Sector:
Food & drink

Driving growth with insight-led thinking and sector expertise. At DJS Research, we help food and drink brands stay closely aligned with consumer needs and wants, enabling more confident and effective business decisions. Whether you're developing a new product, expanding your range, planning a campaign or refining your pricing strategy, our research brings clarity, relevance, and impact at every stage. Our food & drink expertise Our work spans all corners of the sector, covering fresh, ambient, chilled, frozen, plant-based, sustainable, indulgent, and value lines. We support established global names, challenger brands, retailers, and industry bodies with insight that informs strategy, innovation, and communication. We have tried and tested innovation development methodologies which blend seamlessly with our clients’ innovation process frameworks to ensure consumer insight is at the core of business decision-making.  Health, functionality, and sustainability continue to shape consumer expectations across the food and drink sector. In beverages, demand for functional drinks is growing rapidly; drinks that offer benefits beyond hydration, from gut and immune support to cognitive performance, sleep, and stress management. Consumers are increasingly seeking out clean-label, nutrient-rich options while interest in sugar reduction, natural flavours, and plant-based formulations remains strong. In food, the landscape is being shaped by a blend of health consciousness, ethical considerations, and evolving lifestyle needs. Consumers continue to demand more from what they eat, looking for products that balance nutrition, taste, and convenience without compromise. Interest in plant-based and flexitarian eating is now mainstream, with a growing emphasis on whole food ingredients and clean labels. At the same time, indulgent and comfort foods remain important, often reimagined with a health or sustainability twist. Functional foods that support gut health, energy, or immunity are also on the rise. With deep category knowledge and proven experience in concept testing, claims evaluation, and product development, we’re ideally placed to help brands navigate this dynamic and competitive landscape. We have recently partnered with clients to: Explore brand perceptions and market positioning in depth, uncovering opportunities for growth and identifying how to reframe the brand to attract new customer segments. Evaluate and refine early stage product concepts, pinpointing the ideas with the highest likelihood of success, establishing optimal pricing and promotion strategies, and supporting retail listings across the supermarket multiples. Assess the effectiveness of behaviour change initiatives aimed at reducing food waste and limiting single-use plastic consumption. Identify and understand growth opportunities in emerging niche markets, including the expanding demand for Halal food options. We’ve helped brands, industry bodies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) navigate complex challenges, seize market opportunities, and make evidence-based decisions that fuel growth. And because many of our clients operate on a global scale, we work in partnership with our in-house international research team to deliver multi-market insight. We’ve conducted projects in over 60 countries worldwide, including: Explored Gen Z attitudes to meat consumption across 10 markets including the UK, France, Sweden, and New Zealand. Measure awareness of PGIs (Protected Geographical Indication) in red meat categories across UK, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Sweden. Our partnerships with local agencies mean we bring consistency, local nuance, and global relevance to your research. To find out more about our expertise in the food and drink sector and discuss how we can provide the actionable insight you need to meet your business objectives, contact our team today. 

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