Ireland food trends summary
- High protein functional foods dominate Irish demand across dairy snacks meals
- Transparency clean labels and local origin claims strongly influence purchases
- Affordability drives value for money private labels easy preparation
- Flexitarian eating grows pragmatically reducing meat without replacing traditional diets
- GLP-1 weight loss drugs show limited impact on Irish food
In Ireland, consumers are driven by many of the same factors as those elsewhere in Europe – affordability, health and functionality.
However, other big trends have not caught on. In Ireland, GLP-1s are not yet making significant changes to food consumption. While flexitarianism is taking hold, it is largely driven by practical considerations.
1. Functional foods and high-protein
A focus on health and functional foods is “the biggest food trend in Ireland”, says Jemil Kazakov, associate research analyst at consumer analytics company Euromonitor International.
Consumers are looking for markers of health in their food – high in protein and fibre, and providing functional health benefits such as immunity or gut health.
The high-protein trend is particularly prominent. It is “firmly embedded within the broader health and functional nutrition agenda”, Kazakov explains.
For Irish consumers, high-protein isn’t just about fitness and strength. It is associated with a myriad of benefits: satiety, weight management, and even general wellbeing.
The popularity of high protein is evident across categories such as snacks, meal solutions, and especially dairy, which “remains important due to its strong health credentials, familiarity and versatility in everyday consumption formats”. ‘High protein’ is a key on-pack claim.
Milk proteins are thriving due to this trend, prominent in ready-to-drink beverages, yoghurts and protein bars.
2. Transparency and clean label
Consumers are also interested in transparency, which is shaping purchasing decisions. People want clear origin claims denoting where their food comes from, explains Euromonitor’s Kazakov. Calls for transparency in food are growing across the board as trust in the industry declines.
With interest in transparency comes demand for clean-label products, and this is just as true in Ireland. Irish consumers want natural ingredients and minimal processing from their food.
“Irish shoppers favour locally produced and seasonal food for reasons of trust and sustainability,” says Kazakov.
3. Affordable food
Irish consumers are focused on food that is good value. They want food that’s not only local and sustainable but affordable as well, explains Euromonitor’s Kazakov.
Cost of living pressures are increasingly pushing consumers to focus on private label products and value-for-money options.
Consumers are demanding food that is not only affordable but easy-to-prepare, and that doesn’t compromise on perceived quality.
Indulgence is more occasional, and consumers want rare but high-quality treats rather than to indulge everyday.
4. Flexitarianism for practical considerations
Flexitarianism is significant in Ireland. However, consumers are reducing meat “in a measured rather than a radical way”, stresses Kazakov. They are influenced largely by health and affordability, and ethical concerns often “tend to be secondary”.
Consumers are gravitating not towards substitutes which directly replace meat, but those that complement existing diets well. Consumers essentially want food that can slot into existing diets, rather than replace them.
Nevertheless, “changing attitudes toward meat are evident in the growing acceptance of flexitarian eating”. Reducing meat is becoming “socially normalised”, despite the key role that meat still plays in Irish culture.
The greater availability of plant-based foods in Ireland plays a role in this shift. These products taste better and are more varied, suggests Kazakov. They are available in a wide range of formats, including ready meals and snacks. There are even hybrid products.
5. GLP-1s not seeing significant traction
GLP-1 weight-loss drugs have seen resounding success in some markets, such as the US. However, in many European countries, including Spain, France and Italy, consumers have been more sceptical.
In Ireland, as well, uptake is not strong, or at least not strong enough to alter the food landscape. “GLP‑1 medications are not currently having a meaningful influence on the food landscape in Ireland, despite growing awareness and discussion“, says Kazakov.
While prescriptions of GLP-1s such as Wegovy and Mounjaro are “available and visible in media and public discourse”, their actual impact on food consumption is still limited, and the number of early adopters is small.
