A Taste of Wellness for Savoury and Snacks
Givaudan
According to Lunchtime Eating, published last month, the hectic pace of consumers' lives, together with their increased nutritional awareness and higher expectations are again what drives meal and product choices.
The report is primarily designed for the use of food service operators, but could also prove useful for food and beverage manufacturers, as it provides further indication of the market direction towards health and convenience.
According to Mintel, health and nutrition will continue to grow in importance for lunch options, though food that is perceived as fresh or generally healthy is likely to do better than food specifically marketed as low-calorie or diet-friendly.
"Despite high and growing rates of obesity and other diet-related health problems and increased concern from public health officials and legislators over the poor quality of Americans' diets, most consumers still do not see limiting caloric intake as a primary dietary goal," writes the report.
Consequently, careful marketing of health-related issues is crucial, said Mintel, adding that marketers should also be aware of the widely varying levels of interest in healthy eating between different demographic groups. In general, older consumers, women, and Asians, tend to show increased desire for healthier lunch options.
Natural, organic, free-range and sustainably produced foods are again flagged up as attracting increasing consumer interest in recent years. While only a small fraction of consumers are committed to exclusively organic eating, many consumers now associate the organic and natural labels with healthier, high quality, fresher food.
Convenience is also a crucial issue when choosing lunch items - perhaps more so than for any other meal due to time constraints as many consumers must return to work.
According to Mintel, the general direction of the industry is likely to be towards increased efforts at speed and convenience, with curbside pickup, drive-throughs, online ordering, and rapid payment all expected to become more common in coming years.
In addition, the market researcher found that 60 percent of consumers say they eat lunch at their desks while 35 percent of all workers sometimes skip lunch. Some 30 percent of consumers report having less than 15 minutes for lunch on a typical weekday. This, says Mintel, provides opportunities for innovative delivery-based lunch services, which of course provide quality products at reasonable prices with minimal hassle and maximum convenience.
Supermarkets and convenience stores are increasing their presence in the lunch market, with almost half of survey respondents agreeing that the quality of food at the prepared food sections of supermarkets has improved in recent years. Although convenience stores do not currently inspire the same level of consumer confidence, Mintel forecasts that convenience stores may be able to reach out to the broad group of consumers who purchase gas through pump-side marketing focused on their improved food offerings.
Demand for premium foods also continues to grow, resulting in all sectors of the lunch market re-branding towards a more upscale image. In addition, the general impact of a more adventurous consumer palette is felt in the lunch market too, with demand increasing for a wider range of ethnic foods and flavors.
In terms of consumer demographics, the most important consumer groups for the lunch market are under 45s, households with children, and Hispanics, said Mintel.