or Starbucks at least once a week. 

Femag

 This, in part, explains why outlets like Greggs, KFC, and Pizza Hut top UK dining popularity charts. 

YouGov

 To entice Gen Zers to indulge, food brands shouldn’t only consider price accessibility, but also show an understanding of the strains of the cost of living crisis more broadly. 

, for example, has created a community through snacking and is combating the food crisis through the donation of sales proceeds.

The app Too Good To Go, meanwhile, which has seen high user growth amid the cost of living crisis, enables users to pick up bags of food from high street outlets like Greggs at the end of the day for a reduced cost, combining discounts with battling food waste. On TikTok, users share unbagging videos of their Too Good To Go bargain hauls. Gen Zers are seeking a balance between affordable and conscious eating, and according to marketing Professor Sven Feurer, brands can appeal to this mindset by “making restraint rewarding”. 

Interview with Professor Sven Feurer conducted by author

 He predicts a shift towards gamification in eating habits that track vice and virtue – rewarding restraint in particular when it comes to dietary choices like eating or not eating meat, or choosing products that are better for the environment.

With Gen Zers opting for sobriety more than any other generation, alcohol alternative brands are cashing in. 

 are two US-based examples resonating, while Australian Vintage has launched 

, a non-alcoholic wine to target younger sober drinkers. Gen Z consumers are interested in cautious hedonism, opting for health drinks as part of a wider shift towards wellbeing. They’re still going to bars and pubs, but to safeguard their mental and physical health, they’re more likely to opt for zero-proof beer on tap, botanical ‘mood enhancers’ and alcohol-free wines. Indulgence is being recast from unhealthy to healthy for the feel good factor.

“Gen Zers have grown up with a better understanding of health, nutrition, and the environmental impact of food choices versus previous generations,” says Stu Davidoff, founder of the chocolate alternative 

. “They definitely indulge, but they’re more thoughtful about maintaining a healthier balance over the course of a day or week. Gen Zers are way better educated than we ever were, they read labels not just for artificial stuff they prefer to avoid, but also sugar levels and questionably sourced ingredients, like chocolate can have. Gen Zers are also the generation most interested in a plant-forward diet, and so Gigantic aims to hit on many of these Gen Z priorities.” 

Interview with Stu Davidoff conducted by author

Backing up Davidoff’s comments, the most-followed eating patterns among Gen Zers are calorie-counting, 

 Some 29% of Gen Zers say that they avoid sugars entirely, which is twice that of Gen Yers. 

Statista

 With a tempeh burger or a plant-based bacon sandwich now considered an indulgence, health consciousness meets a sustainable mindset for the generation most concerned about the planet. Some 66% of consumers – rising to 72% for Gen Yers and Gen Z – are actively looking for snacks that work to minimise their environmental impact. 

Supermarket Perimeter

Sameer Vaswani, the CEO and founder of plant-based and plastic-free chocolate brand 

, believes this is why their plant-based products are having an impact beyond vegans. “Being bombarded via all forms of media with stories and images of extreme weather, plastic pollution, and devastation of natural habitats, is – along with their own desire to be healthy – causing Gen Zers to challenge the norms and established players and, where they can, make more informed choices,” he says. He believes that brands creating a positive impact are often their preferences, “especially when there is little or no compromise,” he says. 

Interview with Sameer Vaswani conducted by author

Generally speaking, research suggests that despite their conscious choices, Gen Zers are snacking more than ever before – 77% of Gen Zers report snacking at least once a day, with one-third (34%) saying they snack two times a day. 

 And their snacking choices are becoming more global. Research shows that Britons are turning away from tea and biscuits, instead opting for snacks like granola and samosas, as they explore international eating habits. “Gen Zers have little time for the old rules of three formal meals per day, and TikTok has introduced them to a melting point of culinary traditions,” says Jonny Forsyth, director at Mintel Food and Drink. “Snacks won’t ruin the meal, they are the meal.” 

 Indeed, 53% of US Gen Zers say they find inspiration for new foods through TikTok. 

As Forsyth suggests, this behaviour is driven by social media, which improves access to global recipes and insights into other culture’s cuisines, as well as influencers who focus on intersectionality and appeal to these desires to honour heritage diets. Through this wide-ranging exposure, Gen Zers have a higher willingness to try new foods compared to older generations, including foods from different countries and cuisines. Some 86% of TikTok users say the app inspires them to try things in real life. 

