Welcome to the July Edition of Important Trends 2010,
ADS’ online source for timely consumer and important trend information.

“A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there ”

This issue includes trends in: consumer behavior, marketing to moms, nutrition knowledge, consumer confidence in food safety, D.C.’s official summer salad, as well as a look at ADS’ Recipe of the Month.

Consumers Enjoying Sit-down Dinners at Home More Often: Report
Progressive Grocer, July 15, 2010

According to a recent Progressive Grocer article, hectic schedules and tighter budgets have changed the way consumers cook, shop and dine. That’s the findings of a recent study according to an audience trend report from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (MSLO). The study involved 1,000 respondents over the age of 18.

“These findings underscore a real change in consumer behavior as the family meal enjoys a resurgence. People are hungry for delicious, healthy meals that can be shared with loved ones around the kitchen table,” said Lucinda Scala Quinn, executive editorial director of food at New York-based MSLO and host of the forthcoming cooking show “Mad Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn,” premiering on the Hallmark Channel in September.

The article lists these key findings of the study:

• More families sitting down for meals at home. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed enjoy a sit-down dinner at least five times per week - More than half the respondents sit down for breakfast at least five times per week.
  
  
• Magazines, websites and TV cooking shows as primary sources of culinary inspiration -  When it comes to recipes, media are more influential than word-of-mouth recommendations. Respondents cited cookbooks, recipe websites, food-focused magazines and TV cooking shows as their resources for recipes, ahead of suggestions from friends and family.
  
  
• People are actively seeking mealtime ideas - More than one-third of respondents said they use recipes for inspiration more often than they used to, and over 60 percent of respondents said health and efficiency are the most important factors when considering a recipe.
  
  
• Time-starved families share more mealtime responsibilities - Busy schedules have prompted families to divvy up everyday cooking responsibilities. Twenty-five percent of women said cooking is shared among family members and that husbands are increasingly tying on the apron.
  
  
• Forty-eight percent of those surveyed cook in larger batches to save time.
  
  
• Consumers are savvier about products they buy - Finding deals has become a source of satisfaction, and even a passion. Eighty-one percent of those surveyed said they’re proud of budgeting.
  
  
• Although supermarkets are the leading source for groceries, 55 percent said they shop at multiple retailers to get better deals.
  
  
• Consumers are purchasing healthier products at the grocery store - Ninety-five percent said they know what’s healthy for them, while 87 percent said they read food labels.

To read more, click here.

New Rules Of Mama Marketing: Older, Greener
Marketing Daily, July 12, 2010

A recent Marketing Daily article notes the motherhood market is both graying and greening, according to a new report from Experian Marketing Services, and the changes are fairly sweeping.

"The universe of moms of children 18 and under who are 35 plus has grown from 40.9 million to 44.9 million in just four years," Jan Jindra, Experian product manager, tells Marketing Daily. "And of moms who are 35 and under -- the group most likely to be influenced by advertising -- we are seeing big shifts in their willingness to buy green products."

That's exciting, she says, because typically it has been older consumers who have been most likely to purchase green products. "While the true 'Brown' segment has stayed very consistent at about 20 percent, we've seen the number of younger moms classified as 'Potential Greens' decline from 48 percent to 25 percent, as they are moving into the 'Thinking Green' and ultimately, the 'Buying Green' categories.

In the article, Jindra attributes that shift to more information available about the impact of green choices on children's health, whether it's reading about organic milk or the benefits of free-range chicken. The growth trend toward green purchases among younger moms, at this point, is outpacing the 35-and-older mothers by at least 5 percent a year.

The report also indicates that the recession -- with a more intense focus on household budgets -- has helped increase women's influence in all family purchases, with 69 percent of moms saying they are the most influential person in the household when it comes to purchasing decisions.

The study also puts the population of moms who work outside the home (either full- or part-time) at 62 percent, or 19.6 million moms, while 21.5 percent (or 6.8 million) identify themselves as stay-at-homers. Some 30.8 percent, or 9.7 million, are unmarried.

To read more about the study, click here.

Survey Highlights Lack of Nutrition Knowledge
Food Business News, July 8, 2010

Food Business News recently stated that only 12 percent of consumers surveyed can accurately estimate the number of calories they should consume in a day for a person of their age, height, weight and physical activity level, according to the International Food Information Council Foundation’s (IFIC’s) “Food & Health Survey.”

In its fifth year, the IFIC survey is designed to gain insight into how consumers view their own diets, the efforts they are taking to improve them, how they balance diet and exercise, and their actions when it comes to food safety practices. The survey was conducted with 1,024 adults over a two-and-a half-week period in April and May 2010.

Key findings:

• Of those consumers who say they are trying to lose or maintain their weight, only 19 percent said they are keeping track of calories.
  
  
• Almost half of the consumers surveyed also could not identify how many calories they burn in a day or offered inaccurate estimates.
  
