Changing priorities about what, when and where to eat

The past year has seen a number of shifts in US consumers’ priorities regarding what to eat, when to eat and where to eat, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has reported.

In the January issue of the IFT’s Food Technology magazine, Contributing Editor A Elizabeth Sloan outlined a range of interesting facts about consumers’ mealtime choices and behaviours in 2013. Highlights include:

• In a typical day, Americans eat and drink 14 different kinds of food and beverages.
• 45% of Millenials and 24% of Baby Boomers have adopted a special diet such as gluten-free or vegan.
• Millenials are round-the-clock eaters: 12% of their eating occasions are for breakfast, 16% for morning tea, 15% for lunch, 17% for afternoon tea, 18% for dinner and 20% for evening snacks.
• For the first time, the majority of consumers say they prefer hot or spicy sauces, dips and condiments and bolder flavours.
• Consumers are entertaining more at home: 41% regularly host guests, up from 35% in 2012. 42% planned to serve finger foods, 40% sandwiches, 38% desserts and 36% everyday meal items.
• Nearly half of all adult eating occasions are alone. When adults eat alone, they are more likely to replace frozen meals with fresh.
• Immediate consumption (consuming food within one hour of purchase) accounts for 10% of all adult eating occasions.
• Fresh vegetable kits posted double-digit growth in the year ending June 2013.
• Only one in five consumers are willing to pay extra for breakfast products low in fat, carbs, sodium or calories.

Consumers are still guided by taste when it comes to food choices, with 89% of those surveyed saying taste is the most important criteria. For 71%, price is most important, followed by healthiness (64%), convenience (56%) and sustainability (36%).

The number of consumers citing price as being important fell seven percentage points from 2011 to 2013; sustainability fell by 16 points. Both healthiness and convenience increased by 3 points since 2012.

“With those aged 18-24 the most likely to buy gourmet foods and cut back on restaurant visits, it is essential for packaged goods makers to deliver more sophisticated, restaurant-style products,” Sloan wrote. “Although it is too early to tell if at-home eating is plateauing, the percentage of all meals eaten and prepared in the home in 2013 was exactly the same as in 2012 - 72.9%, up from 69.8% five years ago.

“Two-thirds of the best-selling new foods/beverages in 2012 touted distinctive or new flavours or combinations, 27% were bite-sized or handheld, 23% added convenience/ease of preparation, 21% were ready-to-use or on-the-go ready and 5% included a serving dish. One-quarter made a texture claim; 16% were targeted to kids.

“Without a doubt, the biggest change in American eating and food preparation habits is the move to convenient, ready-to-eat fresh fare. Nearly nine in 10 US households purchasing deli prepared foods in the year ending 15 June 2013. Deli prepared food dollar sales rose 7.7% and account for 56% of total deli sales.

“Lastly, while the controversy over what is natural continues, one thing is certain: consumers have their own interpretation of the concept. HealthFocus reports that to consumers, natural means ‘free from’, and the majority link natural to what is left out of a product. New in 2013, genetically modified organisms topped the list of ingredients that consumers want left out of food products.”

The full article is available on the IFT website: www.ift.org.