Chicago, July 7, 2009 – In its new report, A Look into The Future of Eating, The NPD Group, a leading market research company, forecasts that “better for you” foods, such as organic and light or low-calorie foods and beverages, will be among the fastest growing food trends over the next decade. Restaurant meals eaten at home and appetizers eaten as in-home main meals are also expected to be among the fastest growing food trends, according to the report.
A Look into The Future of Eating provides a ten-year forecast of eating trends based on generational influences, population, and trend momentum gathered from NPD’s 30-years of tracking America’s eating patterns. The report covers a broad spectrum of food and beverage categories, preparation methods, meal situations, and other food-related behaviors.
Top Food Trends Eating Behaviors Expected to Grow More Important During the Next Decade |
|
| Organic | 41% |
| Restaurant meals eaten in-home | 20% |
| Light/lite/diet/low calorie labels | 18% |
| Salty/savory snack foods | 16% |
| Easy meals, e.g. fruit, snacks as meals, yogurt, bars, etc. | 16% |
| Appetizers eaten as in-home main meals | 16% |
| Leftovers as end dish foods | 15% |
| Fresh as end dish foods | 14% |
“As the population ages, levels of concern regarding food and nutrition are expected to rise,” says Ann Hanson, author of A Look into The Future of Eating and director of product development at NPD. “For this reason, ‘better for you’ food options are forecasted to grow strongly over the next ten years.”
The NPD report also identifies the foods that will be declining over the next ten years. Among the foods forecasted to decline are quick assembly lunch/dinner foods, which are dominated by sandwiches; certain breakfast foods; and side dish breads.
“NPD has been continuously tracking eating habits in the U.S. since 1980, and now we’ve taken the next step and looked at what Americans will be eating in the future,” says Hanson. “The study’s findings have major implications for food companies in terms of long-term product and packaging innovation, distribution, and recipe development.”
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,700 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, contact us, visit http://www.npd.com/, or follow us Twitter at https://twitter.com/npdgroup.