Darshita Goyal is a lifestyle and culture writer who specialises in stories featuring Gen Z. She has worked with brands and publications across the US, UK and India including 

, Mashable, and Refinery29, among other global publications.

Emboldened by the possibilities of decentralised creativity and incentivised by the rapid decay of the environment, people are re-imagining their relationships with nature.

Eco Imagination 

Today, audiences are shaping the cultural agenda. Empowered to speak up for the causes they believe in, people are actively calling out brands they see as inauthentic. What are the main drivers of this behavioural shift? And how can brands win the trust of these outspoken advocates?

Assertive Audiences

We’re witnessing the ‘wellnessification’ of absolutely everything. Beyond boosting their physical health with fitness and nutrition, people are looking for a path to being well in all aspects of their lives.

Being+

There was a time when the UK was synonymous with dark and cold days. The wet weather was the butt of every joke linked to the country. Historically, homes were built to trap heat with no signs of ceiling fans, let alone air conditioners. Yet climate change has quickly upturned this long-held expectation for the worse. In May 2026, the UK recorded its warmest spring day to date with a temperature of 35.1°C. 

Met Office

Searches for ‘UK homes for sale with air conditioners’ have gone up by 104% year-over-year. 

The Guardian

 The Mayor of London even released the city’s first-ever 

 plan that increases access to lidos and swimming pools, as well as strengthening urban green coverage. Meanwhile, portable mini fans have been declared the hottest trend in the country. 

The Independent

As the heat rewires the social fabric of living in the UK, what people eat is also shifting. The previous culinary culture was built to suit traditional weather. “The iconic Sunday roast, pie and mash, hotpot and crumble with custard all come from a cold, damp country that needs warming up with something hearty,” shares consultant and PR expert Georgia O’Brien-Perry. “As British summers grow longer, hotter and more erratic, that once-accepted vision of food is starting to decline.” 

Interview with Georgia O’Brien-Perry conducted by the author

 Instead of warm, cooked meals, people are leaning towards cold potato, olives, coleslaw and frozen treats, all of which are witnessing a rise in demand in British supermarkets. 

This is also visible on TikTok, where dense bean salads continue to make waves two years after the trend broke out in late 2024. 

The New York Times

’ has over a hundred comments with recipes of tuna salads, cold peanut noodles and gazpacho finding popularity, and Substacker Maggie Hoffman has interviewed 15 cookbook authors for healthy suggestions on what to eat when it’s hot. 

The Dinner Plan

The changing weather is not only impacting what’s on the plate but also what grows in the farms. Quintessentially British vegetables such as garden peas, broccoli and green beans are all struggling to yield in the heat. 

Even the time at which people have meals is changing in warm weather. While it was once the norm in the UK to have dinner by 7.30pm, 13% of people have pushed their meal times post-8pm on hot evenings. 

Worldpanel by Numerator

 It’s clear that climate change is impacting food and flavour in the UK, so how can brands adapt to these new eating habits, keep taste at the centre and still hold onto nostalgic British food?

When ‘girl dinner’ broke out as a trend on TikTok in 2023, people expected it to disappear with other micro trends of the era such as clowncore, coquettecore and girl math. Yet three years later, aesthetically arranged snack platters full of cheese, crackers, pickles and dips continue to be big on social media alongside traditional meals. Waitrose called this the ‘snack attack fixation’ and discovered that three-fifths (60%) of UK households have at least six condiments in their fridge, ready to be dipped and doused. 

John Lewis Partnership

 In 2026, the girl dinner got updated to ‘

’, with tinned fish emerging as a cultural and culinary obsession online among Gen Z, who slapped the silver bits on crisps and bread. 

The Standard

 Even pickles are enjoying the limelight, with London hosting its first 

All these culinary examples reveal a shared liking for easy-to-eat, no-heat nibbles. This shift shows up in the numbers, too; in the summer, 71% of Britons switched their usual food choices to lighter meals. A quarter (25%) also turned to picky bits. 

 Unlike traditional meals, snacks suit warmer weather because you don't need to stand over a pan in an already-heat-trapped home to get a bite. They can also easily be carried to parks or open spaces as people seek greenery to catch a break from the rising temperatures. “A person who is already feeling the heat has little interest in a heavy plate of food,” says O’Brien-Perry. “Amid the growing interest in small plates and ‘picky bits’, the line between snacking and dinner has blurred almost completely. The British have started eating more like southern Europeans and East Asians, who have spent centuries building food cultures around heat and how to survive in it.” 

 served in an icy broth is becoming popular, while creators are dubbing Japanese cold soba with ice-brined veggies as 

. Similarly, the Chinese smashed cucumber salad is being recreated by chefs across the country. 

 This is testament not only of people desiring new cultural experiences but also heat-struck Britons seeking new and unique ways to cool down.

