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/375622
The majority of specialty food consumers feels confident about food, is willing to shop for it, often at the source, and shares a love of food with others. Consumers ages 25–34 particularly enjoy entertaining and indicate they do so on a regular basis. ETHNIC FOOD PREFERENCES Young, affluent specialty food consumers enjoy the broadest variety of ethnic foods sold at retail, probably because this demographic is often well-traveled and exposed to different cuisines and because these foods are portable and accessible (ready-to-eat meals, wraps, and burritos). Such ease of use along with interesting flavors and spices is extremely appealing to these demographics. While Italian, Mexican, and Chinese foods top the list of most frequently purchased ethnic foods, consumption of non-Chinese Asian food such as Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Korean grew in 2014, as did Indian and Middle Eastern foods. Four in fve specialty food consumers consider themselves knowledgeable about food Two in three enjoy having parties for friends and family 18–34 Consumers aged are more likely to buy Asian foods and Hispanic foods other than Mexican. 84% say better-quality foods are worth paying more for Men are more likely than women to purchase Mexican, regional American, Hispanic, French, or Middle Eastern foods. 82% read nutrition labels on foods and beverages most/all of the time 75% say they are always looking for new ingredients to use in recipes Three in four have visited a farmers market C6 TODAY'S SPECIALTY FOOD CONSUMER 2014 Shopping Habits and Attitudes S pecialty food consumers spend more money each week on food than non–specialty food consumers. They spend about one in four food dollars on specialty food products—up from about one in five in 2013—and buy these foods and beverages on roughly three out of five visits to grocery stores each month. Mature adults (aged 45–64) are the most frequent grocery shoppers, but younger consumers (18–34) are the most likely to buy specialty foods when they go shopping—reportedly about 70 percent of the time.