The Forecast // Millennials & Food

The Forecast Millennials & Food

By Usbek & Rica I January 2015

For their study reports, the Usbek & Rica team has analyzed, selected and prioritized the collected information from a sociological, cultural, and marketing perspectives. To do so, they have used a variety of tools, both internal and external, combining:

•  Insights (analysis of research studies that have been published in the media)

•  Experts (interviews, fairs, conferences, seminars, round tables)

•  Daily watch (specialized websites, blogs, social media, print and online magazines)

•  In-situ observations (travel trips, shop visits, art exhibitions, films, advertising, the street)

!e Forecast // Food | January 2015

Methodology

Introduction

In Western cultures, Millennials (18-34 years old) and the younger Generation Z (12-24 years old) devote great interest, time and energy to their foods and nutrition, certainly more than any other demographic group. Food crises, infant malnutrition, health-related anxieties, globalization, cult of the body, loss of tradition and transmission, tyranny of freshness and hygiene and lack of transparency are many factors that have led food to take a prominent part of consumers’ routine, to the point that some of them have made it a true lifestyle. Being trendy is no longer defined by the clothes they wear but also by the food they eat. This unprecedented interest is also reflected by the stardom of chefs and restaurateurs who have been drawn from their kitchen by the media and have become the celebrities of modern times, as well as the rock stars of yesteryear.


As they are shaping the food landscape of tomorrow and transforming the way people eat, consume and consider food, Millennials and the Generation Z represent both new challenges and business opportunities for the food players. This trends & insights report aims to help you deciphering fundamental changes that are being at work regarding consumers’ tastes, behaviors and expectations. Interestingly enough, our analysis demonstrates that consumers are willing to embrace trends that contradict each other. Besides, decades ago, people were convinced that the humanity would eat pills in 2020; today’s reality evidences the opposite with a massive return to more humanity, conviviality, provenance and tradition.

Experts l we’ve interviewed them, they’ve helped us

Benoît Castel is a French pastry chef who previously worked with Hélène Darroze, the Costes brothers, run the pastry shop of Paris’ Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché for eight years before opening Josephine Bakery in the 6th arrondissement. In 2013, Mickaël Benichou and himself opened the bakery-pastry ‘Liberté’ in the 10th arrondissement. The innovative concept aims to be a living place that b r i n g s t o g e t h e r c o n v i v i a l i t y, transparency and style.

Bertrand Auboyneau describes himself as "a bit of an opportunist" as he entered the restaurant business randomly, after having spent 25 years doing different jobs. He first opened the Bistro Paul Bert, a traditional French Bistro, followed ... years later by L'Ecailler that specializes in sea food, and more recently by hip and modern 6 Paul Bert that serves small plates. In the meantime, Bertrand Auboyneau co-edited with François Simon the cooking book "French Bistro: Seasonal recipes".


What are young consumers’ eating habits and how do they differ from previous generations?

What do young consumers want and expect from the food industry players?

What do brands, restaurants, supermarkets and retailers offer to cater to their needs and demands?

What is the food lifestyle of Millennial and Gen Z consumers?


Table of contents (1)

#1 They are keen on improving their health

#2 They want to save time & energy

#3 They need practicality & convenience

#4 They still indulge their gustative senses

#5 They look for the cheapest option…

#6 …but they are willing to pay more for quality

#7 They make meal times a convivial and social experience

#8 They rely on their peer communities

#9 They hanker for variety & diversity

#10 They demand more transparency


Table of contents (2)

#11 They want it their way

#12 They engage and interact digitally

#13 They aim at acting greener

#14 They go for premium & gourmet

#15 They enjoy fancy dining experiences

#16 They like glamorizing food

#17 They are willing to learn

#18 They snack and opt for small bites

#19 They favor what’s local

#20 They go back to basics


1# They are keen on improving their health

What do consumers want?


