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/83609
Other Shopping Habits of Specialty Food Consumers SHOPPING FOR ARTISANAL, LOCALLY SOURCED, NATURAL AND ETHICAL FOODS (category definitions, right) 2011 Specialty Food 2012 Specialty Food Consumers % All Natural Artisanal Eco-friendly Ethical Fair Trade Kosher/Halal Locally Sourced Organic Sustainable None of the above 59 26 34 22 21 18 45 55 22 13 Consumers % 63 27 35 25 24 18 48 57 25 11 Base: 2011: 889 adults aged 18+ with internet access who purchase specialty foods; 2012: 987 adults aged 18+ with internet access who purchase specialty foods SOURCE: MINTEL Specialty food consumers are more likely to purchase foods that are all-natural, organic or locally sourced, with all natural showing the most growth between 2011 and 2012. PURCHASES OF INTERNATIONAL/ETHNIC FOODS BY AGE All % Italian Mexican Asian—Chinese Regional American food (e.g., Cajun, Southern) Asian —Other (e.g., Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean) Spanish Mediterranean Hispanic, not Mexican (e.g., Central or South American) Indian Middle Eastern Eastern European African Scandinavian Other None of the above 57 56 38 28 27 21 19 15 12 11 7 3 2 3 12 18–24 % 58 54 37 25 31 33 15 23 17 11 10 6 1 4 9 25–34 % 58 63 41 28 37 25 17 20 14 11 8 5 3 2 9 35–44 % 63 57 45 28 27 24 17 15 13 11 10 3 2 1 16 45–54 55–64 % % 53 56 42 29 25 22 21 13 12 12 7 2 3 4 10 Brown: Highest incidence of purchase; Green: Lowest incidence of purchase Base: 987 adults aged 18+ with internet access who purchase specialty foods 58 53 28 32 24 15 23 12 9 9 4 1 1 5 13 65+ % 55 52 34 24 17 10 17 6 10 9 4 1 2 3 17 SOURCE: MINTEL People over the age of 55 are often less likely than average to purchase international/ethnic foods, with the exception of Mediterranean. The youngest set goes for Spanish, Hispanic and Indian food more than other age groups. C12 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com DEFINITIONS All natural: free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or preservatives; unregulated by FDA or third-party certifier Artisanal: often hand-crafted and made in small batches, with high- quality ingredients and techniques Eco-Friendly: made with recyclable packaging and/or with the minimum amount of packaging necessary Ethical: produced with the welfare of people and animals in mind Fair Trade: meets third-party certification standards of providing fair wages and improving the health and welfare of workers and farmers Kosher/Halal: meets religious dietary laws followed by observant Jews or Muslims, respectively Locally Sourced: made with ingredients/materials from within 200 miles of where the foods are sold at retail Organic: meets USDA National Organic Program specifications; has at least 95 percent organic content Sustainable: made with ingredients and/or packaging that minimize harm to wildlife or the environment