From interactive TV to nutrition, recipe and sports apps, from smart carts to connected packaging, food marketing is moving closer to the moments when people choose, buy and consume products. Let us look at the new communication channels and platforms emerging in the food and beverage sector.
In the right place, at the right time
For many food companies, digital marketing is still associated with tools that have been established for several years. However, new digital environments are emerging where food & beverage products can reach consumers at moments much closer to choice, shopping and consumption.
The most interesting development concerns the context in which the message appears. A food product can be shown while someone is watching connected TV, planning the weekly shop, looking for a recipe, monitoring their nutrition, tracking a workout or scanning a product in the supermarket. In these cases, advertising is not perceived only as an external message, because it enters a concrete situation: deciding what to cook, what to buy, what to consume after sport or which product to add to the cart.
For producers, distributors and retail operators, understanding these channels is useful for several reasons. It helps them see where part of food communication is moving, and it also helps them prepare better product materials, content and information. These elements are becoming increasingly important when a brand wants to be present in more advanced digital environments.
Interactive TV and shoppable TV: the commercial becomes action
One of the most interesting developments concerns Connected TV, also known as Smart TV or CTV. The term refers to televisions and devices connected to the Internet, used to watch streaming platforms, video apps and free or paid digital channels. Compared with traditional TV, CTV allows more interactive and measurable advertising formats.
In the past, a television commercial mainly served to build awareness. Consumers saw the product, remembered it and perhaps looked for it later. With new interactive formats, users can instead take action directly from the screen, using the remote control or transferring the content to their phone.
A recent example comes from the collaboration between Amazon Ads and Samsung. The partnership brings interactive video formats to Samsung TV Plus and, for brands selling on Amazon, also includes the possibility of adding a product to the cart directly from the advertising experience. For other advertisers, the action may be different: receiving information on the phone, signing up, visiting a page or learning more about the offer.
Many other platforms are moving towards Addressable TV, which allows different ads to be shown to different audiences through smart TVs and connected devices. The message is no longer planned only according to the programme or time slot, as in traditional TV. It can be adapted more precisely to the viewing context and to the audience's interests. This is also driving the evolution towards more interactive formats, where viewers can learn more about the product, receive information on their phone, scan a QR code or add an item to the cart directly from the screen.
For the food sector, this opens up interesting scenarios. Snacks, beverages, premium products, recipe ingredients, gourmet boxes and products linked to specific occasions can be promoted in a domestic environment, close to moments of entertainment and relaxation. To work well, however, the message must be clear and contextualised. Brands need themed content, short but convincing descriptions, quality images and an immediate path to purchase or further information.
Shoppable recipes: from content to cart
Another very interesting channel for the food sector is shoppable recipes. The mechanism is intuitive: the user chooses a recipe, the app automatically turns the ingredients into a shopping list and, in some cases, adds them directly to the cart of a connected supermarket.
This model is particularly relevant because it reaches consumers before the purchase, at the moment when they are deciding what to cook.
In France, a significant example is Jow, an app dedicated to recipes, meal planning and online grocery shopping. The service works with major French retail chains, including Carrefour, Auchan, Intermarché, E.Leclerc, Monoprix and Chronodrive. Users indicate tastes, household composition, habits and kitchen equipment; the app suggests recipes and creates a cart with the necessary ingredients, also optimising quantities.
In the United Kingdom, examples include Samsung Food, developed from Whisk, which has previously integrated the possibility of turning recipes into purchasable shopping lists at retailers such as Sainsbury's. Another example is Cherrypick, a British app focused on meal planning, menu creation and shopping at the user's preferred supermarket.
For producers and distributors, the key point is that the recipe becomes a commercial channel. A sauce, pasta, cheese, preserve, premium ingredient or plant-based product can be placed within a usage idea and a relevant context. Instead of communicating only the product's characteristics, the brand shows how to use it and on which occasion.
Nutrition and wellbeing apps: communicating at the moment of food choice
Nutrition apps are another environment worth monitoring closely. Platforms such as MyFitnessPal are used by people who track meals, calories, nutrients and wellbeing-related goals. In these contexts, consumers are already focused on the relationship between food, health, sport and lifestyle.
In 2026, MyFitnessPal launched its own advertising media network, with formats including display, video, sponsored content, email and social integrations. For food brands, this type of channel can be interesting when the product has a credible link with specific needs: convenience, portion control, protein content, sugar reduction, simple ingredients, energy, recovery or a more balanced daily diet.
The key concept, however, is credibility. In a nutrition app, an overly promotional message may appear weak. Clear content works better, based on understandable nutritional properties, appropriate portions and well-defined usage occasions. For example, a snack can be presented as a practical solution for the afternoon break; a beverage can be linked to hydration and out-of-home consumption; a breakfast product can be associated with time, satiety and simplicity.
Sports apps and active communities: the product associated with a behaviour
Another interesting environment is sports apps and communities linked to physical activity. In this case, the brand does not simply show a product. It connects it to a behaviour: running, walking, cycling, training, recovering energy or building a more active routine.