Once upon a time, people downloaded apps to remind themselves to drink water. Today, mere hydration does not cut it. People demand drinks that bring nutritional value; over three-fifths (61%) of Britons are now more interested in drinks that offer health benefits, including protein, fibre and gut support. 

The Grocer

This evolution is part of a larger shift towards better living in the UK. It’s becoming a norm for health-obsessives to use specialised calculators to track their macros every day. 

British Vogue

Others are tracking their sleep, heart rate and VO2 max, turning longevity scores into status symbols and Whoops into covetable collectibles. 

The Wall Street Journal

 This desire for healthier living has trickled down into the water you drink, too.

“Social media has made hydration a wellness topic; it is measured by the benefits it brings to energy and mood,” shares O’Brien-Perry. “The WaterTok trend of customising water with syrups, drops and powders has turned the act of drinking water into something personal, aesthetic and enjoyable.” 

 The need for better water is heightened during a heatwave, when individuals need more help staying cool and retaining energy. 

This year, the UK witnessed a hike in the number of people feeling dizzy, dehydrated and weak from the summer sun. 

Drinks come in as conscious replenishers in response. Anna Henwood, CEO of global consumer testing platform, Stickybeak discovered that in the hottest week of July 2026, one in four Britons tried iced coffee for the first time, while one in five tried a new brand of flavoured water. 

Stickybeak

 Soft drink and juice brands are responding to this gap.

At the peak of summer in July, beauty retailer Holland & Barrett set up a popup in London called The Wellness Tap, where traditional pints of beer were replaced by custom electrolyte drinks on tap. 

The Pharmacist

Meanwhile, in April, legacy juicebox brand Tropicana released Hydrate+, a range that combines fruit juice with coconut water and magnesium to support electrolyte balance. 

Elopak

These examples make one thing clear: With rising interest in wellness and hotter temperatures, hydration has moved out of the gym. For years, people believed electrolytes belonged to marathon runners, but now social media awareness has made it equally relevant to anyone wanting to feel energised. 

British GQ

 “In the heat, hydration has become about feeling better every day,” says O’Brien-Perry. “It’s not just a sports drink – it’s for the office worker sweltering on the Northern line tube commute or a parent working from a stuffy spare room.” 

Interviw with Georgia O’Brien-Perry conducted by the author

 Just as heatwaves are adding picky bits on the plate, they are also making room for functional drinks in the fridge.

The climate crisis’ impact on food is not just limited to how it changes culinary culture and what flavours people crave. The results of rising temperatures are hardly as straightforward as pie and mash making way for elaborate snack platters. It extends far deeper, with consequences for what crops the UK can viably grow, import and cook with. With a record five heatwaves, drought and wildfires, hot conditions have reduced yields of domestic produce. 

 “The system is incredibly fragile at present; farmers have struggled this year with basic crops such as potatoes and wheat,” says Kim Stoddart, who hosts climate change-savvy gardening courses via Green Rocket. “A lot of our ingredients are imported from countries that are being hit hard by climate change, harder than the UK.” 

Interview with Kim Stoddart conducted by the author

 The Food Foundation revealed that 18 of the 20 countries that supply healthy staple foods to the UK are moderately to severely vulnerable to climate breakdown. This includes global regions, including Central America, the Mediterranean and North Africa. 

The Food Foundation

This is increasingly worrying as the UK imports 40% of its food, including 80% of fruits, making it one of the highest rates of outside reliance in Europe. 

Even as British taste palates change towards olives, cold salads and Mediterranean vegetables, the supply struggles under the pressure of extended summers. “The British diet is being reshaped from both ends by what consumers want to eat in the heat and by what the land, here and abroad, can still reliably produce,” explains O’Brien-Perry. “Even our summer vegetables, including tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, depend on Spanish and North African growers, who face their own escalating heat and water shortages.” 

 Meanwhile, traditional UK vegetables such as garden peas, beans and broccoli don’t bode well under heightened temperatures. Even lettuce is primed for typical UK summers, when the temperatures remain well below 35°C; in extended heat, both the salad leaf and kale suffer from bad yield, inviting financial stress for farming families across the country. 

Emergency & Climate Intelligence Unit

In response, experts are recommending climate-resilient, perennial crops such as buck’s horn plantain, rocket leaves and artichokes that survive the heat year-round. 

 Restaurants and chefs will also be forced to rethink menus with produce that is readily available. At Berkhamsted’s 

, chef Jude Allen replaced bitter radishes with aubergines that flourish in the heat. Similarly, 

 in London added octopus salad as Mediterranean octopus arrived in British waters owing to the heatwaves, while scallops failed to make it onto summer menus from fear of the molluscs melting in transit. 

The Observer

 With the climate crisis altering vegetation, every touchpoint – from farmer to buyer, chef and customer – will see the changes in food, making awareness crucial.

Build exciting ways to consume cold, picky eats

As temperatures climb, Britons are desiring cooler food; this summer, shoppers made an extra 6.2 million trips to the cold section for ice creams and sorbets compared with the same period in 2025. 

