Traditional foods dominate Fourth of July menus

By Elizabeth Crawford

- Last updated on GMT

Americans may increasingly seek bold new flavors and adventurous or exotic food for everyday cooking, but this Fourth of July most will turn to time-honored, traditional dishes and big name brands to help them celebrate, market research predicts. 

More than a third of the more than 1,000 consumers polled by Instantly said following tradition is the biggest factor they consider when purchasing food for July 4th​ celebrations. This compares to only 21% who said trying new dishes and flavors was the biggest factor influencing their food purchases.

So what do most people consider traditional for the July 4? Picnic food, of course.  The Instantly poll found 43% of Americans said their favorite main dish for the holiday is hamburgers, followed by 19% who said hotdogs and 8% who said chicken and ribs each.

As for sides, potato salad and corn on the cob were most often cited as the favorite dish of choice for 61% and 60% of respondents.  Baked beans captured the hearts of 51% of respondents, as did macaroni salad for 43% and coleslaw for 34% of respondents, who could pick more than one favorite dish.

When it comes to chips, the big brands stole the biggest slice of the pie. Half of consumers reported they associated Frito Lay and Lay’s chips with the holiday – significantly more than the next most cited brands – Doritos, KC Masterpiece and Kettle Chips – which garnered 11% each.

For dessert, Google Data revealed the top rising desserts include Rice Krispie Treats, which are up 400% from last year, cupcake ideas, up 50%, and fruit pizza, up 25%.

Google data also shows that Moscow mules, a mix of ginger beer, vodka and lime in copper cups, is a top rising summer drink – up 176% from last year. This could be due partly to Reed’s Inc.’s heavy marketing of the drink​ as part of its promotions for its ginger beer products. 

Holiday spending is up

To pay for all this food and drink, Americans will shell out a projected $6.7 billion – up from $6.3 billion spent last year, according to IBISWorld.

This increase does not necessarily mean consumers are buying more food, though, IBISWorld notes. It explains that the price of most barbeque foods has gone up since last year. The largest jumps are on ground beef, up 10.8%, hotdogs, up 5.8%, and chicken breast, up 3.3%.

On the flip side, the price has gone down 4.4% for ice cream and 3.7% for sandwich cheese, IBISWorld notes.

Where consumers are shopping

Finally, the research revealed that shoppers are buying their holiday foods mostly at big box stores, rather than natural or higher end retailers.

About 70% of Instantly respondents said they planned to purchase their food at superstores, such as Walmart and Target, while only 18% said they would shop at specialty stores like Whole Foods Markets or Trader Joes. This could be related to the fact that 35% of shoppers said the biggest factor influencing their holiday shopping was getting the most amount of food for the lowest cost, according to Instantly.

Ultimately what this data shows is the Fourth of July weekend is a valuable marketing opportunity for food and beverage brands. But rather than showcasing the latest and greatest innovations, brand managers should promote the products that Americans have loved and trusted for years, according to Instantly.

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