A new report from Kolsquare, Europe’s leading influencer marketing platform, reveals that 74% of food and beverage brands plan to work with more influencers in 2026 and 70% intend to increase budgets. Of the 68% of brands that worked with influencers in 2025, more than half spent between £130K and £870K.
Almost half (46%) of European F&B brands work with between 11 and 49 influencers annually, and 40% have increased their talent pools in the past year. 15% work with more than 250 creators per annum.
The findings suggest that creator partnerships are becoming a structured part of marketing strategy rather than one-off experiments.
Quentin Bordage, CEO and founder of Kolsquare, said: “Food and beverage brands were among the earliest adopters of influencer marketing, but what we are seeing now is a clear shift from experimentation to maturity. Creator partnerships are becoming a strategic part of brand building and communications rather than short-term campaign tactics.”
Food and beverage brands prioritise an influencer’s ethics, with 86% claiming that collaborators should comply with their corporate values, while 74% insist they stick to advertising regulations.
Influencer budgets to rise
According to the research, 63% of brands plan to increase investment in long-term influencer partnerships and prioritise paid amplification of creator content. User-generated content is also a major focus, with 51% of brands pledging to increase spending on it.
Nearly half (49%) of food and beverage brands now operate ambassador programmes, placing the sector among the most partnership-driven categories in influencer marketing.
When selecting influencer profiles, 89% of brands work with micro influencers (10K to 100K followers) and 80% work with macro creators (110k to 1M followers), with 37% choosing celebrities/household names with 1m+ followers. Almost half (49%) work with nano influencers (1 – 10K followers).
This allows them to balance reach with relatability and trust, while nano creators support community engagement and larger influencers are used selectively to generate visibility.
Audience demographic (46%) and number of followers (43%) are the top criteria when selecting influencers.
Content collaboration is also particularly prominent in the sector. Around 71% of food and beverage brands prioritise content co-creation with influencers, reflecting the importance of authentic storytelling. And 49% seek authentic, values-driven creator collaborations.
More than half of brands plan to lean on AI
Looking ahead, technology is expected to play an increasing role in influencer strategy. 51% of F&B brands plan to increase the use of AI and automation to shape influencer marketing in the coming years, alongside deeper integration with wider marketing activity.
“Influencer marketing is becoming a fully integrated part of the marketing mix. The next stage of growth will be driven by data, AI and long-term creator ecosystems that deliver both credibility and measurable performance,” says Kolsquare’s Quentin Bordage.
The report also shows that influencer marketing is increasingly aligned with wider communications activity. Around 49% of food and beverage brands now integrate influencer campaigns directly with PR and communications strategies, highlighting their growing role in brand storytelling and reputation building.
