By Riad Beladi and ISN Team
For generations, European shoppers bought food according to where they came from. An Italian family could be extremely particular about its pasta and tomato passata. A Polish household might have a very different approach to tomato products. A French shopper could have completely different expectations of cheese, bread and sauces.
But the European grocery basket is changing.
Our view at ISN is that European consumers are becoming increasingly similar in what they cook, what ingredients they buy and how they discover food.
The differences have not disappeared. But the borders are becoming less important.
FROM LOCAL HABITS TO A EUROPEAN FOOD BASKET
Take the Italian shopper.
Traditionally, buying tomato products was not simply about buying “tomato sauce”. There could be strong preferences about the tomato variety, origin, consistency, brand and whether the product was passata, polpa or purée.
Pasta was equally personal.
A particular shape, region, brand or cooking quality could matter enormously.
Now put that same shopper in front of a supermarket shelf alongside a Polish, Spanish, French or British consumer.
The choices are becoming surprisingly similar.
They may all be buying pasta, tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, minced beef, tortillas, curry sauces, rice, pesto and ready-to-cook ingredients.
The recipes crossing borders are changing the shopping basket.
LASAGNE IS NO LONGER JUST ITALIAN
Lasagne is perhaps the perfect example.
It has Italian origins, but the dish has become part of everyday cooking across Europe.
The same applies to bolognese.
A shopper in Poland, Spain or Britain does not necessarily see bolognese as foreign food anymore. It has become part of the normal family meal rotation.
The same transformation is happening with Indian and Asian food.
Chicken tikka, korma, masala, Thai curry and stir-fries have moved from specialist restaurant menus into supermarket kitchens.
The ingredients are now standard grocery products.
That matters enormously to retailers.
THE CURRY SAUCE IS NOW A GROCERY PRODUCT
A generation ago, a European shopper looking for a curry sauce might have needed a specialist shop.
Today, curry sauces sit comfortably alongside pasta sauces, cooking creams and tomato products in mainstream supermarkets.
The consumer does not necessarily think:
“I am buying an exotic product.”
They think:
“I’m making curry tonight.”
That is a fundamental change in behaviour.
The supermarket has become a gateway to cuisines from around the world.
THE INTERNET HAS ACCELERATED THE CHANGE
Social media, recipe websites and food influencers have dramatically increased exposure to different cuisines.
A shopper can see a recipe from Italy in the morning, a Korean dish at lunchtime and an Indian recipe in the evening — then buy the ingredients during the next supermarket visit.
The result is a faster circulation of food ideas across Europe.
And younger consumers are particularly comfortable with this.
The latest European grocery research shows rising interest in convenience foods and ready-to-eat options, particularly among Gen Z and millennials. Private label has also continued to gain importance across European grocery markets.
THE EUROPEAN SHOPPER IS BECOMING A FOOD MIXER
This does not mean Europeans are abandoning their national cuisines.
Far from it.
The Italian still eats Italian food.
The Polish shopper still buys Polish products.
The Spanish consumer still has strong preferences for Spanish food.
But consumers are adding new dishes to their normal routine.
They are not replacing their cuisine. They are expanding it.
That is the important distinction.
A household might eat pasta on Monday, chicken tikka on Tuesday, tacos on Wednesday, bolognese on Thursday and a traditional national dish at the weekend.
The weekly menu has become international.
SUPERMARKETS HAVE FOLLOWED THE CONSUMER
Retailers have recognised the change.
Walk into a large European supermarket today and the international food section is increasingly becoming less “international”.
Pesto, soy sauce, curry paste, tortilla wraps, mozzarella, noodles, hummus and cooking sauces are increasingly treated as mainstream grocery products.
The old division between “European food” and “foreign food” is gradually disappearing.
This creates enormous opportunities for food manufacturers.
A product that once had a potential market of one country can now target consumers across an entire continent.
BRANDS STILL MATTER — BUT DIFFERENTLY
There is another interesting change.
Consumers may still be loyal to brands, but their loyalty can become weaker when they move between cuisines.
Someone may insist on a particular Italian pasta brand but be perfectly happy buying a supermarket own-label Thai curry sauce.
Or they may buy a premium Italian tomato product for pasta but choose a cheaper tomato paste for another recipe.
The shopping decision increasingly depends on what the consumer is cooking that night.
That is a major opportunity for retailers.
ISN FORECAST: EUROPE’S FOOD BORDERS WILL CONTINUE TO DISAPPEAR
ISN believes this trend will accelerate.
The European grocery market is becoming more integrated not only through trade, travel and migration, but through recipes, social media, supermarket ranges and consumer curiosity.
Food is one of the clearest examples of cultural convergence.
The European shopper of the future may still be proudly Italian, Polish, French, Spanish or British.
But their shopping basket will increasingly look European — and increasingly global.
The biggest change may not be what Europeans are buying. It is what they now consider normal to cook.
From lasagne to bolognese, from korma to masala, from pesto to tacos, dishes once associated with particular countries are becoming part of a common European food vocabulary.
The supermarket is no longer simply selling national cuisines. It is helping create a new European cuisine.