As obesity rises and preventable diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure increase, health is becoming a major public concern — the U.S. Center for Disease Control says that childhood obesity has tripled since 1980, and according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation nearly half of all U.S. adults are projected to be obese nationwide by 2032 if they maintain current eating habits. Governments and big corporations have launched major public campaigns, TV commercials and nutrition labels to increase consumer awareness about global health issues. Although most young consumers admit that healthy eating is a challenge, especially in the face of rising food costs, the desire to achieve an improved quality of life is driving them to pursue specific health and wellness behaviors.

Millennials and Gen Z are now willing to develop healthier eating habits, while manufacturers are reformulating products to eliminate or reduce the sugar, cholesterol, trans and saturated fat and sodium content of food. They’re moving away from artificial ingredients and introducing products high in fiber and protein, free from sugar, fat, and, more recently, gluten. Young foodies are favoring food ingredients with health benefits (superfoods, gluten- and meat-free, fresh, organic, whole grains etc.) and are opting for more balanced, lighter meal compositions. Health-driven consumers are well-informed, they spend more, and they shop more frequently than low health-committed people. They are also expecting from food brands and retailers that they play a strong part in helping and supporting them in adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Analysis of the trend


72% of US adults eat reduced-fat foods. NPD, February 2013

25% of global consumers place a premium on nutrition and prioritize health in more than 70% of their food purchases. Those shoppers tend to be more affluent, and are willing to spend more for healthier products, accounting for 24% more sales value than the average customer. And nearly two-thirds of the health-committed cohort look to labels to provide guidance.

Dunnhumby, October 2014

Supporting insights


The US has more health-committed consumers than any other country, and Americans are warier than their global counterparts about product claims and less likely to trust labels.

Dunnhumby, October 2014

There is a real awareness now that we will increasingly go for healthy food. We want to eat without hurting ourselves. We will look for products that are good for us. Today, people are opting for quality and healthy products. Health is a trend that will get stronger in the future. - Benoit Castel, co-founder of Paris-based bakery-pastry Liberté (January 3, 2015)

The best possible change for the American diet would be less meat, less processed food, more real cooking. - Daniel Patterson, chef at the two-Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant Coi (Time, October 9, 2014)

What do experts say?


Our expert!

Coca-Cola launched in December 2014 ‘Coca Cola Life’, a new and healthier version of its famous soft drink as part of government and industry efforts to tackle obesity. The drink is a naturally sweetened beverage with a third less sugar and a third fewer calories in green bottles and cans.

Featured examples


Snacks are also becoming healthier. ProTings are a crispy, tortilla-like chip made from pea-derived protein. The low-sugar, low-calorie snack boasts 15 grams of protein per serving and comes in Sea Salt, Chili Lime and Tangy Southern BBQ flavors.

New York-based Italian restaurant Del Posto offers an entire gluten-free pasta menu. Chef Mark Ladner has created a fresh gluten-free pasta recipe so he can prepare every single one of the pastas in a gluten-free version. After a successful Kickstarter and a food truck tour of colleges, he's opened a Pasta Flyer pop-up restaurant in the West Village in December 2014.

2# They want to save time



Between demanding jobs and busy personal schedules, the more people can save time the better. They are even willing to sacrifice the mealtime in favor of other activities, be it work or leisure. “Many shoppers plan meals just hours in advance, seeking fast solutions and sometimes replacing meals altogether with snacks”, stated a 2014 survey from global research firm Nielsen. Quickly grabbed at the supermarket or from take-away restaurants, lunch is eaten straight away. Dining moments are sometimes replaced by aperitifs, tapas or only evening drinks.

In the US, the casual dining segment struggles as their targeted middle-class consumers elect fast casual alternatives (NYMag.com, 17 September 2014). The trend is also gaining other parts of the world, as quick service brands are the fastest-growing restaurant category in India, for instance. “This evolving demand contributes to channel blurring and often drives retailers into direct competition with foodservice” according to research firm Nielsen.



Repeat customers make up 71% of sales at quick-service restaurants, 68% of sales at fast-casual operations versus only 51% at fine-dining restaurants.

