Women short of time, money and patience will be a major force among
food consumers in the coming decade, says food broker Christian
Laudinsky.
Speaking to Saskatchewan food processors about market trends, he said
to expect more single-parent families headed by females to hunt through
the grocery aisles in search of bargains. Lone parent families now
account for 14 percent of Canadian families.
The majority of couples with children are dual income earners, so
managing time and stress are major factors, said Laudinsky. Married
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Bean prices have been slumping and the outlook is for more of the same.
couples without children make up the other 30 percent of families.
Consumers will look for short cuts in meal planning and preparation
with convenience products, take-out foods and “ready meals.” Specialty
stores will thrive for that pocket of consumers seeking unique, upscale
and expensive gourmet products.
Family incomes are generally down, with one in seven Canadian families
living in poverty, he said. The food table is the first place they make
cuts by buying fewer indulgences like steak and treats.
“They will still eat, but will purchase items that are less expensive,”
he said, citing stretcher foods like oatmeal for hamburger.
Laudinsky said Canada already has some of the cheapest food in the
world. If prices were 15 percent higher, farmers and processors could
have higher returns and the Canadian food bill would still be lower
than the United States, he said.
“We could get more money for our food but we can’t go there,” he said.
It would require a major public awareness campaign driven by government
to get that message out.
Most shoppers still hit the chain stores in their towns but are also
increasingly seeking out giant wholesaler outlets.
In the future, Laudinsky said the majority of shoppers will be older
than 40.
“As the population moves on, youth will not be your largest customer,”
he said, citing a need for simpler, easy-to-open packaging for the
arthritic seniors of coming decades.
He also said there will be more diabetes, possibly as high as 50
percent among today’s youth, due to easy access to junk food and a lack
of exercise.
Organic, natural food, neutraceuticals and functional food will have a
strong market among an aging population looking to eat and live
healthier lifestyles. Soy-based products, with their cancer and
cardiovascular benefits, will be popular.
Safe meat and produce free of genetic modifications will be overriding
concerns to consumers, said Laudinsky.
Hot, new ingredients will range from lutein, which is a chemical
ingredient of egg yolks, to reishi mushrooms, with the new flavours
expected to be orange and smoky. Blended fruit juice and cheese
products are also expected to flourish.
There could be regional niche markets for marketers to sell items like
specialized laundry detergent in hard water areas of Saskatchewan.
With 50 percent of recent immigrants of Asian descent, Laudinsky also
noted a move toward more ethnic products in grocery carts.
“Appealing to Ukrainian, Polish customers is not the way to go,” he
said, citing instead opportunities in specialty products like Indian
spices.
Current marketing is skewed to a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant
population.
“We’ll have to change that if we want to be in the sales business in
the next decade,” he said.
