Plant-Based Millennials Driving Change

Regular readers of this blog know that Millennials are in a constant state of food discovery.  Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® stated that discovery has resulted in an unprecedented trial and adoption of plant-based foods.

Non-Millennials may not be ready for plant-based foods that are now coming as mind-bending innovations for those of us that remember Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef” commercials.  Today, millennials are looking past beef at other option.   

A new poll from Charleston|Orwig worked with two research partners, Maeve Webster of Menu Matters and Confidential Consumer, polling across the United States has some finding you might enjoy.

Key poll findings:

·         More than 40 percent of those surveyed describe the concept of lab-produced or synthetic foods and beverages as “scary,” with no intention of adding them to their diets.

·         Conversely, more than half of the population is open to the idea of products created with new technologies.

·         Younger consumers, Gen Zs and Millennials, are significantly more willing to try synthetic foods. Only 26 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds called lab-grown items “scary” and said they’d be unwilling to sample compared to 46 percent of those over 55.

·         About 20 percent of younger consumers agree these types of products will help “save the planet” and that they are “cool” and the “future of foods/beverages.”

·         The number one concern, expressed by a third of respondents (33.4 percent), is a lack of understanding about the long-term health impacts.

·         One quarter of consumers (25.2 percent) expressed concerns about the healthfulness of these products compared with conventionally produced food.

·         Other top five concerns: lab-produced foods/beverages would not be better for the environment (21.6 percent); would not include natural ingredients (19.2 percent); and would lead to completely processed products (19.0 percent).

Reading this one might think that plant-based foods are more a ‘fad’ than trend.  That according to Johnson simply is not the case. Johnson says “consumers move forward and at times pause they don’t go backwards.” Look for 100% plant-based restaurant chains in 2020, new plant-based menu items, and legacy brands scrambling with plant-based foods to garner favor with Gen Z and Millennials.

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success.

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