Many of the pressures restricting grocery sales in 2025, like inflation and MAHA-driven food fears, aren’t going away in 2026. But, according to research from Cargill, how consumers respond to new science and evaluate price and value is changing – creating new opportunities for brands.
For years, consumers’ knee-jerk response to negative messaging about a food, beverage or ingredient was to simply opt-out and not buy it. This gave rise to a plethora of free-from or no- and low-claims. But new proprietary research from Cargill shows that consumers increasingly are looking for products that deliver what they want – not just what they want to avoid.
This is a subtle but important shift: Instead of thinking in simple good-versus-bad terms, consumers are weighing benefits, trade-offs and real-world impact, which is changing how ingredients and products are evaluated and positioned.
That means moving beyond basic blanket terms such as “less sugar” or “no additives” to a mindset focused on more: including more functional benefits, more emotional connection and more social value. For brands, food scientists and marketers, this shift opens the door to framing ingredients and products in a more balanced, positive light.
In this episode of FoodNavigator-USA’s Soup-To-Nuts podcast, Cargill’s Senior Consumer Insights Manager Keith Albright explains how this new “seeking mindset” is reshaping consumer behavior and shares several ways it is playing out across the CPG landscape in 2026. Among these are a heightened desire for more “goodness” from food, including products that support longevity or offer permission to indulge without guilt or compromise. Albright also explains that consumers want more than great taste – they want multisensory discovery, including experiences that celebrate culture and creativity. To make space for all these priorities, Albright notes, consumers are redefining ‘value’ as more than what they pay to include benefits that justify prices.
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Tipping towards ‘good’
According to Albright, how consumers evaluate products is akin to a teeter-totter with “good” on one side and “bad” on the other. And for years, he said, consumers have more heavily weighed the “bad,” but as they have access to more information the balance is tipping closer to the “good.”
Albright explained consumers are taking more time to research and reflect on when a product is worth buying – even if it is indulgent or includes unfamiliar ingredients that they may have dismissed automatically, previously. That doesn’t mean health concerns are fading – it just means consumers are balancing them against emotional wellbeing, enjoyment and real-world impact.
What do consumers consider ‘good’?
One element of “goodness” is how a product supports consumers’ physical health goals – fueling a rise in food as medicine and demand for specific functional benefits.
Albright notes that one in four consumers choose products that boost their nutrition or support how their body functions. According to Cargill’s research, the top five functional benefits shoppers want are satiety, weight management, heart health, improved physical energy and strong bones.
Two ingredients that support these goals are protein and fiber, which Albright predicts will continue to “be the stars” for the next few years.
However, he said, he sees potential for other ingredients to meet rising demand for products that support women’s health across life stages and gut-health across demographics.
Indulgence redefined: How permission to enjoy becomes permission to spend
The “goodness” of an ingredient or product is not based solely on its ability to support their physical health – consumers now also consider how a food or beverage might support their emotional or mental wellbeing.
“We know from some of our research partners that mental health is more important now than physical health,” Albright said, noting that many consumers connect their diet and emotions.
That shift is opening doors for brands and marketers to reposition indulgent foods and beverages as a functional benefit that supports emotional wellbeing. Indulgence, once viewed as a guilty pleasure, is becoming more intentional.
Cargill’s research reveals 89% of consumers indulge at least once a week and 47% allow themselves indulgent snacks as part of an overall healthy diet.
When selecting a treat, Cargill found comfort is the top driver with consumers seeking foods and beverages that improve their mood or stimulates a sensorial experience. Texture also plays a key role, as does context, with most indulgences happening in the home as a treat or reward.
Economics are equally important for indulgence, according to Albright. He explained that consumers are willing to spend more to ensure an indulgence is “worth it.” But, this also means they hold these products to higher standards.
Elevated experiences: Making the ordinary extraordinary
Consumers also are willing to spend more on “elevated experiences” that go beyond taste and incorporate “multisensory discovery,” according to Albright, who describes this trend as a “kissing cousin” to premium permissible indulgence.
For example, consumers may pay more for a product that deepens their understanding of a different culture – allowing them to explore the world from their dinner plate. Or they may want to stretch a familiar food beyond ordinary to extraordinary with subtle tweaks, such as using browned butter in a chocolate chip cookie. Likewise, they may be willing to pay more for a restaurant experience that they can then recreate at home.
No middle ground: Why value is polarizing
While consumers are willing to spend more on premium indulgences and elevated eating experiences, Cargill’s research suggests expense still matters.
Albright explains consumers must make trade-offs to balance their budget. This means they may cut back on spending in one category to offset higher prices in another category – creating a high-low market with little room for mid-priced products.
“If you are in the middle, you are nowhere,” warned Albright. He explained brands either need to deliver on value at a price threshold consumers expect, or deliver a truly differentiated experience that justifies the spend.
What this means for brands
As Cargill’s research shows, consumers are moving beyond a long-ingrained habit of saying “no” to indulgent, premium or unfamiliar products. Instead, they’re doing the research and reflection needed to say “yes” intentionally.
As Albright points out, that shift opens up new opportunities for brands and product developers to drive sales, volume and loyalty by clearly communicating benefits and engaging consumers with richer, more nuanced storytelling, rather than leaning solely on promotions or simple free-from claims.
