RWRetailWire
Back to Discussions
DISCUSSION

Are Millennials the foodie generation?

Written by Tom Ryan

According to a survey from The Hartman Group, 46 percent of Millennials will leave their primary store or supermarket to buy cheeses, prepared foods, specialty meats, baked foods and other deli items in specialty stores. That compares to only 35 percent of Baby Boomers who say they do the same.

CEO Laurie Demeritt revealed the findings during her talk titled "Key Shifts in Food Culture: How Consumer Preferences and Behaviors are Evolving and How to Respond" at the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association's 50th Annual Seminar and Expo in Denver.

The online survey of 850 shoppers also found:

  • Two-thirds of younger shoppers buy specialty meats in delis compared to only 45 percent of Boomers;
  • Millennials, on average, shopped at nine food stores in the past three months while Boomers visited only six.

Millennials have been described as the "foodie generation" because they seek out indulgence on one hand but are also very interested in foods that are fresh and less processed.

"They want to know more about the store behind [their food choices], where did [the food] come from, who made it and what the company stands for," Ms. Demeritt said, according to Food Business News. "They also believe they should have more of a voice, more of a say, in what's coming out in the market."

The survey comes amid several other reports exploring how Millennials are driving the evolution of food retailing, restaurants, customized menus and unique foods and flavors.

In its third in-depth consumer report on Millennials released in mid-May, Goldman Sachs said a major difference between the group and preceding generations is the "ritualization" of wellness. Goldman's research team wrote in the report that the generation puts "the 'living healthy' motivator at the center of high frequency activities like eating and physical exercise. This is distinct from gen Xers and boomers who take less direct ownership of what keeps them healthy, attributing wellness more to avoiding falling ill, being in the care of a good health professional, or sustaining an optimal weight level."

A recent Business Journals piece also detailed how Millennials are supporting the growing popularity of food trucks, expanding interest in locally-grown foods, and encouraging the explosion of "food-friendly" digital content across the internet.

Discussion Thread0