The National Restaurant Association, 2013

Supporting insights

In France, the time slot devoted to lunch breaks was of 1 hour and 38 minutes in 1975 while it is of 31 minutes in 2014, versus 19 minutes in the US.

France TV Info, February 2014

Of the 51.5 million fast food visits made annually, only 40% are for a dine-in occasion. The majority of visitors are choosing take-away.

EMMA, 2014


People don’t stop to eat anymore. The supermarket next door has a huge range of takeaway meals with a microwave located at the entrance to warm them. It is a strong and global trend. It's because we can make a phone call while walking and eating one’s plate at the same time. This allows to save time while being on the move at the same time. - Bertrand Auboyneau, owner of restaurants Le Paul Bert, L’Ecailler and Le 6 (January 15, 2015)



Our expert!

British premium ready meal retailer Cook has launched the click and collect service. From now on, customers are able to place their order online and collect it from a local store two hours later.

Amazon Fresh is a same-day and early morning delivery of fresh grocery, everyday essentials, local products, and Amazon.com items. Launched in the US since a couple of years, it arrived in France only in late 2013.

Since October 2014 in Paris, global fast food chain Burger King allows its customers to play a dedicated game on their smartphone and “win the right” to avoid queuing. They need to protect the chain menu that a multitude of attackers are trying to steal. Winners have 15 minutes to use their “right”.

Featured examples


3# They need practicality & convenience



While people are engaging with food more than ever, their ever busier, chaotic urban lifestyles make home cooking more difficult to achieve, especially during the workweek. Despite trends towards real food and home-grown ingredients, the reality is that consumers still "grab and go". Always in transit, young adults desire the food they want, when and where they want it. They need to find meals that not only are easily portable and perfectly conditioned but also available anywhere at anytime. This explains the development of vending machines, mobile kiosks, street food, breakfast menu items and late-night eating options in restaurants. Moreover, take-away and home delivery options have never been so popular,

increasing drive-by dining. When they are at home, consumers are willing to cook but with less hassle in the kitchen. Easy-to-prepare and ready-to-eat meals are key for most of consumers who push demand for food that they can consume both at-home and on the move. Frozen foods are also on the rise. Even the restaurant industry is using thaw-and-serve items — bread, pastry, pot pie and proteins from pork to textured soy — as convenient ways to bring high-quality food to their customers without developing new areas of expertise. Last but not least, consumers increasingly opt for on-demand services, which brings them more flexibility.



30% of US Millennials and 21% of US Gen Xers report that they've purchased more frozen foods in the past year and 16% of the former expect to spend more on frozen foods in the next year, citing convenience and the shelf-life benefits of frozen items.

Acosta.com, 2014

Supporting insights

More than 60% of Millennials Jefferies surveyed had purchased ready-to-eat meals in a supermarket within the past month, and more than 55% had purchased meal components.

Jefferies, 2014


Today’s convenience food market is influenced by a mix of culinary and diet trends, as well as the Millennial generation’s lack of kitchen skills, or unwillingness to spend hours hovering over a hot stove. - Sonja Puzic, food journalist (CTVNews.ca, August 20, 2014)



Convenience is still a priority for shoppers, but their definition of it has evolved. Convenience isn't just about getting in and out of the store quickly or going to the store nearest to you. It's about going to the store that is going to best meet your needs for an occasion. Convenience to consumers might mean giving me a shortcut to my meal this evening, giving me a sense of discovery. - Laurie Demeritt, CEO of The Hartman Group, which partnered with FMI on the 2014 grocery shopper trends research.

Minipresso is a portable coffee machine that fits in a pocket. It is “the smallest and lightest manual espresso, very convenient to operate and allowing coffee drinkers to enjoy their favorite espresso at home or on the go”, says the firm. Unlike traditional portable coffee systems, the Minipresso doesn’t use batteries or a plug but users need to pump the device to brew the coffee.

French start-up Vélissime is a nomadic canteen that aims to being home-made lunch to the office. The firm uses cycles to go to companies’ offices and offer home-made meals to the time-pressed workers so that they can enjoy a healthy lunch without wasting their time.

