PAGE HEADER WELLNESS TRENDS RESHAPING DAIRY, DELI, & BAKERY
Wellness Trends Reshaping Dairy, Deli, and Bakery
Sherry Frey, Vice President - Total Wellness, NielsenIQ As the health and wellness movement continues to evolve, its impact on the food industry—particularly the dairy, deli, and bakery departments—is becoming increasingly profound. In 2026, consumer expectations will continue to be shaped by a convergence of health priorities, economic pressures, and cultural shifts, all of which are redefining what it means to be well.
A few of the key wellness trends we see impacting dairy, deli and bakery departments:
The Continued Importance of “Better
For™” and Clean Label Expectations Consumers are no longer satisfied with just taste and convenience—they’re demanding transparency, simplicity, and functionality in their food.
The “Better For™” movement, which identifies products that are better for health, better for the environment and better for society is gaining traction across the store, with small and medium manufacturers leading the charge in innovation and growth but private label products continuing to represent a strong share. In total food and beverage, Better For™ is about 11% of all sales and about 15% in dairy, 10% in Deli and 6% in Bakery.
We continue to see Better For™ outpace total food and beverage sales, however, it’s important to note that we do see when consumers are financially challenged (as they were in 2022 and 2023 with increased prices), they do pull back on Better For™ products (as indicated in the chart). As we look toward 2026, the economic environment will play a role if the growth of Better For™ continues. We anticipate we’ll continue to see the trends bifurcate across consumer economic lines. NielsenIQ’s 2025 mid-year Consumer Outlook found almost 62% of consumers consider themselves struggling or cautious financially. One area to watch extremely closely in 2026 is the impact of SNAP changes (both benefit reductions as well as state-level restrictions) and how this will reshape purchasing behavior.
A full 58% of U.S. consumers now view climate change and pollution as direct threats to their health. This is driving demand for products that are better for the environment. Within bakery, eco-friendly claims are up 31% versus year ago with some of the greatest growth in claims around sustainable sourcing. In dairy, eco-friendly (stated) claim sales are up 18% with growth in zero waste (up 39%), biodiversity (up 64%) and 1% for Planet member certified up 52%. In deli, eco-friendly stated is up 15% and regenerative agriculture is up 52%.
Across all dairy, deli and bakery, there are increased sales of products with claims around packaging (compostable, recycled packaging content, free from BPA).
When it comes to clean label, we’re seeing increased consumer and regulatory scrutiny around ingredients like synthetic food colors and food additives. At the same time, technology is aiding consumers in assessing foods through apps, like Yuka, which will continue to accelerate consumer attention to ingredients – from ingredients they want in their food to ingredients they’re concerned are in their food. In addition, consumer interest in limiting the amount of ultra-processed foods (UPF) they consume, yet the challenge of defining UPF will continue to evolve in the next year. The dairy, deli and bakery departments will be at the forefront of the conversation as some of the top categories in the UPF conversation include prepared foods, salty snacks, desserts, cookies and crackers, processed meats, cereal and granola, cheese, sweet snacks and bread.
For food manufacturers and retailers, as the ingredient scrutiny continues, the increasing challenge of trust and education will be at the forefront for the industry.
WHAT’S IN STORE | 2026 © 2026 International Dairy Deli Bakery Association
Industry Landscape
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