TikTok

Brands are appealing to these tastes for global cuisine across the board. 

 has empowered the Muslim community with specific Ramadan aisles, while UberEats has appealed to those observing Ramadan with its 

 campaign, reminding those fasting of sunset times. Sainsburys, meanwhile, has expanded its world food offerings in over 500 stores to become more inclusive. 

The Grocer

 Over a quarter of Britons are interested in Korean dishes like Kimchi and bulgogi, and a fifth are interested in West African cuisine. 

HelloFresh

 Brands looking to appeal to this adventurism can include global flavours in their products, like Doritos, which recently released a tamarind twist on its classic chip, or by honing in on content with global recipes and cooking traditions.

Relatable food content meets indulgent moments

Accustomed to the lo-fi DIY aesthetics of TikTok, Gen Zers have turned to relatable and laid-back representations of indulgence. Brands and content creators can appeal to this mindset by marrying a sense of indulgence with the knowledge that younger consumers have limitations on how far they can push the boat out. KFC’s advert 

 celebrated how people savour fast food and small indulgences in the context of a cost of living crisis while Burger King’s 

 campaign celebrated the joyous aspect of lo-fi and low-cost food choices, as well as individualism over gloss. Influencers representing this mindset will attract Gen Z audiences – particularly if they tap into diaspora or heritage eating for diverse and discovery-driven food content. For inspiration, look to the hashtag 

While Gen Zers turn to low-waste, plant-based, and plastic-free food choices in their snacking and indulgence habits, they’re not willing to compromise on flavour and aesthetics. From the hugely canned water Liquid Death in the States, to snack brands like ffups, Feastables, and Gooey spread (like a health nutella), there’s been a rise in health food products branded to look like junk food. 

Business Insider

 “Younger consumers appreciate a nod to the past as long as we're also clear that the product inside is modern, innovative and what they actually crave,” says Davidoff. “The colours, typefaces and messaging we use [in Gigantic] is a combination of these old school and new school vibes. The larger movement toward less sweetness has been happening for a while – Gen Zers haven’t grown up with the daily consumption of super sweet drinks and snacks, so a sortasweet candy bar is what Gen Z is looking for in snacking.” 

Gen Zers get their consumption habits from TikTok – even when healthy (see for example, the recent rise of 

 health boosting habits. This translates into purchases: 

 of Gen Z consumers claim social media is their main source of their shopping inspiration. 

 For Gen Zers, food is content and content is food. Food outlets can invite social experiences into dining habits through calls to action, customisable twists on traditional items, or novel and limited-edition flavours and designs. In October, Doritos introduced pizza-flavoured chips, such as Loaded Pepperoni and Triple Cheese. 

 They can also begin to explore how sharing and conversation around food will manifest in the Metaverse. 

 is a Web 3.0-leaning community where snack enthusiasts can discover new products and tastes while meeting and trading snacking tips.

 of Gen Zers across the US, UK, France, and Germany recognise the importance of being healthier, but have difficulty understanding what to do about it

 of UK Gen Zers say their general food choices are limited by the cost of living

 of US Gen Zers say they find inspiration for new foods through TikTok

The cost of living crisis has altered Gen Z indulgences, with the popularity of items like canned fish speaking to the desire for small treats amid cutbacks

Gen Zers’ keen engagement with health, nutrition, and the environment means they’re more thoughtful about the quality and quantity of treats they consume

Within this context, healthy snacks with edgy, junk food-esque designs that encourage the discovery of global flavours are landing particularly well

Professor Sven Feurer is a professor of marketing at the Bern University of Applied Science. Professor Feurer researches and teaches in marketing, specifically radical innovations, technology acceptance and use, and pricing.

Before becoming the founder of Gigantic Candy, Stu Davidoff spent over a decade in the financial world, staring at little flashing numbers on big computer screens and trading scary complex securities while dreaming about his next snack. He was inspired to create Gigantic after eating a healthy lunch followed by a quite boring chocolate bar while listening to the Pixies.

Sameer Vaswani is the CEO and founder of Prodigy Snacks. He started Prodigy Snacks in 2020 looking to reinvent chocolate to be less damaging to our bodies and to the environment, taking on the issues of health, sustainability, and ethics.

Gen Z (born 1997-2010)

Global

United States

United Kingdom

Eating and Drinking

Snacks and desserts

General food

Foodservice Equipment Reports

Interview with Professor Sven Feurer conducted by the author

Interview with Stu Davidoff conducted by the author

Interview with Sameer Vaswani conducted by the author

With a taste for originality, sustainability, and global flavours, Gen Zers’ food and drink choices reflect a more conscious and socially-driven approach to their diets than older cohorts. But how do they balance indulgence with health, particularly amid the cost of living crisis?