Millenials: Young Adults Thinking Differently About Food

Newswise — Baby Boomers might get most of the press, but the 15- to 24-age group—dubbed by some marketers as the "Millenials" —are commanding the most attention when it comes to food. This according to market researchers presenting new data at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo.

As the second largest demographics group, comprising some 40 million people, the Millenials grew up on supplements and organic foods, and their attitudes will dictate the shape of the food industry, says Elizabeth Sloan, president of Sloan Trends and Solutions and marketing columnist for Food Technology magazine. For instance, Millenials are already pushing universities to provide organic options in cafeterias.

Sloan noted that brand-new research suggests some of the ideas people have about this important age group may be wrong. She says the number-one reason Millenials change their diets is not weight loss, but improvement of physical performance.

New examinations from BuzzBack Research shows that the top five criteria Millenials have for food is freshness (cited by 74 percent), easy and fast to prepare (71 percent), capable of being eaten on the go (61 percent), provides extra energy (58 percent), and is a good source of vitamins (52 percent).

Maybe surprising, of six age groups broken down by Sloan, the Millenials were most likely to prefer gourmet foods. Nonetheless they were last in wanting gourmet food to be an art form. "Boomers want their food on fancy, decorated plates," Sloan said. "Millenials want their food simple and sophisticated."

They are also the top group willing to try new foods. Yet in contrast to popular notion, the Millenials fall near the bottom of age groups desiring food with a lot of spices. "Some people think young people want everything extreme," Sloan says.

Other studies presented at the conference show that overall consumer interest in health shows no sign of abating, including the low-carb craze.

The Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo is the world's largest annual food science and ingredient conference, delivering comprehensive, cutting-edge research and opinion from food science-, technology-, marketing- and business-leaders. Now in it's 64th year, the IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo attracts up to 20,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibiting companies. The convention runs through Friday.