Baby boomers triumph in nutritional battle of generations

In a battle of the generations, Gen Y might triumph at tweeting, but they wouldn’t even make the podium when it comes to choosing what to eat for dinner. According to Roy Morgan Research, baby boomers have the healthiest food preferences of all the generations, while younger generations overwhelmingly opt for flavour over nutrition.

When asked which kinds of food they most liked eating, older generations demonstrated a marked preference for healthy options. Baby boomers named salads (76%), sandwiches (69%) and soups (65%) as their preferred options. Pre-boomers also named salads (73%), soup (68%) and sandwiches as their top picks.

In contrast, Generations X, Y and Z favour high-fat, high-calorie foods like pizza, BBQ chicken and hot chips. Gen Z, in particular, tends to favour these kinds of foods, Roy Morgan Research says, because “cholesterol remains a distant blip on their dietary radar”.

“These results highlight the difference in food preference between generations,” said Norman Morris, Industry Communications Director, Roy Morgan Research. “It’s no surprise the older boomer generations like healthier options such as salads, soups and sandwiches: half of them report being concerned about their cholesterol level. In contrast, only 16% of Generation Zs are worried about cholesterol, so pizza is not yet the enemy.

Baby boomers’ choices tend to be motivated more by a desire to stay healthy than reduce their waistlines, Morris said, with the majority tending to agree more with statements about eating healthily than wanting to lose weight.

“In New Zealand, salads are also favoured by the boomer generations, as well as Generation X. Pizza tops the list for Generations Y and Z, and by a far greater margin than their Aussie counterparts - around 80% favour pizza above all other food types.

“Food manufacturers and retailers, nutritionists and health departments need to understand how food preferences differ between generations, and how they evolve over time, in order to maximise their ability to market existing and new products and services.”