310 billion euros: that is the value of e-commerce transactions that agent-based artificial intelligence could support in Europe within the next ten years, according to an unpublished study conducted by Sopra Steria among 8,400 consumers in eight European countries. The figure is staggering. And yet, the same study reveals a paradox: 41% of Europeans surveyed still do not trust any company enough to delegate a shopping agent to them, and only 16% would be willing to do so for their grocery shopping. France, the study notes, ranks among the markets lagging the farthest behind in terms of basic awareness of the concept.
This contrast says it all: the technology needed to put together a shopping cart or suggest a recipe has already well surpassed the threshold of maturity. But the battle for agent-driven commerce won’t end there—it will be fought on the basis of trust, and the agent’s accuracy is itself the first building block of that trust: an agent that misinterprets a preference, ignores a dietary restriction, or makes a mistake about an allergen can instantly destroy the trust that would take months to rebuild. Technical performance and trust are therefore not at odds with one another: the latter is built upon the former, and is ultimately earned by whoever maintains control over it.
A huge market, a very real psychological barrier
Unsurprisingly, food is the category where resistance is strongest. It’s easy to see why: entrusting your grocery shopping to an AI agent means trusting it with sensitive information—allergens, budget, preferences, and household habits. A mistake regarding a recommended food item carries much greater weight than a mistake regarding a pair of shoes. This consumer caution is therefore not merely a cultural lag: it is rational, and it will not be resolved through education alone. It will be resolved through proof, repeated use, and above all, by choosing the right partner to whom this task is delegated.
This is where the strategic challenge lies for retailers: a consumer is more likely to trust an agent affiliated with the retailer where they shop regularly, have a purchase history, and hold a loyalty card, than a generic third-party agent who knows nothing about them. White-label solutions aren’t just a technical choice: they’re the most direct response to the trust barrier highlighted by the study.
The industry is already beginning to build the infrastructure of trust
The trend isn't limited to academic research. Shopify and Google have jointly developedthe Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard that defines how an AI agent can create a shopping cart, pay, and complete a purchase with a merchant—a standard now supported by Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Target. With the Spring '26 Edition, this protocol has become available to any developer who wants to connect their catalog to conversational channels.
The value of this movement goes beyond technical prowess: an open standard allows retailers to retain control over their product catalog, terms of sale, and customer relationships, rather than being at the mercy of a third-party platform that aggregates their products without any oversight or visibility. This is precisely the approach that food retailers should adopt: to participate in building these third-party channels rather than letting them emerge without their involvement.
The movement is already underway elsewhere
The slowdown observed in Europe is by no means inevitable. A Léger survey conducted in June 2026 among more than 1,500 Canadians shows that nearly two in five people are already incorporating generative AI into their purchasing decisions, and that 32% of AI users rely on it specifically for meal planning and recipes. Among them, eight in ten believe that AI helps them better compare their options, and more than one in two believe it helps them save money. The trend that the Sopra Steria study identifies as a potential future development is already common practice in North America—proof that the European gap is a delay in adoption, not lasting reluctance.
What Should Guide Retailers
These two signals complement each other: the market potential is immense, the behavior already exists elsewhere, and the industry is organizing itself to build the necessary infrastructure of trust. The question, therefore, is no longer whether agent-based food commerce will take off, but who will control it when it does. This is precisely the conviction that guides Mealz approach Mealz giving retailers their own white-label agent, rather than letting a third party come between them and their customers.
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