October 20, 2025 – Climate adaptation is changing the food and beverage industry. Extreme weather is driving up prices, making consumers more aware of costs, and speeding up the move to plant-based options. This effect is particularly noticeable in specialty and luxury items like chocolate, olive oil, and orange juice. Innova Market Insights looks at consumer research and trends in product launches to highlight how climate change affects the food and beverage sector.
Consumer Product Preferences and Climate Adaptation
Almost half of global consumers are very aware of how climate change affects food, particularly popular items like chocolate, coffee, orange juice, and olive oil. When extreme weather disrupts supplies, these products become pricier and harder to find. This raises consumer concern and influences their purchasing decisions.
Global South Hit Hardest by Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a United Nations group that looks at climate change science. Its Sixth Assessment Report in 2022 pointed out that Asia, Africa, Australasia, and South America had the most crop production losses, with Asia seeing the highest number of livestock losses. The report also stresses the rising global trend of crop losses and highlights the need for climate adaptation to ensure future food security.
Climate Change is Global and Personal
Global food trends show that consumers are more aware of climate change and its impact on the planet and its people. Many have experienced floods, wildfires, droughts, or other extreme weather events related to climate change. This greater awareness can influence consumer behavior regarding climate adaptation. As a result, people are more likely to support brands that tackle this issue. In Western Europe, consumers are quickly changing their habits. They are more inclined to buy lifestyle products, such as plant-based or sustainable and ethical foods.
Cost-of-Living Crisis
Economic and political instability have been constant around the world since 2020. The reasons for this have changed over time. Consumer fatigue is creating new problems as people deal with rising living costs and the stress from some solutions. Cooking from scratch might be cheaper, but it can also be overwhelming. Sustainability claims can add value, but this often does not make up for the higher prices. While consumers may be open to spending a bit more on ethical claims, their willingness has limits.
Price Sensitivity Shapes Food Choices
Global food trends reveal that price changes make consumers uneasy. This often leads them to choose cheaper options, store brands, or to skip certain categories altogether. Many people view some products as luxuries. About half of consumers are ready to cut back on basic items like bread and meat when prices go up. Brands need to focus on affordability, sustainability, and quality to remain competitive.
Private Label for Cash-Strapped Consumers
Private label products do well as prices increase. They provide affordable, sustainable, and quality options. Store brands often respond to the rising demand for organic and plant-based foods, giving consumers easier ways to eat sustainably. As the quality of private labels improves, almost 1/3 of consumers are choosing more store brands, attracted by their affordability and ethical practices. To succeed in the long term, brands should present themselves as a lasting solution for budget-minded and ethical consumers.
Sustainability Claims are Increasingly Complex
Today’s sustainability claims go beyond recycled packaging. They include green energy, regenerative agriculture, and agroforestry. Regulators and consumers want transparency and verifiable claims, not just recycling. As costs rise, consumers are less inclined to pay extra for vague sustainability claims. Brands must offer clear evidence and link higher prices to climate-related supply issues, particularly in chocolate, coffee, and animal products, especially if they are using regenerative practices. This method will help explain the higher costs and build trust.
EcoScores Offer Peace of Mind in an Easy-to-Digest Format
With transparency being such an integral part to sustainability claims, brands may be challenged to find ways to adequately communicate complex business practices and their environmental impact in a way that is simple, straightforward and easy to understand. EcoScores provide an opportunity to do just that, and while some consumers may not fully grasp the origins of the scores or the mechanisms behind score calculation, the 1 to 5 scale and color-coding scheme are relatively foolproof. The NutriScore offers similar information for nutritional content, indicating that consumers will be increasingly comfortable with this type of information on packaging.
High Meat and Egg Prices Raise Interest in Plant-Based
In April 2025, the USDA predicted the price of eggs would increase by 58% in 2025 and beef and veal by 5%. These projected increases placed meats, poultry, fish and eggs at the top of the Food at Home Index list of highest cost categories over the past 12 months. This is just one example of food price fluctuations that can influence how consumers perceive grocery store prices. Price uncertainty lowers consumer tolerance for paying higher prices for products that help protect the environment from climate change, such as plant-based alternatives.
Fish and Seafood Substitutes Expand Dramatically
Seafood trends show that environmental concerns are driving demand for alternatives. In the past five years, the number of fish and seafood substitutes launched has increased by 43%. These products often use ingredients such as spirulina, fungi, and algae, along with technologies like 3D printing. These eco-friendly options appeal to consumers, even though they can be expensive. Revo Foods employs extrusion printing to convert fungi protein and microalgae oil into a fish-like product that is rich in omega-3. Farming microalgae is more sustainable than traditional methods, lowering emissions and pollution while offering high nutritional value.
What’s Next in Climate Adaptation and The Future of Food?
As climate change speeds up, future food will focus on alternatives likeplant-based proteins. Clear eco-labels and sustainability efforts will provide real value. Technologies such as bio-printed foods and products from algae or fungi, along with regenerative farming, will improve climate resilience. Indulgent items like chocolate and olive oil might become luxury products. The Global South will be particularly affected by climate change and will need specific climate adaptation strategies. As prices increase, consumers will choose reliable brands that offer quality, transparency, and ethical practices at fair prices.
This article is based on Innova’s Top 10 Trends 2025: #6 – Climate Adaption – Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more.