23/03/2026
This is good news!
The story of British food over the past few decades has largely been one of convenience, industrialisation, and confusion when it comes to nutrition – supermarket shelves stacked high with products engineered for shelf life and ultra-palatability, while rates of diet-related disease continue to climb. Most would agree that the food system is not working for us. But change is underway. Healthy eating is no longer a niche preoccupation – it’s becoming a mainstream concern.
In the latest YouGov/AHDB Pulse survey, 85% of consumers said that diet is important to their health, and 2026 consumer data from NielsonIQ found that one in four households say health is their number one priority for the year ahead.
Just as notable is the change in what we see as ‘healthy’ eating. While there is still plenty of extreme messaging in this space, there is also a trend towards simplicity. Less focus on expensive superfoods and green juices, and a growing appetite for local, seasonal whole foods that our grandparents or great-grandparents would recognise. Butter is back, olive oil sales are booming, and seasonal veg and beans are cool again. It just feels sensible. The same YouGov/AHDB survey found that 26% of consumers plan to cut down on ultra-processed foods – a trend seen across all demographics, signalling a broad move towards minimally processed options. Many people are rediscovering the value of beans, lentils, peas, higher protein grains, nuts and seeds – likely fuelled by the fibre and protein hype dominating headlines and social media over the last year. Marketing noise aside, in the UK, we average 15g of fibre a day, half of the recommended 30g needed to support gut and metabolic health. Likewise, protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle mass, supporting bone health, and metabolic health.
There is so much noise around what we should be eating that a common sense approach feels almost radical. Asking the question, “Would my grandmother recognise this?” might even lead you back to some wonderful “forgotten” foods like liver, heritage grains, or Carlin peas.
There is a longer version of Hannah's feature on Wicked Leeks.