NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time
in the 16-year history of the Hunter Public Relations Annual
Food News Study, environmental advocacy broke through as the
most memorable story of the year, with news of Plastic Straw
Bans across America ranking as 2018's No. 1 food news
story. In addition, the study found the importance of all food news
surged amongst Americans, with almost half saying that food and
nutrition news are more important than any other type of news –
marking the highest level of importance seen in more than half a
decade.
Since 2003, Hunter Public Relations, one of the country's
leading food and beverage marketing communications agencies, has
commissioned a study annually to identify the top food news stories
according to the opinions of Americans. In addition, the study
continues the tradition of providing a trended perspective on the
magnitude of importance food news has to Americans, the types of
news stories resonating today relative to prior years and the media
sources used for gaining information on food. The study goes on to
identify the impact of these stories across the entire continuum of
consumer engagement by measuring the degree to which these stories
changed consumer opinion, behavior and spurred advocacy.
Hunter, in partnership with Libran Research & Consulting,
surveyed 1,001 American adults and asked respondents to select the
most recalled news stories of the past 12 months. The data is
reviewed overall and by key demographics, including the age cohorts
of Millennials/Gen Zs, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers/Matures.
In summer 2018, a video of marine biologists removing a plastic
straw stuck in a sea turtle's nose grabbed national attention and
galvanized a movement to ban plastic straws. Shortly after the
video went viral, coffee mega retailer Starbucks announced that it
would begin to phase out single-use straws from its more than
28,000 locations, with a goal to eliminate plastic straws in all
stores by 2020. Two months later, California became the first state to ban
full-service restaurants from offering plastic straws to customers,
unless they specifically request them. These major moves ignited a
firestorm of consumer conversation and media coverage. Plastic
straws are recyclable, however, given their size and weight, most
are often mechanically sorted out during the recycling process and
end up in landfills and the ocean.
On a lighter note, occupying 2018's No. 2 spot:
Dunkin' Donuts Changes Name to Dunkin.' Though it's long
been on a first name basis with consumers, Dunkin' Donuts
officially dropped the "Donuts" and became simply "Dunkin'" in
September 2018. The new branding
conveys the company's desire to make itself known for more than
just doughnuts while embracing Dunkin's heritage and retaining its
recognizable pink and orange iconic logo, introduced back in
1973.
Americans of all ages continue to rank food safety stories high
in the survey, and despite environmental advocacy being the most
memorable story, food safety (44 percent) and food nutrition/health
& wellness (23 percent) are deemed the most important
topics addressed in 2018. The Romaine Lettuce Recall
came in as the No. 3 food news story of the year, with more
than three major recalls announced over the course of the year, and
the FDA Suspects Contaminated Whey is Culprit in
Salmonella-Related Recalls, ranked as the No. 9 food
news story of the year.
This year's most shareable stories appear to have more "water
cooler" potential, meaning that Americans are more open to talking
about these stories with friends, family or coworkers as compared
to sharing the original articles or sharing personal
photos/comments via social media. Two of the most sharable stories
of the year included Racial Profiling at Starbucks Spurs
Outrage, the No. 4 top food news story of the year, and
China Tariff Impacting U.S. farmers at No. 5.
Also included in the top 10 food news stories of 2018:
- With online retailers and click-and-collect services gaining
new users each day, it's no surprise that Online Grocery
Shopping Booms captured the No. 6 spot on this year's
list. According to a study by the Food Marketing Institute
conducted by Nielsen, online grocery sales are predicted to capture
20 percent of total grocery retail by 2025 to reach $100 billion in consumer sales.
- Forget unicorn food and kombucha, THC and CBD infused products
were everywhere in 2018, with Cannabis in Food and Beverages
snagging the No. 7 spot on the list. Legalization of
marijuana continues to spread among states in the U.S. – with
recreational marijuana now legal in 10 states – and food and
beverage companies are jumping on board. From THC cold brew coffee
to cannabis chocolate bars, these specialty food and beverage items
are capturing consumer attention.
- Got milk? It's up for debate! Coming in at No. 8 is
Should Plant-Based 'Milk' (Almond, Soy, etc.) Really Be Called
Milk? In July 2018, the Food and
Drug Administration signaled plans to start enforcing a federal
standard that defines "milk" as coming from the "milking source of
one or more healthy cows." Almond, soy, oat and other "milks" are
on notice.
- Combining mayo and ketchup as a dipping sauce is nothing new,
but the Launch of Mayochup, the No. 10 food news
story on the list, got saucy Americans paying attention. Heinz
stoked interest of the new condiment in April 2018 and started a full-on social media
frenzy when it finally released Mayochup in the U.S. in
September 2018.
To summarize, the top food news stories of 2018 according to the
Hunter Public Relations 16th Annual Food News Study are
as follows:
1.
Plastic Straw Bans
2. Dunkin' Donuts Changes Name to Dunkin'
3. Romaine Lettuce Recall
4. Racial Profiling at Starbucks Spurs Outrage
5. China Tariff Impacting U.S. Farmers
6. Online Grocery Shopping Booms
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7.
Cannabis in Food & Beverage
8. Should Plant-Based 'Milk' (Almond, Soy,
etc.) Really be Called
Milk?
