Due to a combination of rising food prices and recessionary belt-tightening, comfort foods appear to be making a comeback as consumers take a back-to-basics approach to food choices.
According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, "comfort food" refers to classic brands such as Kraft's Macaroni Velveeta Cheese and Hormel's Chili and its Dinty Moore brand stews. All those brands posted double-digit sales growth during its most recent quarter, according to Nielsen data covering the 13 weeks ended Nov. 1.
Cooking from scratch is also seeing an increase, "elevating the humble pot roast to the hero of the hour in many kitchens," according to the Trib. Reflecting that trend, Nielsen data shows that Americans are cutting back on frozen prepared foods and prepared deli items while buying more white flour and dried beans.
"Good old basic food seems to be doing pretty well," said Todd Hale, senior vice president, consumer & shopper insights, at Nielsen.
Some believe that part of the reason that comfort food may be appealing more is because people are looking for memories of happier times inside the recessionary climate. But the overriding factor appears to be because it's less expensive to buy many of these items as well as to cook at home.
Prior to the housing crisis and economic downturn, Americans were looking for "fancier, more convenient foods," helping drive deli items and pricier prepared dishes. Krista Faron, a food trends analyst at Mintel International, also said "experimentation" with food was driving cooking trends, but now, "experimentation is no longer driving things. Comfort is more important."
Adam Drewnowski, director of the University of Washington's Center for Obesity Research, said that for many people, comfort foods include basics like eggs, dried beans, lean ground beef, turkey and soups.
According to Nielsen data, sales trends were relatively strong last fall for eggs, despite a big price run-up. Sales of peanut butter, considered "another good-for-you comfort food," were up considerably this fall compared with a year earlier. Fresh meat is one of the few supermarket categories tracked by Nielsen that experienced consistently rising unit sales from July through November.
"People have an innate perception of what are [affordable] nutrient-rich foods," Mr. Drewnowski said.
From a pure health perspective, the downside of comfort foods is that many are packed with carbohydrates, fat or sodium.
"There has been some discussion that consumers will be eating a little less healthy," Nielsen's Mr. Hale told the Trib.
Discussion Question: How do you think consumers' food choices are changing with the recession and rising commodity prices? Do you also see this shift toward "comfort" foods?