Search is changing—fast. The rise of large language models (LLMs) and AI-powered search experiences is fundamentally altering how consumers discover food and drink brands. For PR professionals and marketers in the sector, this isn’t just another digital trend to monitor—it’s a structural shift that demands action. For years, search engine optimisation (SEO) has been about ranking on Google: keywords, backlinks, and technical performance. Now, with AI-generated answers increasingly sitting above, or instead of, traditional search results, we’re entering the era of generative engine optimisation (GEO). Instead of competing for clicks, brands are competing to be included in the answer. So, what does this mean for food and drink brands?

From “10 Blue Links” to One Trusted Answer
Consumers are no longer just scrolling through lists of websites, 93% of them are interacting with AI generated answers. They can, and are, being more specific about what they’re looking for and relying on LLMs to do the heavy lifting. They’re asking conversational questions, “What’s the best low-alcohol wine for a dinner party?” or “Which sustainable chocolate brands are best for making chocolate chip cookies?” AI tools synthesise information from multiple sources to deliver a single, informed response. If your brand is referenced in that answer, you win attention and credibility. If not, you’re invisible. For food and drink brands—where discovery, trends, and reputation are everything—this shift is particularly significant.

Authority Is the New Visibility
LLMs don’t “rank” content in the traditional sense. Instead, they prioritise sources that demonstrate authority, consistency, and relevance across the web. And with 82% of AI citations coming from earned media that means PR has a more critical role than ever. Coverage in high-quality publications, expert commentary, and strong brand narratives all contribute to how AI systems understand and reference your brand. Media intelligence organisation Cision back this up in more detail here. A mention in a respected food title, a quote in a trend piece, or inclusion in a “best of” list all feed into how LLMs perceive your authority.

The Rise of Unlinked Brand Mentions
In traditional SEO, links were everything. In AI search, brand mentions, linked or not, are increasingly influential. If your product is consistently referenced in conversations about “best milk and grocery delivery companies” or “best butchers in London with rotisserie chicken” that association builds a footprint. LLMs pick up on these patterns and are more likely to surface your brand in relevant answers. This is where creative, culturally relevant PR campaigns come into play. The more your brand is talked about in meaningful contexts, the more it becomes part of the AI’s understanding of the category.

Why Food & Drink Brands Need to Act Now
The food and drink space is highly competitive and trend driven. From functional beverages to sustainable ingredients, new categories emerge quickly—and AI search is accelerating how those trends are surfaced and adopted. Early movers have an advantage. Brands that invest now in building authority, generating high-quality coverage, and shaping their narrative will be more likely to appear in AI-generated recommendations. Those that don’t risk being edged out—not because their product isn’t good, but because it isn’t visible in the new discovery layer.

The PR Opportunity
As a PR agency the new world of LLM search is perfectly aligned with our skill set – our ability to tell stories and promote the brands we work with in the right places is now directly tied to search visibility in a new way. We’re shaping our clients’ campaigns, our press releases and our outreach to suit this new era where reputation and brand equity are now more important than ever. PR has always played a part in supporting SEO but we’re now playing a starring role in GEO and how consumers are discovering brands online.