CHICAGO — All the attention paid to food prices in the past year hasn’t led to cost being the top factor in defining food value for consumers, according to Datassential’s 2025 Trends Report.

The report — based on responses from 2,000 consumers and more than 400 operators — showed 47% of participants cited cost as determining value for groceries — in third place behind quality of product (56%) and great taste (52%). Healthy/nutritious foods came in fourth at 29%.  

For food value in restaurants, price came in last place at 37%, behind great taste (69%), quality of product (56%) and portion size (41%).

“Value is still not just about price, and consumers are continuing to really prioritize and value quality and taste over pure pricing,” said Renee Lee Wege, trendologist and senior publications manager at Datassential. “I also think that when food prices continue to be high, that’s pushing consumers to see pricing as something they can’t control and instead think more along the lines of, ‘OK, if something isn’t the price I wish it was, I’m going to at least get something that tastes good or is high-quality.’”

Definition of luxury differs

Cost is still top-of-mind for consumers when it comes to the overall experience of dining out in a full-service restaurant. Datassential found consumers and operators had very different takes on the definition of luxury in dining. Of the consumers surveyed, 55% considered the general experience of dining out as the most luxurious aspect of eating in restaurants. When operators were asked the same question, only 15% said the overall experience of dining out would be considered luxurious to consumers.

“With pricing being top-of-mind, merely eating out is itself a luxury, but I was surprised it was the top-selected attribute and that operators really didn’t consider that,” Wege said. “I thought operators would likely rate ingredients and such higher, but I didn’t think this point would be so low.”

Food labeling confusion

According to Datassential’s report, 29% of consumers found nutrition labels confusing, while 37% of consumers perceived food and beverage certifications confusing. The top CPG certifications consumers say they’ve seen before, but don’t know what they mean include: Fair Trade Certified (42%), ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) Certified (37%), Non-GMO Verified (36%), Rainforest Alliance Certified (34%), Regenerative Organic Certified (33%), and MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) Certified Sustainable (33%).

A simplification of food labeling in the United States — like adding easy-to-read, front-of-pack nutrition information — is currently being considered by the FDA, but will likely take several years to become reality due to the high cost of a packaging changeover for CPGs, among other hurdles.

Datassential said 59% of consumers currently check nutrition labels before making a purchase, so CPGs could benefit from an evolved labeling strategy to elevate that statistic, said Jaclyn Marks, trendologist and senior publications manager at Datassential.

“To gain consumer confidence and offer greater transparency when it comes to CPG products, retailers can take inspiration from other countries that already showcase front-of-package, at-a-glance nutrition information and warnings,” Marks said. “For example, in the UK, CPG food packaging displays a traffic-light style guide for nutrients like fat, salt and more, which provides consumers with an at-a-glance guide to the nutritional value of products. Beyond nutrition labels, CPG food and beverage certifications can further help educate consumers and call attention to the higher standards achieved by certain producers and products.”

Doomerism and indulgence

Elsewhere in the report, the idea of doomerism, i.e., indulging in food and beverage to cope with global turmoil and unrest, is on the rise. In last year’s report, 69% of consumers admitted eating indulgent food at least once a week. In the 2025 report, that number rose to 89%.

Several comfort foods made Datassential’s top 10 food and beverage trends in this year’s report, which reflects the rise of indulgent eating by consumers.

“I was pretty surprised to see how pervasive the idea of doomerism and ‘living for the now’ has become,” Wege said. “We covered indulgence last year and saw that Gen Z in particular was indulging in food- or beverage-related treats, more than other demographics overall, but little treat culture has come in really hot and strong quickly.”

Next-gen coffee

Datassential’s top 10 food and beverage trends for 2025 is comprised of multiple global ingredients and dishes. That international theme carries over into Datassential’s trends for coffee in 2025.

The company reported 76% of US consumers enjoy coffee, and 62% are interested in trying new and unique coffee drinks. With those lofty statistics, Datassential said the time is right for operators to branch out into global coffee drinks and flavors, which can help them stand out in the marketplace.

Some examples include the growing Korean coffee and café culture in the United States, and corresponding Korean coffee drinks like sweet corn lattes and injeolmi lattes. Other items to watch include ube lattes sweetened with ube (purple yam) syrup, and from a tea standpoint, matcha affogatos that feature ice cream topped with hot matcha tea.