Although it may be intuitive to assume that the ‘Future Consumer’ will focus on Gen Z’s and Gen Alphas, things are not quite so straightforward as this group is not defined by age but by attitude and knowledge.
“The main attribute of these consumers is that they know they have a lot of information and knowledge in their hands, and are no longer going to be satisfied to just accept what the food industry tells them is good for them,” Culinary Institute of America President Michiel Bakker told the floor at a Gulfood World Economy Summit 2026 panel.
“This means that food and beverage companies cannot just dictate and give consumers what they think is right, even if it may actually be good for them, and instead has to evolve according to what the consumers want and accept.”
Here are three of most crucial lessons industry leaders shared during the panel that food firms targeting the Future Consumer must note:
Premiumisation is not just a price point
The mention of premiumisation is often linked to higher prices, but Dubai-based snack firm Smiths Saigol and Gulf MD Nadir Saigol highlighted that this is not the case when it comes to the way Future Consumers think.
“For these consumers premiumisation is not about having a more expensive product, but rather how it provides added value for them and what it has that goes beyond a basic iteration,” he said.
“There is no way for brands to essentially ‘buy’ the consumers any more as they now have the tools to choose what they want. Our job as food companies is to put products on the aisle and give them the variety they want so they can make their own picks, and they will do so based on how much more value they feel the product can give them.”
Bakker seconded this, adding that the concept of applying personal values to food products and many other aspects of their lives is a very ingrained one within Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers.
“This is particularly clear with these younger consumers, as we know that it is very important to them that the values of the brand or the product must align with their own, whether it is sustainability or others,” he said.
“Studies have shown that some 60% of this group will make their purchasing decisions according to this, so there is no way around it other than to make sure your product adds value to entice them.”
Know your ‘place’ in their world
The food industry sees many hundreds if not thousands of new entries to the market every year, but the sad reality is that the vast majority of these do not survive for very long despite often being born out of interesting or groundbreaking ideas.
“The thing many new food brands fail to realise is that it is no longer possible to just think of this sector as a single category – there are three main categories now, whether it is a) providing calories that are the best and healthiest possible, b) designing your product from a moral perspective where it touches strongly on consumer values, or c) making indulgence the key focus, where it brings consumers joy and pleasure,” BE WTR CEO Mike Hecker said.
“Brands need to know where to position themselves as Future Consumers will be watching for these and purchasing based on their needs. We know that for many decades, MNCs previously focused on providing calories to consumers for lower prices as that was the need – but the consumers of the future now want to buy based on other values as well, and relying on legacy brands may not give them that satisfaction.”
As such, identifying a market niche has become ever more important in today’s food industry, and more often than not it requires close association with culture and heritage.
“Smiths undoubtedly has many heritage snacks as we have been around for over 40 years, so we often hear millennial consumers telling us they grew up with our products, and importantly this has driven them to also introduce their children to our products which gives us that much more continuity, all because of that heritage,” Saigol added.
“The Middle East especially is very strong on heritage and tradition, so much so that our most traditional snacks like Square Crisps and Chipsticks are still using their original packaging design from all those decades ago, simply because consumers do not want that change.”
Fit into their routines
Along with the confidence Future Consumers have found in their broad knowledge and data availability is an assertiveness that demands food products fit their routines, with little room for compromise.
This, along with increasing price consciousness, has driven a whole new era of packaging design and reformatting to fit consumers, particularly Gen Z and Gen Alpha demands.
“The expectation now is that foods and beverages will be designed to fit perfectly into their daily routines, and they have the room and variety to choose another product instead if they are not satisfied with what they get,” SIG United Arab Emirates VP and Director of Cluster MEA Niall Hoey said.
“This means things like smaller packs, convenient formats and personalised experiences – and the fact that they are so highly connected and informed also means that transparency in packaging and the information provided can strongly influence purchasing decisions.”
