Explainer: why food influencers matter despite low consumer trust
- Consumers rank influencers least trusted for food information sources
- Just 3% would try health products through influencer endorsements
- Trust varies widely between creators, audiences and demographics significantly
- Younger consumers use social media heavily for product discovery today
- Attention, not trust, often drives influencer impact on food choices
Online influencers do not appear to be trusted as a source of food information. And yet, they do seem to have a lot of influence.
Look at how explosive trends like Dubai chocolate can cause global ingredients shortages; look at how popular apps like TikTok are for nutritional advice; look at how some brands have been catapulted into global fame simply through the backing or even personal involvement of influencers.
Here is the paradox: consumers say they don’t trust influencers, but clearly, some online voices do hold sway over what happens in food and beverage.
Trust in influencers is low
Data suggests that consumers do not trust influencers, at least compared to other sources of information on food.
As of 2025, influencers were the least trusted source of information on food, according to a report by EIT Food. 35% trusted influencers not at all, and fewer than 20% trusted them to a large extent or totally. Consumers trusted not just doctors and scientists but even TV, newspapers and websites about food more.
Research from market research platform Lumina Intelligence, was even more damning, finding that influencer endorsement would only make 3% of people try a new product, at least in the case of products related to health and longevity. Conversely, 47% would trust a doctor’s recommendation, 24% clinical studies, and 16% positive reviews.
If so few people have confidence in influencers, why do these voices seem to have such outsize influence (pun not intended) on food and beverage eating habits?
Trust is fragmented
How much people trust influencers may not be well reflected by a broad-based assessment of how they are viewed as a group.
By assessing trust in influencers as a group, suggests Durk Bosma, head of thought leadership at the Future of Food Institute, the data may be missing out on how much people trust individual influencers.
“One may think influencers in general are not trustworthy, but come across one that does seem competent. It’s these individual assessments of individual influencers that may lead to purchasing specific products as endorsed by these influencers.”
Furthermore, influencers may have the most influence over microtrends, he suggests: trends in restaurants or flavours that are visible, but small in effect, rather than sizable, macro shifts in the food industry.
Lastly, the minority who do put their confidence in influencers may be “vocal and influential” themselves, therefore having a disproportionate effect on food.
Younger consumers trust influencers more
Trust in influencers may also be split by age demographic.
According to Elena Santa Cruz, a researcher at the research centre AZTI, trust in brand and product recommendations from social media is strongest among Gen Z and Millennials, with Gen Alpha also often placing their faith in these platforms.
“Social media ... plays a particularly important role for younger consumers: Gen Z’s interactions with brands are significantly influenced by digital engagement and social media, while for Generation Alpha social platforms increasingly act as shopping guides and a way to discover products they want to buy.”
Yet there is growing scepticism towards influencers even among these consumers. The growth of the “de-influencing” trend, which puts emphasis on honesty and transparency, is a sign of this (although this can, sometimes, build trust between followers and the influencers that follow said trend).
Consumers increasingly value authenticity, transparency and verified claims, explains Santa Cruz, and experts are gaining traction among those who are most sceptical of influencer-led claims.
In short, younger consumers listen to influencers more than the population in general, but they are not devoid of scepticism.
Influencers can draw consumer attention
There is a difference between building trust among consumers and simply grabbing their attention. Influencers do the latter, suggests Ayisha Koyenikan, food and drink principal strategist at analytics company Mintel.
“Influencers don’t shape what consumers believe. They shape what consumers notice.”
While consumers don’t trust influencers as they trust scientists, doctors or dietitians, they do rely on them to discover products, ingredients, recipes and even food behaviours.
This is borne out by the data. Three in ten consumers in Ireland say that their diet or cooking habits have been influenced by a social media personality, according to Mintel. In Germany, 18% of grocery shoppers have bought a food or drink product they first encountered on social media (this rises to 35% among those who actively consume food and drink-related social media content).
“Influencers don’t shape what consumers believe. They shape what consumers notice.”
Ayisha Koyenikan, food and drink principal strategist at Mintel.
When it comes to health, says Koyenikan, the distinction is even clearer. “Consumers are far more likely to use influencers for inspiration than validation.”
While consumers might discover a gut health ingredient or high-protein snack on social media, they will still look elsewhere for advice on whether nutritional claims are credible.
In the future, predicts Koyenikan, the most influential voices will be those who combine the relatability and reach of creators with professional expertise.
For food and beverage brands themselves, this could provide an opportunity. “For healthy and functional food brands, the opportunity is not simply to communicate the science, but to make that science culturally relevant, practical and shareable.
“Creators are often the spark that turns a niche nutrition topic into a mainstream consumer conversation, shaping which foods, ingredients and behaviours consumers pay attention to, experiment with and ultimately adopt.”
In truth, a lack of trust in influencers does not prevent their having significant sway over the food and beverage industry. They have immense reach, and it only takes a small contingent of consumers to trust them, or a large one simply to pay attention to them, for their influence to penetrate the food system and shape it profoundly.