Featured examples


The Ampac E-Z SnackPak is a flexible snack pouch that transforms from a pyramid into a serving tray that takes the shape of a canoe.

4# They still indulge their gustative senses



Despite growing awareness about healthy eating, consumers don’t want to compromise on taste. A large majority of the global population continues to indulge with comfort, sweet and junk food. The gloomy societal context and hard living conditions are leading consumers to take refuge in good, earthy food. Treating oneself with food is a simple pleasure that is easily accessible to everyone and represents a moment of enjoyment that can be experienced both personally and collectively. High-end burger chains are all the rage these days, and brands like Smashburger and Five Guys have announced impressive results, while sales of hot dogs are also on the rise in both US and non-US countries.

In the US, portions are getting bigger. According to the New York City Department of Health, the serving size of a beverage at a US fast-food chain has more than quadrupled, from 7 ounces to 32, since 1955, while french-fry portions have more than doubled to 5.4 ounces. Sweet food has also become a hit: from cupcakes to donuts, from macaroons to cronuts, a myriad of dedicated shops and restaurants are opening in big cities. Sweet is even increasingly favored as an alternative to savory mains. American consumers even eat desserts during morning and afternoon hours as snacks or post-meal treats, noted USA Today in 2013.



Supporting insights

Butter consumption in the US has hit a 40-year high. In 2012, per capita consumption was up 12% to 5.6 pounds while in 2013, bacon sales jumped 9.5% to a record $4 billion in the US.

USDA, 2013

About 40% of Americans indulge in dessert at least twice per week, compared with 36% in 2010.

Technomic, 2014

In 2000, there were 1 burger versus 9 sandwiches while in 2013, there were 1 burger versus 7 sandwiches in France. This represents 970 million burgers consumed by the French in 2013.

France TV Info, February 2014


I think there will be a mix between the ‘indulgent’ food and the ‘mandatory’ food. We eat both for nutrition and taste; for now the two are associated. But they also can be dissociated. - Bertrand Auboyneau, owner of restaurants Le Paul Bert, L’Ecailler and Le 6 (January 15, 2015)



The growth of healthy options does not automatically come at the expense of indulgent offerings. There is room for both healthy foods and occasional treats in consumers’ diets. - Susan Dunn, executive vice president, Global Professional Services, Nielsen (February 19, 2015)

Our expert!

Launched in January 2014, the Paris-based food kiosk Choux d’enfer is a collaborative effort by French top chefs Alain Ducasse and Christophe Michalak who’ve launched the street sweet food movement.

Paris-based dessert-only restaurant Dessance offers a selection of dishes that can be eaten as both desserts and main courses. Options include a combination of violet-colored vitelotte potato purée with raw and poached apples, arugula and marjoram granité.

Featured examples


The spectacular popularity of American burger chain Five Guys has led its founders to expand in Europe with new branches in Paris and London. Customers had to wait in a two-hour line the day of the opening.

5# They look for the cheapest option…



Economic austerity has strongly impacted the younger generations of consumers, negatively affecting their future purchase behavior. Millennials and Generation Z prefer cheap food and focus on paying as little as possible for products. Food expenditures are often the first budget to be cut by young adults who prefer spending their money on leisure, electronics and travel activities. These consumers are dining out less and, when they do so, they are more likely to value “very low prices”. If traffic data shows a decline in restaurant visits from this critical group, a study from RBC Research and the NPD Group found that US Millennials have driven significant traffic to “relatively inexpensive brands” like Chipotle,

Wendy’s and Starbucks — “partly at the expense of established mega-brands in fast food and casual dining.” Speaking of other generations, low-income consumers are also opting for cheap and poor-quality foods. In Italy, people are even eating food well past its use-by date. In response, supermarkets are promoting expired goods, which they retail at discounted prices. For their grocery shopping, tight-budget consumers purchase more entry-price products, private labels, use group buying, browse online discounting platforms, and visit value retailers. In addition, people are dining at home more often, deserting restaurants.



