December 8, 2008 • 5:01 pm 0
Consumers Trade Down from Restaurants to Grocery Store Prepared Meals
In a recent Nielsen research report forecasting the upcoming
holiday season, consumers reported that practical gifts will
dominate shopping lists this year and food items and gift cards to
grocery stores will be big sellers.
Filed under: economy, food, gift giving, shopping
• 4:58 pm 0
Brown Bagging It Becomes Fashionable
Brown bagging is at an all-time high since 2001, per the NPD Group, Port Washington, New York. Adults ages 18-and-older consumed some 8.5 billion brown-bag lunches last year (38 bagged lunches per capita compared to 35 in 2006).
Nearly 12% of lunchtime opportunities were brought from home as of the year ended February 2008. In contrast, the February 2007 figure was 11.3%. Of those polled, cost-saving was the primary motivation.
• 10:38 am 0
McCormick releases 2009 flavor forecast
The 10 flavor pairings highlighted in the 2009 McCormick flavor forecast reflect “an appetite for internationally infused tastes, a desire for all-natural foods and a craving for favorite ingredients re-imagined with contemporary whimsy,” the spice company says. The pairings include cayenne and tart cherry, as well as garam masala and pepitas.
September 11, 2008 • 12:24 pm 0
Miles of Aisles for a Gallon of Milk? Not Here
After years of building bigger stores — many larger than a football field and carrying 60,000 items — retailers are experimenting with radically smaller grocery stores that emphasize prepared meals, fresh produce and grab-and-go drinks.
The idea is to lure time-starved shoppers who want to pick up a few items or a fast meal without wandering long grocery aisles or paying restaurant prices.
August 7, 2008 • 9:03 am 0
Metrics – The Overflowing American Dinner Plate – NYTimes.com
The average American’s food consumption per week has jumped from 16.4 pounds in 1970 to 18.2 pounds in 2006. Americans also consume an additional extra quarter pound of fat every week over 1970, and dairy consumption has dropped.
• 8:57 am 0
Supermarket Chains Narrow Their Sights – NYTimes.com
Supermarkets realize shoppers want to buy local
Retailers from regional chains to supercenters are pushing to get more local produce and other goods into their stores. Hannaford and Wegmans both noted a 20% increase in sales of local goods, and Wal-Mart has committed to spending $400 million on local produce this year.
Filed under: food, local food, shopping
August 1, 2008 • 10:17 am 0
Study: Two-thirds of Consumers Reading Labels More Often
A survey released today by the Nielsen Co. found that 65% of
American consumers say they notice information on food packaging
more often compared to only two years ago.Sixty-seven percent of U.S. consumer claim to mostly understand
what they are reading compared to 44% globally. That leaves a third
of the U.S. and more than half the world wondering exactly what
Sodium Benzoate and other ingredients and metrics actually
mean.
July 31, 2008 • 11:58 am 1
Although the number of consumers using organics increased from 55% to 73% between 2000 and 2006, there has been no notable change between 2006 and today, according to a survey by The Hartman Group. In fact, the report shows a slight decrease in use from 2006 to this year — from 73% of consumer to 69%.
“There is still a lot of opportunity to be found but food manufacturers now have to be a lot more judicial in where they put their innovation dollars into going organic,” says Shelley Balanko, vp of ethnographic research for The Hartman Group. Consumers are increasingly concerned about hormones and antibiotics in food, she says, which adds to the appeal of items such as organic dairy products.
Organic is now being included among “several symbolic distinctions of equal importance subsumed under the moniker of quality,” the report says. It notes that formerly fringe food categories –and categories that may link by dotted lines to organics, but can also stand on their own — are gaining traction with consumers. These categories include local and artisan products, as well as fair trade, humane, cage free or free range.
Filed under: CPG, Consumer, beverages, food, organics, trends
July 30, 2008 • 10:02 am 0
More Consumers Brown-Bagging Lunch: NPD
More Consumers Brown-Bagging LunchThe brown-bagged lunch is becoming an increasingly popular
workplace accessory these days, according to a new study from
market research firm the NPD Group. Indeed, weekday lunches toted
from home reached a new high in 2007 among adults 18 and older, 8.5
billion of which carried brown-bag lunches last year. More than
half of these lunches are consumed at the workplace, and most often
at the eater’s desk or workstation.
Filed under: CPG, Consumer, economy, food, trends, workplace
• 9:59 am 0
Raspberries Rank High With Consumers
A recent national survey showed that U.S. consumers are growing fond of raspberries, ranking the berry second in a list of 13 fruits. More than 90% of consumers said they would buy frozen raspberries, and many survey participants have tried the fruit in juices and in juice blends.
