Today's Specialty Food Consumer
About the Research
at a Glance
Several points indicate a more positive outlook this year:
Spending on groceries and away-from-home food is up. Inflation plays a role here but
spending choices indicate consumers are returning to restaurants and buying freshly
prepared foods.
Incidence of purchase is holding steady among many age groups and has risen among
millennials (the core specialty food consumers) followed by members of Gen-X and Gen-Z,
a rising generation showing great interest in specialty foods.
Purchase in eight of the top 10 categories is up over the past two years, driven partly by
staying and cooking at home.
The Specialty Food Association's Today's Specialty Food Consumer report consists of an online
consumer survey with 23 questions asked of 1,630 adults (ages 18+) who say they share in or take
primary responsibility for the grocery shopping in their household. Slice MR conducted the survey in
summer 2022 to understand the motivations and habits of specialty food consumers. These questions
include some that were asked in previous years to allow for trended comparisons, as well as several
that speak to the latest consumer attitudes and behaviors. Market researcher David Lockwood then
worked with the SFA to analyze the results to produce the final report.
The strong response points to continuing
market resilience even on the heels of
consumer weariness in last year's responses
to purchase behavior and attitudes. At the
time, SFA noted that the downturn did not
spell an ongoing setback for the industry but
was rather a general fatigue prompted by
the pandemic.
On the following pages, we o"er highlights of specialty food consumer demographics,
shopping habits, motivations, and attitudes.
The number of consumers reporting they purchase specialty foods
and beverages has hit 76 percent, according to this year's
Today's Specialty Food Consumer report – a record high
and a 4 percent increase over 2021.
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