Food Today & Tomorrow | January 2015

Nearly 40% of Millennials consider price to be extremely important —more than other age groups.

DataEssentials, 2014

In 2014, 59% of Italians eat food past its date, with 15% eating food that is a month or more old.

Italian farmers' association Coldiretti, 2014

Supporting insights

24 % of consumers who buy fresh prepared meals from the grocery store instead of eating out in order to save money. About half of 2014 FMI survey respondents (49%) said they are spending the same amount on groceries this year as in 2013, and 20% are spending less (FMI, 2014a).

The Food Marketing Institute, 2014

A large majority of low-income people go to the supermarket next door to buy poor-quality products. I protest against the fact that retirees living in the countryside that have abandoned their growing vegetable gardens and rather go to the supermarket buy cheap products. - Bertrand Auboyneau, owner of Paris-based restaurants Le Paul Bert, L’Ecailler and Le 6 (January 15, 2015)

One class will eat industrialized food produced as cheaply as possible at the expense of its workers and natural resources. - Marion Nestle is professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University (Time, October 9, 2014)



Our expert!

Featured examples


In March 2014, US retailer Fresh Market featured Thursday’s "Little Effort, Big Savings” promotions, offering shoppers all ingredients to make a meal for a family of four for just $20. With regular price, consumers would have spent $13 more, allowing significant savings.

In the UK, value supermarket chain Poundland prices everything in the store at £1 only. The same concept exists in the US with the ‘Dollar stores’ and in other countries in Europe with the ‘Euro stores’.

The Wriggle app connects Londoners with last-minute money-off deals at food, drink and entertainment establishments. Select businesses offer empty seats or perishable food at a discounted rate for a limited period of time. Unlike Groupon, Wriggle claims to work with a “hand-picked” selection of independent businesses, emphasizing their quality — and takes a smaller-than-usual commission on each sale (9.5%).

Find our complete analysis in the full report! Contact us at: [email protected]

You want to know more about food trends & insights?


What’s next ? !e Forecast // Food | January 2015

Future global food trends

Insect proteins

Home farming

Meat-free products

Artificial & synthetic foods


Insect proteins


Global consumer demand for protein is about to outstrip supply, forcing food players to find alternative answers. The cultivation of insects – crickets, essentially - is now considered by experts as a nutritious and filling protein supplement, as said at Feed the World in May 2014, the first-ever international conference devoted to entomophagy, or insect-eating. Scientists, government officials and industry leaders promote the use of insects as feed for animals and food for humans in assuring food security. The consumption of insects was seen as a viable solution for overcoming protein deficits in human populations. A new

generation of chefs, farmers, sustainability experts, and adventure eaters is embracing entomophagy, while fitness practitioners are also showing increasing enthusiasm. Tomorrow, farms and food companies alike will increasingly craft insect-based products. The main challenge for brands will be to go beyond the “ew” factor and get eaters to buy in. The keys to success? Making insects and bugs nutritious and delicious while showing they are a sustainable, ecologically viable food source. Smart packaging and contemporary branding solutions will help make these unusual ingredients more accepted by a wider audience.



Hamilton is the founder and CEO of the Interna6onal Culinary Center.

Insect protein represents the first viable solution to the global food crisis… [Crickets] produce 80 times less methane than cattle, can reproduce much quicker, and barely require any water or space.

Brooklyn-based company Exo, 2014

Supporting insights


"If you can make insects look like great food, it will make a huge difference [in the minds of consumers]. However, we're going to have an issue with labelling – you can't ignore that there is a bug in your food.” - Chris Cornyn, director of US-based food and drink agency Dine at 2014 Food Vision Conference



In 2014, US company Exo launched a crowdfunding campaign to support their Exo protein bars, which are based on cricket flour. British TV chef Kyle Connaughton participated in the process and created a recipe that includes more usual ingredients such as raw cacao, dates, coconut and almond butter.

US food start-up Six Foods has developed a brand of crisps called Chirps, which uses beans, rice and cricket-based. Such products are both higher in proteins and lower in fat compared to classic potato crisps.

