If food makers don’t adjust to concerns about animal welfare and sustainability, it could lead to a train wreck, says Maple Leaf
OTTAWA — A group nicknamed YEMP could be the most influential consumer demographic since the baby boomer generation came of age.
Young, educated millennial parents are a food conscious group representing 24 percent of the population and able to take advantage of many more food choices than past generations.
Food companies need to figure out how to adapt to these shifting trends, said Kathy Perrotta of Canada Ipsos Marketing.
The company has been studying food consumption habits and presented the most recent findingsto the Canadian Meat Council’s recent annual meeting.
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The most recent study worked with 20,000 consumers who showed modern eating is driven by spontaneity and whim. People no longer stick with three meals a day cooked at home.
They are straying into snacking and buying food online and other non-traditional outlets.
Perrotta pointed out the oldest boomers are pushing 70 years, represent 27 percent of the population and still hold much spending power.
Generation X represents about 15 percent of the population. They were raised in an era of awareness and often focus on premium products.
“They are all about me, personalization and customization and look at the overall impact of food on their wellness,” said Perrotta.
The study asked participants to keep daily food diaries and those showed 58 percent of meal decisions were fueled by convenience.
More people younger than 35 admit they eat five to six times throughout the day.
However, about half the population still eats three meals and does not often snack.
Perrotta said the mini mealers have a wide sphere of influence.
They read labels and look for claims like vegan, vegetarian, no antibiotics, no hormones, probiotics, farmed responsibility, no GMO, vitamin enriched, premium or single portion. They want third party certification because they distrust big brands.
Meat protein is declining and non-meat protein is growing.
The larger trend is with people being more mindful of the portions.
More than half said all meat proteins are consumed for dinner, with chicken being most popular. Many also said they cook their meals on a stove top rather than oven.
More people are eating alone. Households are shrinking and people say they are too busy with activities to always gather for a meal.
Millennial parents want more fresh, organic and local as well as more fresh fruits and vegetables in the family diet.
The survey also showed the number one trend among Canadians is a desire to learn more about farm-to-table stories.
Food companies are starting to realize that.
Ian Gordon of Loblaws said the company decided to make changes 10 years ago and offer shoppers more choice.
It started offering fresh and frozen meat products that were free from added hormones or antibiotics. The company also expanded its organic line.
“This was a product where we could take a commodity, brand it and add value that the consumer was looking for,” he said during a panel discussion at the council meeting.
Meat company president Michael McCain of Maple Leaf Foods is also aware of the changing consumer.
“Today our industry is at a crossroads. We are at a very pivotal time in the meat industry,” he said.
There is a whole generation of new consumers caught up in a tremendous amount of tension around the world.
“That tension shows up in how consumers perceive meat products, around the profile of health and nutrition, maybe responsible consumption,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean it is a train wreck but in my personal experience that kind of tension that goes unaddressed over a long period of time will turn into a train wreck,” he said.
People are concerned about food security. They want affordable food that has been produced sustainably and is considerate toward the animals that provide food, he said.
“We can participate in a food industry of 2050 and not be viewed as the enemy by the food movement around the world, which we are today,” McCain said.
He said consumers expect companies to pay attention to issues and take positive steps forward.
“ We are not an industry that has been lily white. The most important thing for us in advocating change is being very positive not for defending what was, but thinking about what needs to be in all these dimensions … then communicate the hell out of it in every form we can come up with,” said McCain.