9. FDA Suspects Contaminated Whey is
Culprit in Salmonella-Related
Recalls
10. Launch of Mayochup
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Importance of Food News Soars
This year, 35 percent
of Americans feel that food and nutrition news stories are very
important, the highest level the study has seen in recent years.
This increase traces to a surge by Millennials/Gen Zs with 83
percent saying food news is very important/important in 2018 versus
77 percent in 2017, while the importance attributed to food news
stories remained relatively flat for Gen X and Baby
Boomers/Matures. With regard to food news' importance versus other
types of news stories, the study found a substantial increase by
Millennials/Gen Zs this year, with 64 percent claiming food news is
much more/somewhat more important than other types of stories
versus 42 percent in 2017, although Boomers are also seeing the
increased relevance of this year's food news stories.
Impact of Food News on Consumer Engagement
Continuum
Almost everyone surveyed (86 percent)
was aware of at least one important food news story in 2018, and
around half of those aware were impacted through changes in
opinion, changes in behavior and/or sharing with others. Food
trends, nutrition stories and food safety tend to be associated
with the strongest changes in opinion, while food safety news and
environmental activism is associated with strongest changes in
behavior. Opinion change due to these news stories is higher for
younger Americans, those with kids and Hispanics.
Popularity of "Sharing" a Meal on Social Media
As
sharing food experiences through social media appears to become
more prominent, the study, for the first time, asked respondents if
they post pictures of food they make at home and food they order in
restaurants. Almost half of all Americans (47 percent) post their
food on social media. However, this activity climbs to 74 percent
with Millennials/Gen Z, with nearly 3 in 4 participating in food
sharing culture.
Digital Media Reigns Supreme for Consuming Food News and
Information
We continue to see a shift in how Americans
access general food news with respondents reporting that they are
turning more to digital discovery platforms (such as social media
and YouTube) and less to traditional media (such as TV, direct
mail, books, magazines or newspapers) for food information.
However, older Americans continue to more strongly utilize these
more traditional sources of media. In prior years, Hispanics were
more frequently early adopters in turning to digital media for food
information, however, in 2018 the gap narrowed somewhat, as
Hispanics and non-Hispanics are largely turning to similar types of
media for food information. Exceptions are podcasts and YouTube,
where Hispanics (17 percent and 24 percent) are more likely to turn
than non-Hispanics (11 percent and 15 percent).
Upcoming Webinar: The Food News Consumers Marketers Need to
Know
In addition to the top food news stories of the year
and their impact on consumer attitudes and behaviors, for the first
time five years ago, Hunter applied the extensive data captured in
the Food News Study to develop profiles of six types of food news
consumers, ranging from those who more often shun media connections
to those who are heavily engaged in media, utilizing both
traditional and new media forms. This year, the study re-examined
this segmentation and compared these groups to the 2013 findings.
This first of its kind longitudinal comparison, which documents how
Americans' consumption of food news has fundamentally shifted over
time, will be released by Hunter via a webinar open to the industry
in late January 2019.
For additional information about the Hunter PR 2018 Food News
Study, including detailed study results and how to join the
webinar, visit http://www.hunterpr.com/our-pov/foodstudy.html.
ABOUT HUNTER PUBLIC RELATIONS
Founded in 1989, Hunter Public Relations is an award-winning
consumer products public relations firm with primary offices in
New York and London and a footprint across North America. Beginning with research-driven
consumer insights, Hunter executes strategic marketing
communications programs that build equity, increase engagement and
drive measurable business results for branded consumer products and
services. The 120-person firm employs a powerful blend of
traditional publicity, social and digital media, influencer
engagement and events and experiences to reach the hearts, minds
and spirits of target consumers. The agency is a member of MDC
Partners Inc. (NASDAQ: MDCA; TSX: MDZ.A), one of the
fastest-growing and most influential marketing and communications
networks in the world.
ABOUT THE STUDY
The 16th annual Food News Study commissioned by Hunter Public
Relations examined the top food news stories of 2018 in terms of
awareness, consideration, intent and advocacy. The study also
explored the top media sources for food information – broken out by
recipes, general food news and nutrition.
Hunter PR partnered with Libran Research & Consulting
for this study. Libran Research addresses business issues with
critical decision-making and impartial judgment – helping to drive
action in their clients' marketing strategies and tactics. Libran
Research surveyed 1,001 Americans ages 18 years and older via an
email invitation and online survey. The respondent sample was
balanced to the U.S. population on key demographics. Results of any
sample are subject to sampling variation. For the interviews
conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that
a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1
percentage points.
The survey was implemented Oct. 25 to
Oct. 30, 2018, covering the 12-month period from
November 2017 through October 2018.
Links:
Visit the Hunter PR 2018 Food News Study Website for Study Results:
http://www.hunterpr.com/our-pov/foodstudy.html
Visit Hunter PR website: http://hunterpr.com/
Follow Hunter PR on Facebook: @HunterPR
Follow Hunter PR on Twitter:@hunterpr
Follow Hunter PR on Instagram: @hunterprny
CONTACT:
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Samara Farber
Mormar
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Hunter Public
Relations
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smormar@hunterpr.com
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(212)
679-6600
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