focusing on eating at home
Tonight, what’s for dinner? According to David Portalatin, vice-president and industry adviser for The NPD Group, Inc., there’s a strong probability you’re unaware of it just yet.
“At the Sosland Publishing Purchasing Seminar in Chicago on June 11, Mr. Portalatin made the statement that the vast majority of Americans don’t know what’s for dinner.” As late as thirty minutes before supper, roughly eighteen percent of you will still not know the answer, according to our research.
He stated that resolving such conundrum might be essential to expansion in a market that is staticThe aging boomer population may be eating fewer meals, which could result in flat or declining overall food consumption even when consumer retail spending is growing. The NPD Group reports that the number of annual meal times per capita decreased 3.8% from 1,532 in 2008 to 1,473 in 2018.
“We are adding a significant amount of disruption in the retail marketplace on top of that structurally flat environment,” Mr. Portalatin stated.Packaged food purchases are now made online by 17% of supermarket consumers, and in the last five years, digital restaurant ordering has increased significantly, making up 3.1 billion (or 5%) of restaurant orders in 2018 compared to 1.1 billion (or 2%) in 2013.
Although they still make up a little portion of the industry, online meal kits are also expanding. According to The NPD Group, less than 4% of adult customers bought an online meal kit in the previous 30 days.
“The difficulties meal kit companies have encountered have been extensively documented, but this does not imply that they are not a viable option,” stated Mr. Portalatin. They provide a useful remedy. Actually, usage is still marginally higher. However, what’s inside the box holds the answer. The subscription isn’t always the answer.”That’s why 53% of our previous meal kit customers said, ‘Just let me buy it in the store,'” he continued. And for that reason, Blue Apron, Chef’d, HelloFresh, and a host of other brands are now being sold.
“Where the action is, is at home.”
More meals are being eaten at home by Americans. Eighty-two percent of meals are cooked at home and eighteen percent are bought out. The NPD Group reports that throughout the previous ten years, the percentage of dinners eaten at home has climbed by three percentage points.
“We are increasingly consuming food at home, regardless of where we source it—even if we went and got it from a restaurant,” Mr. Portalatin stated. “Today, the action is at home.”
He claimed that increased purchases of board games, puzzles, sweatpants, and sleepwear are indicative of this habit.
“How do I acquire food in the home,” whether it be prepared foods or supplies, will be the key to success for many food firms,” Portalatin, Mr.stated.
Over the previous ten years, the most popular foods and drinks consumed at home haven’t altered all that much, he claimed. While the consumption of ready-to-eat cereal has decreased, that of fruit, tea, and salty snacks has increased. According to him, the most popular foods and drinks consumed at home are still coffee, sandwiches, and fizzy drinks.
According to Mr. Portalatin, “there are some significant, long-standing consumer behaviors that are not going away.” The most popular lunch item among Americans today is a sandwich, which accounts for 30% of lunchtime meals and 10% of all meal occasions. A decade ago, it made up 30% of luncheons. In ten years, thirty percent of lunch situations will involve it. However, it is definitely not the same sandwich after 20 years if you believe that.
The elements and contents He pointed out that bread consumption has decreased recently as gluten avoidance has increased, suggesting that bread may alter as tastes change. Product designers should look for ways to improve commonplace items rather than chasing fleeting trends.
Put another way, Mr. Portalatin stated, “You can either become the trend or you can chase the trend.”
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“A country that eats meat”
“America is and always will be a nation of meat eaters,” Mr. Portalatin stated, despite the fact that the growth of plant-based food and beverage innovation is an important trend.
“Eating meat poses no risks,” he continued. That will not go away. This is more of a protein-based trend than a plant-based one. We hear from 61% of customers that “we need more protein in our diet—in all of its forms.”
According to Mr. Portalatin, 14% of consumers stated they frequently use plant-based substitutes such almond milk, tofu, and veggie burgers; 86% of those consumers do not identify as vegans or vegetarians.According to him, the proportion of people who follow rigorous vegan or vegetarian diets is not rising. “My daughter, 19, follows a flexitarian diet. Thus, she is a vegetarian up until her need for a cheeseburger arises.
“Transportable, acceptable, and advantageous”
For many customers, snacking has evolved from a habit to a more deliberate eating occasion.”Eating is no longer just for extra sustenance or when you’re bored,” Mr. Portalatin stated.
Americans have increased the number of between-meal eating occasions per capita over the last ten years; in 2018, there were 429 on average that were derived from home, up from 410 in 2008. Furthermore, he noted that snack items are increasingly used in place of or during main meal times.
“Considerate foods for snacks that are useful, acceptable, and portable,” he advised. “Today’s consumers have a strong desire for their overall health, which includes their emotional well-being. Sometimes this means saying, ‘I deserve to treat myself to a little treat.'”