  
• With regard to tracking the calories consumed during the day versus calories burned, 58 percent of the survey’s respondents said they do not make an effort to balance the two.
  
  
• Seventy percent of respondents said they are concerned about their weight status.
  
  
• Seventy-seven percent said they are trying to lose or maintain their weight.
  
  
• When asked what actions they are taking, most respondents said they are changing the amount of food they eat, the type of foods they eat, and engaging in physical activity.

The article notes a new topic added to this year’s survey was sodium consumption. Fifty-three percent of the respondents said they are concerned with the amount of sodium in their diet. Six in 10 said they regularly purchase reduced or lower sodium products. Among those who do purchase the reduced or low sodium items, the most cited products included canned soup, snacks and canned vegetables.

Thirty-eight percent of the respondents also said that low-calorie, artificial sweeteners may play a role in weight loss or weight management, and 34 percent said the sweeteners may reduce the calorie content of foods. Thirty-two percent said they consume low-calorie, artificial sweeteners to help with calorie management, according to the survey.

To read more about the study, click here.

Consumer Food Safety Confidence Remains Steady
Food Business News, July 8, 2010

For the past three years, consumer confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply has remained steady with 47 percent of consumers rating themselves as confident in the safety of the U.S. foods, according to the International Food Information Council Foundation’s (IFIC’s) 2010 Food & Health Survey. Those not confident in the safety of food and beverages fell significantly in 2010, down to 18 percent from 24 percent in 2009, and those who are neither confident nor unconfident increased to 35 percent from 26 percent in 2009.

According to the Food Business News article, the survey showed, as in previous years, there is consistency in consumers’ beliefs that food safety is primarily the responsibility of government (74 percent) and industry (70 percent). Overall, approximately one-third of the respondents (31 percent) see food safety as a shared responsibility among five or more stakeholders that include farmers and producers, retailers and consumers themselves.

In addition, there has been a decline in basic consumer food safety practices such as washing hands with soap and water (89 percent in 2010 vs. 92 percent in 2008). The same decline also was identified in microwave food safety practices, where 69 percent of survey respondents in 2010 (compared with 79 percent in 2008) follow all of the cooking instructions.

According to the article, when asked to identify the most important food safety issue today, 44 percent of respondents identified foodborne illness from bacteria as the number one issue, a decrease compared with the 2009 survey. Notable is that 39 percent of respondents identified “chemicals in food” as the most important food safety issue, an increase compared with 2009.

The survey also showed that consumers primarily are getting their food safety information from television news programming (43 percent) and the Internet (32 percent). Information from government agencies or officials was cited by 14 percent of the survey respondents.

Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they were not aware of any food supply safety practices. Among those consumers who said they were aware, improvements to packaging and “standard protocols” were the top two cited.

To read more, click here.

World's Largest Producer of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Names Washington, D.C. Among the Top 2010 Salad Markets in the U.S. 
Marketwire, July 19, 2010

A recent Dole Fresh Vegetables-issued press release on Marketwire states a study by the world's largest producer of fresh fruits and vegetables suggests that Washington, D.C., locals may actually prefer salad. 

The internal study, conducted by Dole Fresh Vegetables, ranked Washington, D.C., among the top 2010 salad markets in the United States. This means that local residents eat more salad per person than their counterparts in other U.S. cities, have the potential to eat more salad and/or are more likely to try new salad blends, experiment with salad and salad ingredients in the kitchen or serve salad as a meal.

According to the release, the exhaustive, 18-month research effort, which was part of the company's relaunch of its reinvented DOLE Salads and All Natural DOLE Salad Kit lines, surveyed the in-store buying habits and in-home consumption trends of pre-packaged salad consumers throughout the United States and Canada. 

"Despite its reputation for local cuisine, Washington, D.C., is among the most sophisticated salad markets in the country and home to an increasing number of salad lovers," said Chris Mayhew, senior brand manager for Dole Fresh Vegetables. "Our research found that salad consumers here are much more likely to use salad as a meal or as the basis for creative new lunch and dinner entrees. From a salad standpoint, the Nation's Capital is a trendsetter." 

As part of its ongoing mission to get Americans eating salad again, and facing new evidence showing that Americans are less interested in salads at a time when the latest health research suggests they need them the most, Dole late last year launched its re-imagined bagged salad line designed to reignite the country's consumption of fresh, pre-packaged salad blends and kits. 

DO YOU KNOW THE TOP 2010 SALAD DMAs in the UNITED STATES?

Determined via private research conducted by Dole Fresh Vegetables and based on a combination of per-capita consumption, consumption potential and local consumer willingness to try new salad blends and experiment with salads in the kitchen. Markets are listed in alphabetical order.

To read more, click here.

ADS Recipe of the Month –Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Click here to check out the July recipe of the month, Mediterranean Pasta Salad, provided by Chelten House Products, Inc.

You too can show off your company’s culinary genius and products! Contact Traci Strom to submit your recipe of the month.