Foodies in the U.S.: Organic/Natural Foodies

Jan 1, 2009
196 Pages - Pub ID: LA2088450
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For food aficionados, food offers much more than nourishment. It offers a framework through which they can build relationships, make new friends, explore the world and even examine which behaviors are ethical. They use food to define who they are in greater society. The term foodie, which first appeared in the early 1980s, has entered the English language to describe this new type of food lover and a surrounding new culture of food. Foodies are distinct from gourmets in that their interests tend to be more wide ranging. Foodies enjoy high-end gourmet food, to be sure, but they also seek out hole-in-the-wall BBQ shacks, taco trucks and Chinatown markets. Foodies enjoy the thrill of the hunt and being the first to catch on to new food trends, and food outlets considered "authentic" carry the most prestige in the foodie world. As authenticity frequently equates to a degree of separation from big food conglomerates and corporate marketing campaigns, foodies can be an elusive target for marketers. At the same time, foodies are a desirable demographic, as they are avid, tech-savvy consumers who embrace all sorts of trends, not just those that are food-related, and who introduce these trends to their communities and peers.

Through an analysis of selected lifestyle statements in Simmons Market Research Bureau's national consumer survey, Packaged Facts has determined that 14% of U.S. adults-or 31 million-are foodies. Drawing on cross-tabulated Simmons data, this report examines foodies' demographic characteristics in depth while also discussing foodies' values and consumer habits. Following a thorough trend overview chapter, the report profiles the foodie cohort known as organic/natural foodies, pinpointing their unique characteristics across areas including demographics and attitudes, media responsiveness, shopping habits and restaurant behavior.

Read an excerpt from this report below.

Report Methodology

The information in Foodies is based on primary and secondary research. Primary research entails in-depth interviews with consultants and industry insiders to obtain information on food trends and the people that drive them. Secondary research entailed data gathering from relevant sources, including consumer and industry publications, newspapers, government reports and company literature. Dozens of charts and tables from diverse sources are included. Consumer demographics are derived from Simmons Market Research Bureau data.

What You'll Get in This Report

This report helps companies understand what motivates foodies and how to appeal to them, even in difficult economic times. It makes important predictions and recommendations regarding the future of this market. Plus, you'll benefit from extensive data, presented in easy-to-read and practical charts, tables and graphs.

How You'll Benefit from This Report

If your company is involved in the grocery or restaurant industry or launches new food products regularly, you will find this report invaluable. Because foodies also like to lead the way in other consumer areas-from shopping to fashion, nutrition matters to "green" pursuits-marketers of non-food products will also benefit from learning how to reach this trend-setting demographic.

This report will help:

  • Marketing managers identify market opportunities and develop targeted promotion plans for food products

  • Research and development professionals stay on top of competitor initiatives and explore demand for their businesses

  • Advertising agencies working with clients in the foodservice industries to help their products find an eager audience

  • Business development executives understand the dynamics of the market and identify possible partnerships.

  • Information and research center librarians provide market researchers, brand and product managers and other colleagues with the vital information they need to do their jobs more effectively.


Additional Information

Market Insights: A Selection From The Report


Local Foods Moving Into Organics’ Environmental/Political Role

Local foods are not necessarily produced without pesticides or according to other organic standards, and therefore do not offer the same perceived health benefits of organics. But as organic foods lose their environmental, political and cultural luster among the food cognoscenti, local foods are moving into the gap. And more so than any other foodie cohort, organic/natural natural foodies are inclined to care about local foods’ environmental advantages, with environment-related Simmons lifestyle statements indexing higher for this cohort than for any other. Organic/natural foodies are, for example, much more likely than U.S. adults on average to agree a lot that they buy products that use recycled paper (index of 303), buy recycled paper products (index of 286) and “would pay more for nvironmentally
friendly products” (index of 361). In fact, over two-fifths (42%) of organic/natural foodies agree a lot with this last statement.

Members of this cohort also care passionately about local issues, as 37% strongly agree that they “prefer shopping at local stores to shopping at national chains” (for an index of 279, compared with 175 among foodies overall and 87 among non-foodies). Environmental and political reasons for buying local foods include:

  • Buying local lessens the environmental impact of food production. Local foods help protect the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the fuel used to transport food long distances.

  • Buying local helps the local economy by keeping the money working in the community. It helps support family farmers and preserves local farmland. Says Jane Aiudi, Director of Marketing and Production Development at the food and rural resources division of Maine’s Department of Agriculture, “The surest means of farmland preservation is to have profitable farms” (Maine Today, March 16,
    2007).

  • Buying local has become a backlash to “industrial” food production and consumer disenchantment at organic foods going corporate.

  • Local foods are believed to use less packaging than industrial foods.

  • Local farmers are more likely to practice sustainable agriculture and to treat their animals humanely. They are also more likely to pay their workers a fair wage than farms in some distant foreign country.

  • Recent scares over E. coli-contaminated spinach and ground beef, and over tainted food ingredients from China, have caused concern about the food production chain. Local foods are believed to pose less of a disease risk, and in case of an outbreak, the chain can be easily traced.

In the News


Foodies Pilot Consumerism Beyond Obvious Culinary Curiosities

New York, December 16, 2008 - Foodies are passionate and curious and a truly American phenomenon. In the all-new report, Foodies in the U.S.: Five Cohorts: Foreign/Spicy, Restaurant, Cooks, Gourmet and Organic/Natural, market research publisher Packaged Facts reveals that the 31 million U.S. adults (14% of the population) who qualify as foodies strive to lead the way in other consumer areas such as shopping, fashion, nutrition, and automobiles.

“Some foodies don’t think of themselves as trendy, but overall they are open-minded, curious, and eager to experiment with the new. Research shows that they are significantly more likely than average adults to be the first among their friends to shop at new stores or try new styles,” says Tatjana Meerman, publisher of Packaged Facts.

Outside interests exist, but for Foodies it always comes back to pleasing the palate. For them food is more than body fuel. It is what defines who they are in a greater society. Their food passion provides a framework through which they can build relationships, forge new friendships, discover the world, and even examine which behaviors are ethical. It is for these reasons that Packaged Facts forecasts that even as most consumers seek ways to tighten spending, Foodies will continue to dine out almost daily, purchase gourmet and organic foods exclusively, or indulge themselves in exotic ingredients.

Packaged Facts uses data from Simmons Market Research Bureau to segment the overall foodie demographic into the five foodie cohorts reflected in the report title. Foreign/spicy foodies and restaurant foodies are the two largest foodie cohorts. Approximately 71% of foodies representing 10% of all U.S. adults, or about 22 million, fall into the foreign/spicy cohort. This cohort is helping to introduce the next wave of international cuisine to the American palate. Meanwhile, 65% of foodies fall into the restaurant cohort, representing 9% of all U.S. adults, or approximately 20 million. Unlike most Americans who eat at fast food chains for the sake of convenience, foodies avoid fast food and consider dining out to be a hobby or leisure activity.

Foodies in the U.S.: Five Cohorts: Foreign/Spicy, Restaurant, Cooks, Gourmet and Organic/Natural examines foodies’ demographic characteristics in depth while also discussing foodies’ values, attitudes, culinary interests and consumer habits. The report includes separate chapters on the five titular foodie cohorts. Foodie trends and opportunities, including trends among children and teens, are also explored.

About Packaged Facts - Packaged Facts, a division of Market Research Group, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of consumer industries, including consumer goods and retailing, foods and beverages, demographics, pet, and financial products. Packaged Facts also offers a full range of custom research services.

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