New Report Offers Insight Into Americans' Changing Eating Habits

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Acosta Sales & Marketing, a leading full-service sales and marketing agency in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, today released The Evolution of Eating Hot Topic Report. The research report explores changes in U.S. consumers' eating habits over the years — from creating "hybrid homemade meals" to the rise of snacking — and provides guidance on how the food industry can best respond to these changes.

"The way our society views food has come a long way since the TV dinner heyday of the 1950s. From sharing recipes and photos of food on social media to a widespread fixation on healthy food and fads, we have seen a seismic shift in consumers' attitudes toward food," said Colin Stewart, Senior Vice President, Acosta. "Eating has evolved right along with society, and consumer brands and retailers must consider the dynamics, demands and preferences of today's modern family to deliver successful food and meal solutions."

The Evolution of Eating report reveals that:

Cooking from scratch is being replaced by new meal preparation options. Americans are turning to ready-to-eat and take-and-bake meal solutions and are cooking "hybrid homemade meals," such as a grocery store rotisserie chicken with a salad-in-a-bag and homemade potatoes.

• Nine out of 10 shoppers surveyed said they prefer eating at home (including cooking, bringing prepared items home or having food delivered). Of those, 61% cited comfort, 60% cited cost and 59% cited convenience as the reasons for their preference.
• Nearly half (46%) of total U.S. diners said they prepared meals at home over the past year. Millennials edge out slightly higher at 48%.
• Millennials, however, reported eating prepared foods from grocery stores at home at a much higher rate than total U.S. diners (27% vs. 16% respectively).

Eating habits vary across generations. All generations prefer to eat at home, no matter the meal type. However, interesting generational differences abound.

• Millennials reported enjoying cooking the most, while Silents were most likely to find cooking ‘a responsibility not a pleasure.'
• Millennials and Gen Xers said they eat at least five meals a day, while Boomers and Silents said they eat less frequently.
• Gen Xers did the most dinner planning while Boomers did the most lunch planning. Silent shoppers did very little planning, regardless of meal type.

Health and wellness has a transformative impact on eating. Consumers are becoming even more educated about the connection between diet and wellness and are utilizing the information to transform their shopping and eating behaviors. Healthy eating continues to evolve and shows no waning interest as consumers seek a variety of ways, beyond traditional diets, to create plans that work for them.

• The majority of shoppers (61%) ranked reading food labels as very important to their health and wellness concerns when they grocery shop.
• More than half of shoppers reported trying to eat more fruits and vegetables in the past year.
• Shoppers reported increased interest in eating more whole grains and buying foods with fewer preservatives.

The Evolution of Eating was compiled using research conducted by Acosta, as well as the company's experience working with the nation's largest CPG manufacturers and retailers. To access the full report, visit www.acosta.com/hottopicreports.

About Acosta Sales & Marketing

Acosta is the sales and marketing powerhouse behind most of the trusted brands seen in stores every day. The company provides a range of outsourced sales, marketing and retail merchandising services throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more than 85 years, Acosta has led the industry in helping consumer packaged goods companies move products off shelves and into shoppers' baskets. For more information, visit www.acosta.com.

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