The author of this post, Shannon Linderoth, is a senior public relations writer at Charleston | Orwig. Follow the agricultural communications company’s “Field Assignment” blog at: www.fieldassignment.com I’ve never claimed to be trendy; one glimpse into my closet will affirm that. But consumer trends have always piqued my curiosity. And thanks to my multiple roles in the food chain, consumer trends when it comes to food are especially intriguing – like the “10 food predictions for 2013” from Phil Lempert in the December 3 edition of Supermarket News.
“This year, we predict the most dramatic food changes are not what consumers are eating, but rather who is doing the shopping and how consumers are eating,” Lempert says. “Snackable mini-meals and frozen foods take center stage in supermarket aisles this year while dads and Millennials get more comfortable and powerful in the kitchen.”
A number of these trends have significant implications for how farmers, suppliers and retailers communicate their message up and down the food chain.
For example, according to Lempert:
- Millennials, those born between 1982 and 2001, will represent 19 percent of the population by 2020, and will have double the buying power for food-at-home.
- Millennials also love food, and their passionate interest is led by their desire to understand where foods are from, their preparation and how food is served.
- The next generation of mobile apps may determine if fruits and vegetables are ripe, if refrigerated and frozen foods have been kept at the correct temperature farm to freezer, and even test for foodborne bacteria. PD
