Captivating Connections.

organic & food-allergy marketplaces are set to be fruitful.

According to new research, both the organic market and the food-allergy market  have only just begun to bear 'fruit' and enjoy success.

According to a report from Global Industry Analysts, Inc., thanks to an increase in food sensitivies and allergies, "the global market for food allergy/intolerance products will continue to explode, reaching a projected $26.5 billion-plus by 2017." This can't be shocking for most of you; if you poll a group of 10-20 people, I can almost guarantee someone will have some sort of allergy, senstivity, intolerence, etc. In fact, in the past decade alone, food allergy incidences have risen ~10.5%. That's crazy!

This is great news for those who suffer from these allergies and issues, as it means they'll have more and more options to choose from. Suffering from ANYTHING is hard enough; having increased options to enjoy and make everyday life feel more 'normal' is a great thing.

I'm not sure if this has a halo effect on organic foods, or if organic foods is enjoying it's boom due to an increased focus on health & wellness in the U.S., but, according to the Organic Trade Association, "sales of organic products rose 9.5% in 2011 to $31.5 billion, crossing the $30 billion mark for the first time." While price is still an issue (many consumers dismiss organic foods because they consider them to be too expensive compared to generic products), as the recession's effect subside, consumers are increasingly open to investing in organics for themselves and their families.

So how does this growth break out?

- Organic food sales grew by 9.4%

- Fruit and vegetables accounting for 41% of all purchases

- Dairy products came in second with 14.6%,

- Packaged and prepared foods followed with 13.6%

-Meat, fish and poultry is the fastest-growing of the eight food categories, up 13% from 2010 (it should be noted that it still remains the smallest, accounting for just 1.8% of all organic food sales)

Of course organic (just like healthier foods) faces issues due to consumer confusion (people don't understand the difference between terms like 'organic', 'natural', 'local', etc.), but this is a great opportunity for brands to help consumer gain shopping confidence by helping them better understand the many terms they see in the grocery store, and recognize how to shop smarter and better (no matter how they define 'better').

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/173164/organic-heats-up-breaks-30-billion-mark.html?edition=46089#ixzz1t4B45M5g

what was your favorite new product of 2011?

There's so many products launching every year sometimes it's difficult to keep track. However, like anything in life, the best tend to rise to the top.

According to the 2012 Best New Product Awards (BNPAs), "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bath Scrubber with Febreze won best overall product launch, as well as its category, household products. Sargento Natural Blends Cheddar-Mozzarella Cheese Snacks won for best launch within food and beverages, and Natural Johnson’s Natural Kids 3-in-1 Shampoo, Conditioner & Body Wash won best within the health and beauty category"

See the full list here.

What was really interesting was the look at consumer behaviors and attitudes towards the product categories they voted on. For example:

Food/beverage insights:

• Five in 10 -- in other words, half -- of adult shoppers consider themselves to be overweight. The same proportion say they are trying to reduce carbs in their diet, while seven in 10 are trying to reduce the amount of fat they consume.

• 86% continue to believe there’s a lot they can do with food and nutrition to prevent illness, and 65% say they are trying to reduce the risk of major health issues with their food choices (up from 62% a year ago).

Health/beauty:

• Only 25% of shoppers have been under the care of a dermatologist in the past five years.

• However, five in 10 feel that they have sensitive skin and look for appropriate products. The ingredients shoppers avoid most in skin care products are ammonia, peroxides and alcohol.

• Trust in the product can be built through dermatologists' recommendations, brand-name equity and consumer research that backs up product claims. 81% consider it extremely important than their beauty/grooming products are from a trusted brand, and 60% consider it extremely important that products are tested by dermatologists. Consumer research is trusted by 70% to 80% of shoppers, depending on the medium.

Private- label:

• More than nine in 10 shoppers have purchased private-label products in the past year.

• Seven in 10 shoppers have purchased private-label over-the-counter health products, up from just under six in 10 last year, making it the strongest category for private-label brands outside of food.

• National beverage brands are faring better than food brands. While nine in 10 shoppers have purchased private-label food products, less than half recall purchasing private-label beverages.

Environment:

• Just four in 10 shoppers are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products, but more than eight in 10 appreciate it when the manufacturer bears the burden of producing environmentally friendly packaging.

What were you favorite product launches of 2011?

gluten free is quickly becoming the way to be (or at least way more accessible).

According to Technomic, "menu items billed as gluten-free increased by 61% between 2010 and 2011, reflecting greater demand both by consumers with gluten allergies or intolerance and those who just consider gluten-free foods to be healthier." 

That's quite an impressive change for restaurants and food culture. However, that's not all, as restaurant operaters are learning to better provide information and options for those with increasing allergies and food needs...

Because "73% of consumers want restaurants to provide clear information about their food’s fat, sodium and sugar content, and potential food allergens," restaurants are working harder than ever to not only provide increased offerings, but to call them out, and really show consumers what variety is available so no consumer feels left out.

Pretty impressive.

what's the difference between QSRs & C-Stores? not much, according to consumers.

According to research from Technomic, "as convenience stores continue to expand their meal and snack offerings, more consumers are using c-stores and quick-serve restaurants interchangeably."

Based on the consumers surveyed...

- 27% surveyed about their most recent convenience-store foodservice purchase indicated that if they had not bought their meal from the convenience store, they would have purchased it from a fast-food restaurant.

- 82% said they purchase prepared foods from these stores at least once a month.

- 52% said they do so at least once a week.

-  27% said they purchased an afternoon snack during their most recent visit to a convenience store

    - 19% reported purchasing lunch.

    - 23% also indicated that they bought a beverage.

Spill it: What does convenience mean to you? How does it impact your shopping patterns?

will cookbooks soon RIP?

