McDonald’s UK&I finds Gen Z driving change in food language
Family remains the biggest influence on Gen Z’s food vocabulary.
Gen Zs are changing how Brits talk about food, according to McDonald’s UK&I.
The chain has surveyed 2,000 adults ahead of launching its new Sausage Sandwich on the Breakfast Saver Menu.
The poll found that people aged 18 to 24 (Gen Z) are moving away from older slang like “grub” (24%), “sarnie” (17%), and “pop” (6%), preferring newer terms such as “scran” (50%) and “sub” (25%).
Regional food names are also shifting. Whilst older generations in Manchester still ask for a “barm” (21%) and those in the Midlands a “cob” (21%), most Gen Z respondents say “roll” (62%) or “bun” (50%).
Even “sandwich” is falling out of use amongst this age group, with only 72% using it compared with 86% nationally.
Traditional food words are fading more generally: just 23% of under-25s still call the evening meal “tea,” 8% use “nosh” for food, and 35% say “cuppa” for a hot drink.
Despite these changes, family remains the biggest influence on Gen Z’s food vocabulary (28%), ahead of local dialects (21%) and social media (12%).