 However, it’s important for cooler snacks to feel innovative and not just a circumstantial option. “Brands should make cold snacks feel like an intentional experience through textures, formats and cuisines,” shares Eran Mizrahi, co-founder of ingredients supplier Source86. 

Interview with Eran Mizrahi conducted by the author

 added cold zucchini wraps, red pepper and orzo salads, harissa couscous and chimichurri grains to its summer menus, ensuring even the salads feel like main characters and not afterthoughts. Meanwhile, Greggs made the weather forecast part of its campaign. On hot days that demand picnics in the park, the brand sold 

 featuring cold baguettes and savoury rolls, signalling that it is clued into people’s evolving seasonal demands. For brands, the opportunity lies in linking picky eats and cold food to aspirational moments and occasions to build new cultures and traditions around them.

As fear of heat exhaustion makes people more conscious of their hydration, just water is no longer enough. People actively look for benefits from functional drinks: 45% seek supplemental vitamins, 39% desire stress relief and 35% want an energy boost. 

Savvy

 sells a non-dairy kefir that contains electrolytes, probiotics and vitamins, making it a healthier cooling digestive. Similarly, during the August 2026 heatwave, 

 electrolytes won attention by distributing 

 on streets in an attempt to replenish and hydrate heat-struck passersby. "Smaller brands such as 

 are bundling electrolytes with vitamins or caffeine, making an interesting offer," says O’Brien-Perry. “While hydration 'plus' has huge potential, it only stands if the 'plus' is real and clearly explained, as a vague promise of wellness sold at a premium can quickly alienate a discerning consumer market.” 

 Brands need to be cautious as people are wary of exaggerated functional claims. The opportunity for them lies in packing meaningful doses with precise ingredients to ease people’s stress in the heat.

People can see the impact of the climate crisis in their grocery aisles and on the menus and are ready to make concessions. The majority (55%) of Britons have made at least one dietary change for sustainability reasons, with the most common changes including reducing food waste, buying less packaging and choosing local food in place of ultra-processed options. 

Food Standards Agency

 Even brands are innovating for the environment; the 

 launched burgers made from blended beef and seaweed to reduce environmental impact, alongside a range of ready meals designed to lower carbon impact, at London’s Fortnum & Mason. However, Mizrahi warns, “Sustainability is most meaningful when it is incorporated into the actual product and supply chain rather than treated purely as a marketing message.” 

 For instance, London’s BiBi prides itself on being a lower-waste kitchen that has cut down its food waste by 60% and removed single-use plastics from the kitchen. 

Restaurant

 To capture people wary of greenwashing, brands can look at sourcing, agricultural practices, packaging, transportation and food waste as part of the overall picture.

 of people in the UK have switched their usual meal choices to lighter snacks, with 

People actively look for benefits from functional drinks: 

 of Britons have made at least one dietary change for sustainability reasons, whether that’s reducing food waste or buying less packaging

With summers getting hotter, Britons are moving away from warm, hearty meals towards picky bits and cold snacks that satiate hunger while keeping them cool and relaxed

In the UK, as young people focus more on health, they demand better hydration that not only keeps them replenished during heat waves but also adds immunity, gut health and stress relief to their everyday

As global warming impacts farming, the crops available in the UK face the risk of heat vulnerability, forcing restaurants and chefs to innovate with changing vegetation and produce

Georgia O'Brien-Perry is a digital PR manager at Bulldog Digital Media; previously, she was a senior executive at Unlocked PR. O'Brien-Perry studies spending behaviours and has been quoted in The Drum, 

 and The I Paper. For over a decade, she has worked with global clients including iHeat, Carmella, Viabiotics and SimplyPlastics, among others.

Kim Stoddart is the co-author of The Climate Change Garden, a title that explores climate-resilient gardening. She also writes for publications such as 

, edits The Organic Way and has columns in 

. Stoddart hosts climate change-savvy gardening courses through her social enterprise Green Rocket.

Eran Mizrahi is the co-founder of Source86, a no-fluff, full-service ingredient-sourcing partner built to simplify supply chains and solve the problems that food companies face. He was also among the first employees at Plated, where he led planning and sourcing initiatives that drove the company’s $300 million acquisition. Mizrahi launched his career at Deloitte and has experience attending culinary school, too.

United Kingdom

General food

Restaurants and takeaways

Coffee and soft drinks

Sustainability

People still want scrumptious and healthy dinners even as British summers become hotter and more erratic, seeing meals move from warm pie and mash to snackable, cold salads and functional drinks. How is climate change rewiring the UK’s food habits, and how are culinary brands keeping up?

Analysis

Darshita Goyal

Georgia O'Brien-Perry

Kim Stoddart

Eran Mizrahi

Related Macro Behaviours

Eco Imagination

Assertive Audiences

Being+