UK RETAIL'S HEALTH KICK: THE 2025 TRENDS IN FOOD & DRINKS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Juice
- Apr 30
- 4 min read
Sick of Easter egg chocolate yet, or already thinking about healthier alternatives after overindulging on seasonal treats? You’re not alone. It got us thinking, in 2025 the UK’s love affair with snacking shows no signs of slowing down, but the ingredients and intentions behind our snacks and drinks have definitely evolved over the last few years.
Fuelled by a nationwide focus on wellness, tighter government crackdowns on unhealthy product placement, and a new wave of functional, feel-good innovations, the snacking aisle has undergone a healthy glow up, at least outside of Easter.
For retailers and brands, this isn’t just another passing fad, it’s a genuine shift in shopper behaviour that demands smart thinking, intentional design, and market-savvy strategy.
We’ve taken a look at what the healthy snacking landscape looks like on UK supermarket shelves today, and what we believe the future holds for this fast-growing category.
1. The Health-Conscious Consumer: Who’s Driving the Trend?
From flexitarian Gen Z shoppers seeking gut-friendly energy bars to working parents hunting for healthier lunchbox fillers, today’s snackers want it all, nutrition, convenience, and great taste.
A Kantar study shows a rise in ‘health as a lifestyle’ shoppers, with 43% of consumers actively trying to reduce sugar, salt, and fat in their diets, a shift accelerated by the UK government’s HFSS regulations introduced in 2022, restricting promotion and placement of high fat, salt, and sugar products in major retailers.¹
Snackers are still grazing, but with labels front of mind. "Better for you" is no longer niche, it’s mainstream. Expect more variety and increasingly innovative flavours and ingredients.
2. Product Innovations: Who's Leading the Way
SNACKS
High-Protein & Functional Bars
Brands like Kind and Misfits are turning high protein and plant-based options into snack shelf essentials. Their HFSS compliant chocolate bars tick the boxes for both gym-goers and sweet-toothed shoppers, without the sugar crash. These products give conscious consumers more choice and offer brands a key visibility advantage in stores, especially in areas where non-compliant snacks can’t be promoted.
Plant-Powered Crisps
Products like Rude Health's Lentil Chips, The Curators’ Soya Crisps, and HIPPEAS Chickpea Puffs are leading the charge in plant-based snacking, combining HFSS compliance with big flavour and that all-important crunch.²
DRINKS
Functional “Good for You” Drinks
Kombucha, prebiotic sodas, and vitamin-infused waters have evolved from indie start ups to prime supermarket real estate.
A standout, Poppi, the US-based prebiotic soda brand, caught the eye of PepsiCo, which acquired it for nearly $2 billion in March 2025.³ Poppi offers gut health benefits wrapped in indulgent, fizzy flavours, tapping perfectly into the demand for immune-boosting, mood-lifting beverages that replace sugar-heavy soft drinks.
PepsiCo’s investment reflects a strategic pivot toward health-focused consumers, and with their UK infrastructure already in place, don’t be surprised to see Poppi “popping up” on British shelves before long.
3. Retailer Spotlight: Who’s Winning Shelf Space?
UK retailers have pivoted hard in response to HFSS legislation, redesigning store layouts and category strategies.
TESCO
Introduced dedicated ‘Healthier Choices’ bays, designed to comply with new HFSS rules while nudging health-conscious impulse buys. The retailer reported that these bays, combined with its "Better Baskets" initiative, have driven a 12% year-on-year increase in healthier product sales. Online, 80% of Tesco shoppers added at least one additional healthy item to their baskets.⁴
SAINSBURY's
Expanded its "Plant Pioneers" range, offering affordable plant-based alternatives and mainstreaming flexitarian-friendly products.
HOLLAND & BARRETT
Dedicated more fridge space to functional drinks, from kombuchas and CBD-infused waters to nootropics, supporting the wellness revolution across chilled shelves.⁵
Brands competing in this landscape aren’t just fighting over flavour or price, they’re battling for compliant visibility and shelf relevance.
4. Forced Change: What are the Influences?
The combined effect of HFSS legislation, consumer health awareness, and influencer marketing has reshaped the UK snacking landscape.
Packaging & Marketing Overhauls
Brands are adopting stripped back, minimal packaging designs with health claims, sustainability credentials, and functional benefits front and centre. Marks & Spencer recently overhauled its own brand cereals with this in mind, the new designs put simple, whole food ingredients in plain sight, using clear typography and minimal visual clutter, helping time-poor but health-conscious shoppers make quick, informed choices.⁶
Reformulation or Replacement
Big names like Walkers and Nestlé have reduced salt and fat across core ranges to maintain promotional visibility and meet shifting consumer expectations.⁷
Influencer & Social Discovery
A standout example is Neutonic, a UK-based nootropic infused energy drink co-founded by fitness influencers Chris Williamson and James Smith. The duo leveraged their strong social media followings to drive awareness, cleverly positioning Neutonic not just as a drink but as part of a health driven, productivity focused lifestyle, proof of how influencer backed brands are reshaping consumer buying decisions.⁸
5. 2025 & Beyond: What’s Next?
Looking forward, the healthy snacking trend shows no sign of slowing down. Expect even more focus innovations and growth.
Personalisation
AI driven recommendations and loyalty programs offering snacks tailored to health goals and personal nutrition plans.
Sustainable Health
Products that are good for the body and the planet, with sustainably sourced ingredients, biodegradable packaging, and ethical supply chains baked into brand narratives.
Functional Indulgence
Think, ice creams with added adaptogens, crisps that support gut health, and chocolate with mood boosting nootropics. Snacking will continue to evolve from guilty pleasure to purposeful self care.
6. Store Survey: Who we've seen promoting healthy lifestyles in store!
Here's a look at some examples we've seen of brands who are using health claims at different volumes, to tap into the healthy food and drink lifestyle trend this month.
Conclusion
The healthy snacking space in UK retail is no longer a niche, it’s the future. Brands that align with health-conscious consumers, meet HFSS compliance, and tell compelling stories on shelf and online will be the ones filling baskets and building loyalty.
This trend is more than a diet, it’s a full-blown lifestyle shift. And the sharpest creative strategies will meet shoppers at the sweet, or savoury, spot where wellbeing meets want.
SOURCES
Kantar, “Health as a Lifestyle” Shopper Report, 2024 — kantar.com
The Grocer, “HFSS compliant snacks set to dominate in 2025” — thegrocer.co.uk
Financial Times, “PepsiCo Invests in Poppi Prebiotic Soda” — ft.com
Grocery Gazette, “Tesco’s Better Baskets Initiative Boosts Healthy Sales” — grocerygazette.co.uk
Treatt, “Functional Beverage Trends in UK Retail” — treatt.com
The Grocer, “M&S Launches Minimalist Cereal Packaging to Highlight Simple Ingredients” — thegrocer.co.uk
The Guardian, “Brands Reformulate Snacks Ahead of HFSS Advertising Ban” — theguardian.com
Campaign, “Neutonic, How Influencers are Shaping Functional Beverage Growth” — campaignlive.co.uk