Cookbooks are one of those weird, random things that I love to collect. One of my favorite possessions is my grandmother's ORIGINAL Joy Of Cooking cookbooks, which includes her handwritten notes on some of her favorite recipes. I'm looking forward to passing it on to my kids one day.

Or will I even need to?

According to the NYTimes, "with the boom in tablet technology, recipes have begun to travel with their users from home to the office to the market and, most important, into the kitchen. With features like embedded links, built-in timers, infographics and voice prompts, the richness of some new apps — likeBaking With Dorie, from the baking expert Dorie Greenspan; Jamie Oliver’s20-Minute Meals; and Professional Chef, the vast app released last month by the Culinary Institute of America — hint that books as kitchen tools are on the way out."

What do you think? Do you use cooking or baking apps?

do you really read nutrition labels?

Lots of people may make a fuss about the calories or fat on a food label, but just how carefully do they read them?

University of Minnesota researchers used eye-tracking devices to determine this. Their results?

"Key finding #1: People don’t check the specific components in the NF label as often as they think they do.

The good news was that while only 26% of participants self-reported that they “almost always” look at NF labels, 37% of them actually viewed at least one nutrition component on the label for nearly all food items presented. (The researchers said that this likely reflects NF labels’ positioning on the sides/backs of real packages, whereas the labels were more visible on the test screens – see #2 below.)

Key finding #2: The label’s positioning affected viewing patterns.

Participants read 61% of the label when it was in center screen, versus reading 37% and 34% of the labels when they were on the left-hand and right-hand sides of the screen, respectively. Further, they looked at center-positioned labels 30% longer than labels positioned to the right or left on the screen.

Key finding #3: Most participants viewed components at the top of the label more than those at the bottom, with the focus usually on the top five lines.

The implications? The researchers concluded that 'because knowing the amounts of key nutrients that foods contain can influence consumers to make healthier purchases, prominently positioning key nutrients, and labels themselves, could substantially impact public health.'"

what's up with the bite-size craze?

The New York Times has finally caught onto an interesting trend I've been seeing around NYC: tiny, bite-size versions of snacks and treacks (think Baked By Melissa's cupcakes). What boggles the mind is that I've seen relentless crowds outside these places, and the prices for these bite sized treats are often insane compared to what you physically get.

It's not just gourmet spots; plenty of big brands are making 100-cal packs or 'snack' size snacks (WTF!). So, what's up with that? The NYTimes has framed the issue perfectly, asking "why do we find tiny-size sweets enchanting, if they are inherently less satisfying? Or to frame the problem another way: Everybody knows that “fun size” candy bars are a trick-or-treating staple, but nobody has ever explained what’s fun about them."

So? What's up? Apparently there's a few reasons that may be the culprit...

1. Health & economy: "Some of the answers have to do with today’s atmosphere of carbophobia and cautious spending."

2. The psychology of desserts. According to  Brian Wansink, a Cornell professor and the author of “Mindless Eating,” "most people...will be more satisfied by eating a 50-calorie cupcake than a dozen carrot sticks with just as many calories, because the sense of deprivation is less and the craving for “bad” food is calmed, if not entirely extinguished." As he puts it, "smaller treats give people license to eat it all, which is a very powerful thing. Psychologically, it’s exciting and comforting.”

Thoughts?

who's fault is it that we're so fat?

Holy heifer!

"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of us -- 33.8% -- are obese, as are 17% of our children."

Yowza.

Who's fault, though, is it really? Our families? Stress? Big business?

According to Deborah Cohen, senior natural scientist at research firm Rand Corp. and co-author of "Prescription for a Healthy Nation," it's food brands' fault.

She "believes that the Krafts and McDonald's of this world must shoulder a lot of the blame. She said that in some ways consumers can't resist unhealthful food all the time because humans are hard-wired to want sugary and fatty food. Combine that with what some consider constant marketing messaging, and it's difficult to resist the temptation."

Check out her argument here.

What do you think?

did you eat breakfast this AM?

If not, you're among the 10% of U.S. consumers who skip breakfast every day.

(Didn't you ever heat that it's the most important meal of the day?!)

According to research by The NPD Group, "men 18 to 34 years old skip breakfast the most...28 percent of men in this age group skipped breakfast.

Adults 55 and older skipped breakfast the least, with only 11 percent of males in this age bracket missing the meal and 10 percent of females avoiding the first meal of the day. Regarding teenagers aged 13 to 17, the percent of youngsters who are awake but don't eat or drink anything in the morning came in at 14 percent, the research revealed."

So, what's with the meal skipping?

"Top reasons individuals gave for not eating anything before 11 a.m. was not being hungry or thirsty, or they didn't feel like eating or drinking. Other reasons were consumers were too busy, had time constraints or were running late."

Makes you hungry just reading this, right?

 

how do you do lunch?

Personally, on the days that I remember/have time for lunch, I've started relying on snacks I keep around the office. Pathetic, I know. Apparently I'm not even in line with my own generation!

According to a new Lunch Consumer Trend Report from Technomic, Inc., "Millennials are the heaviest users of restaurants/foodservice options at lunch, but they're also the most likely age group to rely on 'value' items for luncheon meals."

Apparently I'm out of the loop of what my fellow Gen Y lunchers are doing. But what about everyone else?

"Baby Boomers are motivated heavily by value, but other significant motivations include health and quality of food," while "the most health-conscious consumers skew 45 and older, so their value equation is different than that of a younger person who sees value primarily as a price issue. Older consumers are less likely to perceive value in dollar menu items because of the broader context of their motivations.

At the same time, one-third or more of adults overall indicate that various better-for-you options and sustainability are important or extremely important to them when choosing lunch items in restaurants/foodservice venues."

So, what are your lunching habits? Do they match your generation's?