Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat Food Driving Restaurant, Grocery, C-store Disruption.

What is in store for 2014 according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru “continue growth of Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food in ever expanding non-traditional points of distribution.

The team at Foodservice Solutions® has regularly defined the Grocerant as an evolution of consumer, technology and convenience regularly at presentations around the world and on this blog.

Harvey Hartman and his outstanding team at The Hartman Group think it is growing so fast that it has now become disruptive to the food retail sector.  Here are Harvey Hartman’s teams  list of seven trends that disrupted food culture in 2013:

1.  Snacks, the Modern Meal?

Consumers’ pursuit of snacks continues unabated. They now account for more than half of all eating occasions, rendering the word itself almost obsolete. What we used to think of as snacks—food eaten between meals—has morphed into something so frequent and large that they are practically meals themselves. People want healthy, less processed snacks that are easy to carry, something food companies are still working to deliver.

2.  Social Media Disrupt Food Culture

Sorry, Mom; you’ve been replaced as the go-to source for culinary questions. People consult social media sites instead for cooking tips, restaurant reviews and recipes (Allrecipes.com is a top-10 most used social media site). They see friends post photographs of their meals on Facebook and text family members with questions and grocery-shelf photos while they shop. Social media amplify the power of personal recommendations, which now can reach millions of people in a day.

3.  Online Grocery, Still Coming

The Internet shapes the way people grocery shop, showing them dishes around the world without their having to leave home and demonstrating, via food blogs and videos, how to cook those same foods. The part that has not worked so far is online grocery shopping, and The Hartman Group’s research shows 54 percent of people online say they are not likely to buy food there. Nevertheless, 2013 brought the long-awaited expansion of Amazon Fresh’s online grocery business, and many other online food purveyors—from Relay Foods to Blue Apron—have big followings.

4.  It’s Not About the Coffee

As McDonald’s tries to compete with Starbucks, selling espresso drinks and talking about where it buys (“sources”) its coffee, Starbucks is revamping its food case again, and Dunkin’ Donuts is expanding westward. Some call these the “coffee wars,” but the war is actually for consumers’ hearts. While Starbucks’ roast is dark and Dunkin’s is light, the people who align themselves with each brand are attracted at least as much to the experience as to the roast—and they transfer that loyalty to purchases of coffee beans on grocery shelves.

5.  Food Competition Everywhere

Consumers are likely to buy food almost anywhere now, from Ikea to Costco Wholesale to a Manhattan steakhouse planned by Brooks Brothers. People no longer fit their food needs around the hours and layouts of traditional grocery stores. Their new shopping patterns stoke competition and allow them to grab snacks on the go and assemble meals from food bought at multiple stores. Even when people do plan a meal, they are just as likely to ditch their plan for a restaurant craving, bringing every food source into the competitive arena.

6.  Beating Fast Food at Its Own Game

Supermarkets that listen to their customers—Whole Foods, Wegmans, H-E-B’s Central Market—offer fresh, healthy food that is easy to grab on the go. Many outdo fast food at its own, make-it-while-you-wait game, creating a bit of theater in the process. Diane Earle, senior director of prepared foods at United Supermarkets in Texas, nailed it when she told Supermarket News that cooking in front of customers enhances their perception that the food is fresh—precisely what consumers want.

7.  Sustainability and the Good Company

The Hartman Group has known for years that companies do not have to be perfect for consumers to value their sustainability efforts, but they do have to communicate. People continue to tell us that they want to know what efforts are under way, from taking care of animals to reducing environmental impacts, so they can feel good about what they’re buying—and sustainable purchasing typically starts with food.

Since 1991 retail food consultancy Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche.  Visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  for more information.