San Francisco-based food brand Bitty Foods bakes its products with cricket flour, thus incorporating insects in the production process. Slow-roasted crickets are said to be a tasty source of sustainable nutrition, packed with protein, healthy fats and micronutrients.

Featured examples


Big Cricket Farms is the first farm in the US to raise crickets exclusively for human consumption. They are currently producing and shipping frozen crickets and dried crickets, which are house crickets, considered to be tastiest, and are thus the most popular.

Next Millennium Farms is the first industrial-sized edible insect farm in North America that produces gluten-free crickets and organic cricket flour. Unique in its kind, the company breeds, raises and process insects for human grade consumption.

Featured examples


Home farming


A United Nations’ study predicts that by 2050, the world’s population will approach 10 billion people with 75% of them living in cities, which will entirely transform the face of life on Earth. As a result, big cities will need vast amounts of resources to keep both their infrastructure and residents going, leading to new solutions to turn urban centers into self-sustaining entities. There is a current wave of people moving to cities and growing interest around food safety. Farming is an activity that consumers are increasingly adopting, both at the scale of their neighborhood through community gardens and at the scale of their own interior with home farming. Community gardening is becoming popular among young adults, who are cultivating their own foods in urban lots and suburban backyards.

More than their parents, young generations is highly concerned about GMOs issues, processed foods and the high fossil-fuel cost of transporting produce thousands of miles. This has led them to adopt the growing movement around sustainable farm-to-table dining. Alongside highly motivated Millennials, a growing number of consumers of all ages are also adopting the trend. Furthermore, the combination of designers that are cleverly rethinking home living with the advances of technologies are providing consumers with innovative and functional tools to make home farming both accessible and affordable. For instance, mobile-phone-controlled hydroponics systems and micro greenhouses are allowing them to get fresher and local food products more easily.



The number of US Millennial gardeners (age 18- to 34-year-old) swelled 63% between 2008 and 2013, from 8 million to 13 million.

The National Gardening Association report, 2014

Urban agricultural systems have the potential to provide city dwellers with up to 50% of their food.

BBC, June 2013

Supporting insights


Every year $42 billion worth of houseplants are thrown away because people just can’t take care of them. Rather than modifying the plants, we aim to build an environment in which they can thrive. We are not there yet, but each of our product iterations is a step closer to that goal and a source of funding for further research and development. - Matthias Lepp, founder of Click and Grow (PSFK Labs, July 28, 2013)



British student Hyunee Hwang has created the Nurture concept, a 'living' fruit basket that provides health oriented consumers with fresh fruit and vegetables, offering them high quality nutrition consumption at home.

Urban businesses are also embracing micro farming with on-site growing facilities. In a will to expand into indoor agriculture, global electronics company Toshiba has converted a Tokyo-based disused factory into a high-tech vegetable farm. Since September 2014, the sterilized clean room houses the cultivation of thousands of lettuce plants.

French start-up Prêt-à-Pousser provides home kits to consumers who want to see mushrooms growing in their own interiors. The kit is very easy to use: you just need to water once a day during 7 to 10 days to get a bunch of mushrooms of about 300 grams, a portion that is enough to cook a dish for 4 people.

Featured examples


Farmery is a US-based supermarket concept where consumers can pick their own produce thanks to on-site harvesting facilities that are designed for public use. At the Farmery, shipping, packing, and handling are eliminated in favor of right here, right now, IRL cultivation.

Featured examples


Since August 2013, Relais & Châteaux boasts the Home Ranch in Colorado, a hotel planted in the middle of a working farm. The farm provides meat as well as most of the produce for the "haute mountain cuisine” that is served in the hotel’s restaurant. In the summer, an open-air Farm Kitchen with a wood-fired oven also prepares breakfast and small plates.

The Drake hotel in Toronto owns a garden that supplies its own produce and salads. These locally grown products are served to its patrons on the same day.

Find our complete analysis in the full report! Contact us at: [email protected]

You want to know more about food trends & insights?
