Millennial and boomer foodies share remarkably similar attitudes.
Foodies come in all ages and ethnicities. Yet foodservice companies continue to focus on foodies under age 35, also known as members of the Millennial generation—and with good reason.
These are the findings of a new report “Foodies in the U.S.: Opportunities for Restaurants and Retail, 2nd Edition,” by market research firm Packaged Facts.
“Foodies have an above-average likelihood of being under the age of 35, so there is good reason for marketers to ramp up efforts to attract Millennial foodies. However, marketers need to be cautious about assuming that the only foodies who count are Millennials,” said Packaged Facts research director David Sprinkle.
Packaged Facts research has found that members of the baby boomer generation also represent a key market segment for food retailers and restaurants. While the demographic characteristics of the foodies highlighted in “Foodies in the U.S.: Opportunities for Restaurants and Retail, 2nd Edition” reflect those of various age groups as a whole, the psychographic profiles of Millennial and boomer foodies are remarkably similar. In fact, there is a noteworthy convergence across a broad spectrum of attitudes and behaviors on the part of foodies of all age groups.
Whether they are Millennials or boomers, foodies share a common underlying desire not only to seek out new food experiences and products, but to try new things of all kinds, whether shopping at a new store, wearing new clothing styles or buying new gadgets. Moreover, there is a strong similarity in the eating habits, food preferences, food shopping habits and attitudes toward cooking at home of foodies all ages.
For example, foodies in the boomer generation are about as likely as their Millennial counterparts to usually only snack on healthy foods, look for organic or natural foods when shopping for food, only look for the freshest ingredients when they cook, view their kitchen as the most important room in their home and really enjoy cooking.
The report analyzes the attitudes and behavior of Foodies from two perspectives. The first is based on self-defined foodies per the April 2015 Packaged Facts National Online Consumer Survey. The second perspective is based on a Packaged Facts analysis of Simmons NCS trend data, highlighting a core group of “Trendsetter Foodies” who agree a lot that they like to try out new food products and also try new recipes. For more information or to purchase the report visit: http://www.packagedfacts.com/redirect.asp?progid=87727&productid=9011076.
