Across six European markets, eating and drinking occasions have declined by approximately 2.5 billion over the past two years. Yet the reduction in consumption is only part of the picture. While some traditional eating habits are losing ground, others are gaining relevance, creating different opportunities for food and beverage manufacturers.
These are among the findings of Appetite for Growth 2026 – Winning with Purpose, Worldpanel by Numerator's latest analysis of food consumption trends across Great Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Portugal.
Drawing on Worldpanel by Numerator's Usage Panels, the study examines how changing consumer motivations are reshaping demand and what this means for category and brand growth.
Europeans are eating less, but the biggest changes are happening within meals
The decline in consumption is not limited to a particular eating environment. In-home eating occasions fell by 0.7%, while out-of-home trips declined by 1.2% over the past two years.
Main meals now account for 47% of eating and drinking occasions, while breakfast represents 29.5%, both growing slightly; Snacking, meanwhile, has lost 0.9 percentage points, suggesting that consumers are protecting more essential eating occasions while becoming increasingly selective about discretionary ones.
However, the relative resilience of lunch and dinner does not mean consumers are returning to traditional, elaborate meals.
Instead, the structure of meals is becoming simpler.
Europeans are spending less time preparing food and serving fewer dishes.
Starters have declined by 2%, desserts by 4% and preparation time by 4%, while ready-made dishes are being used 5% more frequently.
Convenience is no longer simply about saving time; it is becoming part of how consumers balance nutrition, practicality and enjoyment.
Healthier, simpler meals are gaining ground across Europe
One of the clearest trends emerging from the research is the growing preference for quick, balanced meals that require limited preparation.
This type of consumption, identified in the study as Simple & Healthy, is growing across all six European markets, ranging from +5% in Germany to +16% in Great Britain over two years.
Indeed, 45% of these eating occasions involve less than five minutes of preparation, while 74% consist of a single main dish.
But this does not mean that all healthy foods are growing, or that convenience alone guarantees success.
What matters is how effectively products respond to the combination of needs consumers are trying to satisfy.
For manufacturers, this creates opportunities to rethink product formats, preparation methods and the role their portfolios play in everyday consumption.
Why some food categories are growing while others lose ground
Changes in eating habits are also reshaping the composition of European meals.
The research shows contrasting performances across different types of dishes.
Over the past two years, pizza consumption occasions increased by 10.9%
and vegetables and legumes by 7.1%, while sandwiches declined by 5.9%.
However, understanding which dishes are growing is only the starting point. The more important question is what is driving that growth.
Some categories are expanding because consumers are choosing them more frequently for needs they already serve. Others are finding growth by becoming relevant in different situations or fulfilling additional needs.
This distinction is central to the findings of Appetite for Growth 2026.
In fact, 60% of growing dish types generate most of their growth by fulfilling consumer needs beyond those they traditionally serve.
Pizza provides an example of this shift, with much of its growth coming from consumption situations beyond its established roles. Vegetables, by contrast, are growing primarily by strengthening the needs they already fulfil.
This suggests that category growth does not necessarily depend on increasing the number of times people eat. It can also come from expanding their role that in consumers' lives, and understanding it can help inform decisions about portfolio development, product innovation and market positioning.
Consumers still want pleasure, but their expectations are changing
The growing importance of health and convenience might suggest that indulgence is becoming less relevant. The research points to a more nuanced reality.
Traditional occasions for treating oneself are under pressure. Desserts at the end of main meals have declined by 4%, while after-dinner treating occasions have fallen by 3%.
Yet consumers are not necessarily abandoning pleasure. Instead, they are reconsidering when and how they want to experience it.
Health, functionality and enjoyment are increasingly overlapping rather than competing.
This is also reflected in the evolution of snacking, where more functional motivations, such as energy and convenience, are gaining importance alongside enjoyment.
The challenge for brands is to understand which combinations of benefits are meaningful to their consumers, rather than assuming that health, convenience and pleasure represent separate markets.
What do changing eating habits mean for food and beverage brands?
The findings reveal a European food market in which growth opportunities are becoming more closely connected to consumer motivations.
As eating occasions become more selective, understanding the purpose behind consumption can help manufacturers answer questions that traditional category analysis may overlook.
Ultimately, the opportunity is not simply to encourage consumers to eat more, but to understand what makes products relevant to the occasions they choose to keep.
Discover the findings from Appetite for Growth 2026
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