How Gen Z and Gen Alpha are shaping the future of food and drink

Gen Z is no longer a consumer cohort to watch from a distance. As more of the generation enters the workforce and gains independent spending power, its influence on what gets discovered, bought and consumed is becoming harder to ignore. Social platforms are shortening the path from inspiration to purchase, while expectations around flavour, convenience and even personalised health are evolving with them.

Gen Alpha is at a very different life stage. Still largely reliant on parents to make purchases, this generation is already influencing what comes into the home and growing up amid heightened attention to nutrition, functionality and increasingly interactive food experiences.

Mintel defines Gen Z as those born between 1997 and 2010 and Gen Alpha as those born from 2011 onwards. Together, they offer a view of where food and drink consumption may be heading next.

From social feed to shopping cart: Gen Z is changing how food gets discovered and bought

For Gen Z, social media is about more than food trends. It’s where inspiration, discovery and purchase converge.

That is particularly evident in China. According to Mintel, 50% of Gen Z packaged snack buyers aged 18–24 have purchased packaged snacks through social media platforms such as Douyin, Kuaishou and Xiaohongshu. Elsewhere, the influence may stop short of an in-platform transaction, but its impact on food choices is still pronounced. Mintel’s research found 56% of US Gen Z adults were influenced by healthy eating hacks seen on social media, while for 67% of Thai Gen Z adults, influencers or social media news are their first source of information for functional food and beverage purchases.

This shortens the distance between an emerging trend and a commercial opportunity. As Mintel Associate Director – Food and Drink Cormac Henry observes, brands need to keep pace with “viral flavour and format trends” while ensuring the finished product still delivers on taste and texture.

Economic pressures are shaping those purchases too. Cormac points to food and drink as an accessible form of enjoyment for younger consumers facing financial constraints. “This generation are not necessarily happy to ‘wait it out’ until things get better financially,” he says. “They still want to enjoy themselves along the way.”

Wellness gets personal: from instant benefits to blood sugar tracking

Gen Z’s approach to wellness is also being shaped by a desire for immediacy. Mintel cross-market research points to stronger demand among younger consumers for functional food and drink that delivers a clear, near-term benefit. In the US, 38% of Gen Z adults strongly agreed they prefer functional drinks that provide immediate results, while 62% of German Gen Z functional food and drink users consume these products to satisfy an immediate need such as energy.

Mintel’s research suggests Gen Z already expects evidence: 58% of Australian Gen Z consumers agreed that fortified or functional food and drink products backed by scientific evidence are more trustworthy than those that are not. As Cormac puts it, “Singular, well substantiated functional claims can be more powerful than several with loose links to functionality.”

The meal is losing its monopoly

Gen Z’s changing relationship with food is also reshaping when and how they eat. In the US, 26% of Gen Z consumers snack three or more times a day, compared with just 9% of Baby Boomers. In Australia, 55% of Gen Z snackers say they replace a meal with a snack at least once a week.

Gen Alpha: the ‘nutritionally neurotic’ generation?

If Gen Z is seeking more from food and drink, Gen Alpha may grow up expecting it as standard. Mintel uses the deliberately provocative term “nutritionally neurotic” to describe a generation being raised amid heightened parental attention to diet and nutrition. Across the UK, Brazil and China, Mintel’s research points to strong parental concern around nutrient intake, healthy eating habits and fruit and vegetable consumption.

That concern is already influencing the products being developed for them. Mintel found that launches targeting children aged 5–12 carrying functional and “plus” claims, such as added or enhanced nutrients, have almost doubled over the past decade. Products offering added benefits are therefore becoming familiar to Gen Alpha well before they begin making independent purchasing decisions.

Sugar is another area where Gen Alpha’s food environment is shifting. Mintel reports that the average added sugar content of global food and drink products targeting children aged 5–12 has fallen by around 15% over the past four years, from 23.33g per 100g/ml in 2022 – 2023 to 19.76g in 2025–26. The formulation challenge is that children are naturally predisposed towards sweeter flavours, while many parents are wary of artificial sweeteners. As the search for lower-sugar formulations intensifies, ingredients with naturally low sugar profiles, including macadamias, may become increasingly relevant.

Pester power meets parental permission

Gen Alpha may be developing strong food preferences, but for now those preferences still have to pass through the parental filter. As Cormac Henry puts it, brands need to “walk a fine line between appealing to Gen Alpha and convincing their parents, who ultimately control the household grocery budget.”

One way brands are bridging that divide is by making food more participatory. In Mintel’s research, 86% of Australian parents of Gen Alphas agreed that preparing food and drink together is important for family bonding, while 70% said their children like trying new foods and flavours. That creates opportunities for formats that invite children to build, customise, dip, decorate or otherwise take part. Macadamias fit these experiences well: whole kernels, pieces, pastes and spreads can bring varied tastes and textures to interactive, shareable formats.

Allergen policies change the occasion

For nuts, Gen Alpha also brings an obvious consideration: where they can be consumed. School and childcare allergen policies vary by market and institution, but they can materially influence purchasing decisions. In Mintel’s Australian research, 61% of Gen Alpha parents said their child’s school allergen policy affected the food and drink they purchased for them.

That does not remove macadamias from the Gen Alpha opportunity, but it does shift the focus towards appropriate occasions. At-home snacking, family sharing, cooking and baking offer settings where macadamias can be enjoyed as part of supervised food experiences.

What it means for product developers

Gen Z and Gen Alpha point to younger consumers expecting more from food and drink, albeit in different ways. For product developers, the opportunity lies in balancing credibility with enjoyment: distinctive taste and texture, formats suited to changing occasions, recognisable ingredients and enough novelty to invite discovery. Macadamias can work across these demands, giving manufacturers considerable flexibility as tomorrow’s consumer takes shape.

---