Fresh Prepared Food is Everywhere Just Like the Good Old Day’s

Did you ever hear the old saying back in the day, what goes around comes around or everything old is new again?  Chances are very good you have.  Today that means real food (fresh not processed) is back on the menu in U.S. households and on menus around the country.

It’s no wonder real food that grocerant niche fresh prepared Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat is driving growth in every sector of retail foodservice.  In fact consumers have a growing distrust, distain, disregard for traditional advertising according to our own Grocerant Guru™.  In fact this month ANA marketers released a study that found “85% of millennials distrust traditional advertising” that is a big number.  That might be one reason millennials are the driving change in retail foodservice.

In another recent study by The NPD Group found that millennials are the main drivers of fresh food consumption. Turns out that Americans are eating their fruits and vegetables as well as other fresh foods the study found that “The percent of all in-home eating occasions that include fresh foods, like fruit, vegetables, and dairy items, is almost back to levels seen 30 years ago”

The NPD National Eating Trends® study found “Younger adults, including the Millennial generation, are the main drivers of the shift to fresh foods and beverages. Over the past decade, adults, ages 18 to 34, have increased their consumption of fresh food the most out of all age groups. The element of surprise with this consumption trend is that Millennials are in a life stage when people typically consume lower quantities of fresh items in favor of more time-saving and convenient options.”

NPD’s Food and Beverage Industry Analyst, Darren Seifer believes that the notion of convenience for the younger generations seems to be focused on freshness, while at the same time, getting out of the kitchen quickly, he says.  In contrast, previous generations considered frozen options to be convenient.  

Most notable is the fact that Seifer says “When looking at typical behaviors of Americans across the past 30 years, the consumption of fresh foods and beverages increases with age as consumers gain more cooking skills and confidence in the kitchen. It would seem Millennials’ heightened levels of fresh consumption could represent a sizeable shift in the way consumers prepare foods for decades to come.”

So, what goes around comes around or everything old is new again today fresh prepared food can be found in chain drug stores, chain furniture stores, chain warehouse/club stores, liquor stores.  Ok, you get my point everywhere.  Constrained by time, cooking talent, and desire consumers of all ages are looking for convenient meal solutions that can be customized, with bundled meal components. 

Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization? Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.  Have you had Grocerant Scorecard conducted for you operation?