Quality is by far the biggest factor driving purchases of EU food and drink among third country consumers, according to a new survey. 

The European Commission's 'Flash Eurobarometer' survey examined the image of EU food and drink products in 11 international markets

According to the findings, EU products have a “strong and increasingly positive” reputation abroad.

EU food and beverages are “already well embedded in global consumption habits”, especially in the United Arab Emirates and the UK where 58% and 50% of urban consumers, respectively, consume EU products on a weekly basis. 

However, the commission said there are still markets where weekly purchases of EU food and drink “appear more limited”:

In Mexico and Japan, 27% and 28% of consumers, respectively, buy EU products each week, “suggesting clear scope for further growth”.

The Flash Eurobarometer finds that quality is "by far the main factor driving purchases" across all surveyed markets - China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, UK and US.

The European Commission said: “These findings are particularly encouraging for the EU agri-food sector, as they play directly to the EU’s core strength in high-quality production and reinforce the Union’s competitive advantage internationally.”

Other findings

The survey found that attention to product origin is well established among respondents and stable over time, particularly among parents and urban consumers.

Nearly six in 10 consumers (57%) say they always or often check the country or region of origin of agricultural, food and beverage products.

In total, 86% of consumers check product origin at least sometimes.

On a country level, the practice is most widespread in Saudi Arabia (69%) and India (69%), but notably less common in the US (39%) and the UK (35%).

European products have “a genuine foothold” in global consumption habits, with particularly strong penetration in the Gulf countries and the UK.

Overall, 40% of consumers report consuming EU agricultural, food and beverage products at least once a week, including 13% who do so daily.

The survey found that quality “clearly emerges” as the "most important" criterion with consumers who buy agricultural, food or beverage products, cited by more than three-quarters of respondents (76%).

Taste (56%), price (45%) and safety (41%) are the other most frequently mentioned criteria.

Room for growth

According to the commission, the Flash Eurobarometer results point to “considerable room for further growth”.

Among current non-consumers of EU products in the surveyed countries, 60% say they would be interested in trying EU products, including 13% who say they would definitely start buying them.

The highest levels of purchase interest among non-consumers are found in India (26%), Indonesia (25%) and the United Arab Emirates (22%).

According to the European Commission, this suggests “promising opportunities for EU agri-food promotion in these countries”.

The commission also claimed that the survey findings “reinforce the importance of the commission's agri-food business missions”, which help EU producers expand into markets with strong growth potential.

The commission said: “Recent agri-food economic diplomacy activities and agri-food business missions led by the commission demonstrate how the EU is already working to strengthen the international presence of its agri-food sector.

The EU agri-food business mission to Japan led by European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen in June 2025 has already delivered business impacts.

A year after the mission, more than one in five surveyed business delegates stated that they had already concluded business deals linked to their participation in the mission. 

Following the EU agri-food business mission to Thailand in May this year, nearly 90% of post-mission survey respondents reported establishing new business contacts and expect their business to grow as a result of participating in the mission.

In addition, 7% have already concluded business deals.

New EU agri-food business mission destinations 

In 2026 and 2027, the European Commission will continue its efforts to support EU agri-food producers in international markets through new EU agri-food business missions.

Commissioner Hansen is to visit Mexico in November 2026 and India in early autumn 2027, accompanied in both cases by a business delegation of representatives from the EU agri-food sector.

The purpose of the mission to Mexico is to expand the presence of European agri-food and beverages on this market.

The mission to India, which will include a programme in Mumbai and Delhi, will build on the momentum created by the recently concluded EU-India Free Trade Agreement, which is expected to be signed by the end of this year.