OMAHA, Neb., Dec. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A continued desire
to save money will lead more Americans to eat at home in the coming
year, and consumers will rely even more on technology to shop for
bargains and make community connections, predicts Supermarket Guru®
Phil Lempert. And that's just the
beginning. Lempert, who works closely with ConAgra Foods and its
retailers, has analyzed the food industry landscape and sees an
interesting year ahead for food trends.
"2011 brought us higher food prices at unprecedented levels, in
part because of crops and livestock being destroyed by global
weather catastrophes," says Lempert. "We will continue to see
higher prices, but we will also see all the different ways
Americans love their food - in supermarkets, on television, at
restaurants and now even on their mobile phones. We are on the
verge of what may be one of the most exciting and game-changing
years in the food world."
For 2012, Lempert expects to see 10 major trends take hold in
the food industry:
Food Prices Keep Rising: Continuing a trend from 2011,
environmental conditions and higher production costs will bring
rising food prices in the coming year. As a result, consumers will
place an even heavier emphasis on the use of printable grocery
coupons, frequent shopper cards and shopping lists, while also
shopping at non-traditional food stores and trading down to less
expensive options as part of their regular routine. Furthermore,
look for consumers to augment their recipes to decrease costs and
for supermarkets to resurrect the bargain bin and to offer
"layaway" plans for large purchases, including holiday dinners.
Expect shoppers to use their mobile devices to calculate a
price-per-portion cost rather than the unit price. Using a computer
at home or smartphone in the grocery store, shoppers can visit
ConAgra Foods' ReadySetEat.com to pick a recipe they like and then
find out which ingredients are on sale at their local store.
Never Eat - or Shop - Alone Again: The rise of food blogs
has set a foundation for group experiences. Food trucks tweet their
locations and flash food raves assemble underground at midnight.
These events are not about food, necessarily. They're about the
connection, conversation and sense of community they provide. Look
for people to embrace mobile marketing enhanced by the location,
social and camera features of mobile devices. Expect app updates to
include "social rewards" for groups who shop together—much like the
original concept of warehouse clubs—offering steep discounts for
its members.
Baby Boomers Keep Right on Truckin': The 76 million
people who started turning 65 last year will become the largest
food influencers and purchasers, controlling 52 percent of the
total $706 billion spent on groceries
by 2015. Expect supermarkets to cater to Boomers not only by
offering foods and services to satisfy their growing interest in
and need for more healthful options, but also to make sure the
physical shopping experience makes them feel welcome and respected,
with wider aisles and lower shelves. Nostalgia also plays a role
with this generation, as consumers turn to brands they've known and
loved for decades, such as Orville
Redenbacher's® and Reddi-wip®.
Increased Emphasis on "Farm to Fork" Journey: Shoppers
are increasingly interested in knowing where their food comes from,
which is why 2012 will bring an added emphasis to a different kind
of food celebrity: the farmer.
A growing numbers of farmers are leading the conversation by
using blogs and social media to bring the story of the American
farmer to consumers. Expect to see more advertising and television
programs starring these real food experts, as opposed to actors
pretending to know their food.
The End of the Checkout Lane: Many shoppers are learning
to appreciate the tech-savvy nature of self-checkouts, comparing
prices at nearby retailers, cellphone scanners, in-store
interactive media devices, QR codes, RFID and mobile coupons. For
many shoppers high-tech adds to personalization with suggested
purchases and targeted offers based on their histories in the
store, which is typically delivered in a functional way. This
observation is exactly why Lempert, along with ConAgra Foods,
launched a "Smarter Shopping with Phil Lempert" iPhone® app to help
consumers make smart shopping decisions and save money at the
store.
Ethnic Food Revolution: Food trucks are replacing gourmet
and specialty stores as the channel to experiment and discover new
food experiences - especially when it comes to ethnic foods. More
often than not, these ethnic food trucks are manned by descendants
of the actual cuisines and cultures being offered, with the ability
and knowledge to share the heritage and romance of the food.
New Role of the Male Shopper: It's not about the
metrosexual; it's all about "dad" and family. According to a study
from Boston College Center for Work and
Family, "today's dads associate being a good father just as much
with the role of effective caregiver as the traditional role of
breadwinner." These men want to be engaged parents and successful
professionals. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 41 percent
of men are now doing the food preparation, as compared to half that
amount in 2003. Look for them to do more of the grocery
shopping.
Eating at Home = Extreme Home Cooking: Get ready
for yet another slowdown at foodservice establishments as more men
and women eat at home to save money. Think of it as Extreme Home
Cooking, where - following the lead of Extreme Couponers - groups
of everyday cooks pride themselves on making the most food for the
least amount of money.
ReadySetEat.com is a great resource for family-friendly, quick
and easy dinner recipes. The recipes use few ingredients, can be
prepared in 30 minutes or less and also alert whether an ingredient
used in the recipe is on sale at a local grocery store. The Extreme
Home Cooking trend also will help drive a new definition for the
"value meal," with fast food establishments and other restaurants
offering discounts based on the number of diners. Instead of senior
discounts, think party-of-five discounts.
How Sweet It Isn't: Look for reduced sugar products to be
the biggest health claim in the coming year, along with a revised
Nutrition Facts panel on food. Sugar is an ingredient that has been
the center of a lot of debates, whether it's a proposed soda tax,
changing the name of high fructose corn syrup or even the latest
update of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which recommended reducing
the amount of added sugars. ConAgra Foods has eliminated high
fructose corn syrup in the peanut butter and ketchup categories,
for its Peter Pan® and Hunt's® Ketchup products, respectively.
Listen for the Sound of Food: People judge the readiness
of some foods (like microwave popcorn or grilled burgers), by the
sounds the foods make. Multisensory perception will be one of the
new "food sciences" in 2012, as psychologists and food scientists
join forces to design, create and influence the sounds of our foods
to convey freshness, taste and even health attributes.
For more information about Phil
Lempert's 2012 predictions, visit SupermarketGuru.com, and
for simple meal ideas made in 30 minutes or less, visit
ReadySetEat.com.
ABOUT PHIL LEMPERT
Known as The Supermarket Guru®, Phil Lempert is a distinguished author and
speaker who alerts customers and business leaders to impending
corporate and consumer trends and empowers them to make educated
purchasing and marketing decisions. He is one of America's leading
consumer trend-watchers and analysts, serving as a spokesperson for
ConAgra Foods and making regular appearances on NBC News'
Today show and ABC's The View. Lempert offers
thorough food ratings, analyzes trends in food marketing and
retail, and features health advice, unique recipes, nutrition
analysis, allergy alerts and many other resources for consumers.
Learn more about Phil Lempert at
www.SupermarketGuru.com.
ABOUT CONAGRA FOODS
ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG), is one of North America's leading food companies.
With brands in 97 percent of American households, ConAgra Foods
provides some of America's long-time favorites. Consumers can find
Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Hebrew National, Hunt's Tomato Sauces
and Ketchup, Marie Callender's,
Orville Redenbacher's, PAM,
Reddi-wip, Slim Jim Meat Sticks and Beef Jerky and many other
ConAgra Foods brands in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and
club stores. ConAgra Foods operates ReadySetEat.com, an interactive
recipe website that provides consumers with Easy Dinner Recipes and
more. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business
presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet potato products as well
as other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of
well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial
customers. For more information, please visit us at
http://www.conagrafoods.com.
SOURCE ConAgra Foods, Inc.