Research

Food must work harder: How Europe's aging consumers will reshape demand

12 October 2026 15:00 RaboResearch

Older consumers will increasingly shape Europe’s food market, raising expectations for convenience, nutrition, choice, and control.

Intro
    Older consumers will increasingly shape mainstream demand in Europe’s food market. By 2050, Europe is projected to lose around 41m people overall while gaining roughly 42m people aged 60 and over. Later life is moving to the center of demand. Tomorrow’s older consumers will not behave like yesterday’s. They will work longer, bring established digital habits into later life, and pursue a broader health agenda. Their needs, routines, and eating occasions will often be more useful guides than age alone. This creates a new brief for mainstream food. As later life becomes longer and more varied, products and services will need to reduce friction and deliver more value, helping consumers remain independent and in control. Convenience will have to solve more of the meal. Value can move beyond the food itself into easier access, reliable meal routines, dietary confidence, and ongoing customer relationships. Nutrition will have to deliver more from every occasion. Smaller appetites and eating occasions shift the emphasis from volume alone to what each portion delivers, but expectations around taste and enjoyment will remain high.

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