Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/173967
today's specialty food consumer 2013 BY RON TANNER A lmost three-fourths of American consumers—more than 225 million people—purchase specialty foods. The number of consumers buying these high-quality products has been increasing since the economic downturn of 2009, when only 46 percent reported that they bought specialty foods. In August, the Specialty Food Association and Mintel International asked a representative sample of 2,000 U.S. consumers about their usage of and attitudes toward specialty food. Here are some of the highlights: • Nearly three-quarters of U.S. consumers purchase specialty foods. • Consumers between the ages of 18 and 24 are most likely to purchase, at 82 percent. • Consumers in the West are most likely to purchase specialty foods, followed closely by those in the Northeast. • Chocolate, olive oil and other specialty oils, and cheese were the most purchased categories, bought by more than half of specialty food consumers. • Specialty food consumers spend 37 percent more on food than consumers overall. • Nearly two-thirds of specialty food consumers buy specialty foods for everyday meals at home. • Some 43 percent use their mobile phone for food purchasing. • A total of 40 percent of specialty food consumers buy food online, with chocolate and coffee being the most purchased. • Social media is utilized by 83 percent of specialty food consumers, with Facebook being the most popular tool; C2 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com more than half use Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter to talk about food. • Nearly half of all specialty food consumers buy foods made with locally grown ingredients. The following pages provide a wealth of information on who is purchasing specialty foods and how they use these products, as well as a look at their other attitudes, interests and concerns. ABOUT THE RESEARCH This research is based on an online questionnaire conducted by Mintel to explore consumption of and attitudes and behaviors toward specialty foods. Mintel and the Specialty Food Association were responsible for the survey design, data analysis and reporting. Fieldwork was conducted in August 2013 among a sample of 2,000 adults aged 18+ with access to the internet. Mintel selects survey respondents to be proportionally balanced to the U.S. adult population based on the key demographics of gender, age, household income and region. Specialty foods were defined as foods of premium quality, that are often made by small or local manufacturers or have ethnic or exotic flavors; foods that are distinctive.