Here we look at the exact ways that millennials’ eating habits are changing the food industry and how. For example, one of the biggest changes has been the development of food preparation delivery services that have started popping up on the new business enterprise horizon. We look at three of those specifically, and why they are answering a need for this generation of people.
1. Health
Without a doubt, food and the impact it has on our health is far better understood by millennials than previous generations. Processed food is slowly being avoided as well as genetically modified food which is being dodged for food that is totally natural. As a result, millennials are demanding that food is not only low fat or simply branded as healthy, but also needs to be organic.
2. Local Produce
In addition to our health, millennials are far more aware than previous generations as to the impact our food choices have on the environment around us as well as the manufacturers and outlets they buy food from. Farming standards and techniques are more widely understood and how some can have negative effects on the environment through mass production. This has the result that millennials want to buy food that is produced locally and most probably by a small business.
3. Eating Out
Eating out is a trend that is far more popular with millennials than it ever was for their parents or previous generations. The reasons that drive this trend vary. For some, it is simply the lack of want to cook, while for others it is the rise of cheaper restaurants that give them the ability to eat out more on the same pay packet.
4. New Food
While some may lumber millennials with certain negative associations, one thing is for sure, when it comes to food they are willing to try anything. This is why there are so many different cuisines available now, both in terms of restaurants but also prepared food in our supermarkets and grocery stores. As a generation, they are far more curious and open to trying a new ethnic cuisine than their parents were before them.
5. Eco-friendly
Customers of the millennial generation are also driving the increase in food outlets that only employ environmentally friendly ways of providing food. The main targets here are coffee shops and fast food chains that have, in the past, been guilty of offering food in containers, along with cutlery, that is single use only. Millennials are aware of the impact that these single-use plastics have on the world and so are demanding change by only giving custom at places that are deemed eco-friendly.
6. Have Food Delivered
While having a take away is nothing new, millennials are different in how they go about having food delivered given the way that technology has brought change to the humble Friday night takeaway. People can order food from their favorite restaurant and have it delivered to their door with only a few taps on their mobile – importantly from restaurants that don’t actually do delivery themselves. Instead, they sign up to a third party provider, so that everyone is a winner. Restaurants still get the custom, but their customers get to enjoy their food at home.
7. No More Coupons
Millennials are simply far more hesitant to use coupons or shop around for coupons, than any other generation. This has a big effect on what food outlets and producers have to do in terms of marketing and how they price things. Instead of offering coupons to give their customers discounts, they have to provide price specific offers in-store or online to bring the customers in.
8. Prepared Food
Millennials have driven a huge surge in prepared food being stocked on supermarket shelves, like pre-prepped vegetables or ‘just cook’ meat dishes. This again harks back to a millennial’s lack of want to cook coupled with a perceived lack of time to prepare food too. If it is done for them, they are much more willing to buy it, then opposed to something that needs to be peeled or chopped.
9. Baby Food
As Millennials start to procreate, the impact that their food wants have on the baby food section is starting to make itself be known. There is and has been, a huge rise in the use of organic food in baby food as well as a demand in simply making the quality of what is on offer for kids far better. This means that sugar is an absolute no to add to any baby food along with a rise in healthy snacks and finger food that helps new mums and dads continue their ‘baby led’ weaning.
10. Meal Kit Services
One of the biggest changes that a Millennial’s approach to food has encouraged is the surge in meal preparation delivery services. These services deliver ingredients to a customer’s door along with a recipe for them to follow so that they can make their own meal, without the effort of having to go to the supermarket to buy the right food. They are an excellent example of how Millennials have created a hole in the market with their want for fast, healthy food, that the food industry is having to address.
Check out our favorite food delivery services we tested and read our extended reviews so you would be able to decide which one is the best subscription option for you.