Strava, for example, offers Sponsored Challenges, where users are invited to complete a specific activity and receive discounts or vouchers for purchases. Some food and beverage brands have already used this format. Among the examples cited by the platform are campaigns linked to hydration products, bars, protein beverages and practical breakfast solutions.
This channel can be suitable for beverages, snacks, bars, breakfast products, plant-based foods and items linked to energy and convenience. Here too, however, the decisive element is consistency. A product must fit naturally into the user's experience. A sports challenge linked to a functional beverage can make sense; a generic campaign with no connection to the activity risks feeling forced.
Smart carts and grocery media in the point of sale
Digital advertising no longer concerns only home screens and smartphones. The physical point of sale is also becoming more connected. One example comes from Instacart's Caper Carts, smart carts equipped with screens, sensors and digital functions. These tools can show promotions and advertising messages during the purchase journey, also based on the aisle where the customer is located and on product availability.
The message reaches consumers when they are already in shopping mode. If the customer is in the snack, beverage, pasta, preserves or fresh products area, the content can suggest a promotion, a pairing, a new product or an alternative item. In this way, communication moves very close to the moment of decision.
These tools become even more relevant when connected to retailer data and active digital campaigns. A brand can be seen online, appear in a recipe, be included in a promotion and then reappear in the point of sale. For distributors, this means that the quality of product data, shelf availability and consistency of information become an integral part of the commercial strategy.
Product scanning apps: when reputation is built in databases
Not all emerging platforms are advertising channels with immediate purchase options. Some influence product reputation without selling media space to brands. This is the case of scanning apps, used by consumers to analyse ingredients, nutritional values, additives, allergens or health impact.
For example, Yuka, created in France and now present in several markets, states that it is independent and does not accept advertising or payments from brands to modify scores and recommendations. Open Food Facts, by contrast, is a collaborative database that collects information on millions of food products, also used by other applications and digital services.
For producers and distributors, this also creates opportunities to differentiate products and get closer to consumers. Product data must be informative, up to date and consistent. Ingredients, allergens, nutritional values, origin, certifications, images and product names can feed apps, databases, marketplaces, search engines, comparison tools and systems used by consumers to evaluate a purchase.
Connected packaging and advanced QR codes
Alongside external platforms, the value of owned channels is also increasing. Packaging can become a digital access point through QR codes, product pages, multilingual content, videos, recipes, traceability, certifications and nutritional information.
In this area, it is useful to mention the GS1 Digital Link, a standard that connects product identification codes to broader digital information, accessible by scanning a QR code. In perspective, a code on the pack can serve both commercial and logistics management and consumer communication.
For companies, connected packaging can be a more accessible solution than more expensive platforms. A producer can create owned content, hosted on its own platforms or corporate website, to explain origin, recipes, pairings, storage methods, sustainability, certifications and useful consumption information.
What producers and distributors need to prepare
To select and use these channels effectively, companies need a systematic approach to understand which environments are consistent with the product, the target and the market. For example, a functional beverage may find space in a sports or nutrition app; a premium sauce may work better in a shoppable recipe; a typical speciality can benefit from retail media, smart carts and point-of-sale promotions. Interactive TV can be even more versatile, because products can be placed, with the possibility of immediate purchase, according to the type of content being streamed: cooking shows, nutrition, health, formats dedicated to wines and typical products, food travel, documentaries about territories, lifestyle content, daily wellbeing formats and fitness-related series.
To prepare, companies should work on some concrete elements:
- complete and updated product data and information, including ingredients, allergens, nutritional values, origin, certifications, formats and shelf life, maintained in a structured and easily exportable way through dedicated tools or organised archives - such as PIM software for product information management, company ERPs, internal databases, digital catalogues, DAM systems for images and multimedia materials, GS1 standards and updateable product feeds;
- professional images, both still life and lifestyle, suitable for e-commerce, apps, product sheets, connected TV and mobile devices;
- short videos, designed to explain the product in a few seconds with an easily understandable message;
- recipes and usage occasions, useful for connecting the product to real consumption moments;
- clear landing pages, with essential information, purchase or commercial enquiry options and localised content for foreign markets;
- materials for distributors and retailers, such as short descriptions, verifiable claims, sales arguments, summary sheets and multilingual content.
For distributors, these tools can become a selection criterion. A product with good digital materials is easier to include in a catalogue, propose to a retailer, promote in a newsletter, upload to a marketplace or connect to a campaign. By contrast, an interesting item without updated content, images and data requires more work and risks losing commercial potential.
A new way of thinking about food marketing
New digital channels do not replace established activities, but they do push producers and distributors to prepare for a new paradigm in which the distance between communication and action is becoming shorter. In some cases, it can disappear altogether, making purchases or other concrete actions immediately possible.
Interactive and promotional messages about food and beverages can be placed within current contexts, activities and experiences: searching for a recipe, making a shopping list, completing a workout, making a nutritional choice, scanning a product in store or watching content on the TV at home.
The implications also affect B2B, as professional buyers tend to select brands that actively facilitate the use of new sales channels, including through dedicated content and the ability to share data and information. Content should present products and the brand in an engaging way, but it should also facilitate purchasing, reduce the work required from distributors or retailers, make positioning clearer and increase the chances that the product will be chosen at the right moment.
