Europeans' sustainable eating declines as health and cost take priority
Europeans recognise the negative health effects of salty, fatty, sugary or processed foods; yet only approximately a third of consumers avoid them.
Europeans are choosing to prioritise health and cost before sustainability, in their food decisions, according to a survey of 19,954 consumers across 18 countries.
But their engagement in high-impact sustainable behaviours such as reducing animal-based foods has fallen, according to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology's (EIT) survey. It has revealed interest in sustainable eating steadily declining, falling from 76% in 2021 to 69% in 2025.
Only 16% were interested in reducing their consumption of animal-based foods.
The survey indicates that lack of affordability and difficulties in breaking old habits are blocking people from making sustainable lifestyle changes.
However, the survey shows that younger consumers are more open to sustainable food innovation and regenerative agriculture, and are more likely to purchase organic or ethically sourced products, making them more aligned with long-term environmental goals.
But overall, health has become the dominant driver of dietary change, according to the EIT survey. More than half of consumers (51%) said they want to eat more healthily.
Europeans recognise the negative health effects of salty, fatty, sugary or processed foods; yet only approximately a third of consumers avoid them. Many Europeans also continue to under-consume key healthy foods such as fruit, vegetables and fibre, suggesting that intention alone is insufficient to transform eating habits.
There's a gap between intentions and behaviour, with 51% wanting to eat more healthily and 69% wanting to live sustainably, but only a third avoid typically unhealthy foods, and only 48% believe they eat sustainably.
According to EIT, the data suggests that dietary change in Europe is constrained less by awareness and more by structural and financial pressures. Without addressing these barriers, aspirations are unlikely to translate into sustained behavioural shifts.
EIT Food’s mission is to promote healthier and more sustainable diets, and reducing animal-based products is seen as the single most impactful sustainability behaviour. But interest is limited, with only 16% doing so, and EIT says framing plant-rich eating as a path to health rather than a sustainability act may be needed to drive higher engagement.
EIT also says industry and policymakers may need to design accessible and convenient healthy products; make such products more affordable, and connect sustainability to personal health benefits.
The survey has been conducted every year since 2018 by the academic partners of the EU's EIT Food Consumer Observatory.
Consumers were surveyed in Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Israel and the UK, in July and August, 2025.
The results reveal that most Europeans are broadly satisfied with their diets, only 14% expressed dissatisfaction.
The share of younger consumers who eat a sustainable diet was found to equal to that of older consumers.
Among younger consumers, 44% want to eat more protein, likely due to greater awareness of protein-rich diets. And a stronger desire to connect with food production was revealed, with 28% of younger people saying they grow their own food, compared to 15% of over-55s.
But consumers aiming to eat more foods purchased directly from farmers fell from 52% to 48% in the survey.
The survey showed older consumers are less likely to throw away food and more likely to eat home-cooked meals.
