The current food industry is driven by consumer choices. The advancement of the processing and preservation systems have made the markets versatile and unheard of exotic foods, berries, wild fruits are now entering the consumer markets.
What does a consumer really need? Personally, I as a consumer am CONFUSED!
What does a consumer really need? Personally, I as a consumer am CONFUSED!
I think obesity is not a challenge but over eating and/or indulgent eating is - the key reason being: there is just so much to choose from - its overwhelming! but then i want to try everything withgin my budget as well.
I go into a grossary store I can practically get lost in the isles trying to read the nutritionals - the lables comparing costs, differrent brand offerrings and so on. I may have gained a little valuable information after spending substatial time at the grossary store, when all i really needed was milk, bread, vegetables and fruit, but then the next time I get there - more than half of the items that I had checked out and tried to understand have been revamped or a new company or a new brand has come up. Can i justify my spending 2 more hours trying to follow whats new? if its hard for me - who proclaims to have a little more understanding of the prepared food section in comparison to the average consumer. What are the market derivatives? I would like to underastand, what the major driving force is really looking for so that I can deliver a good product within the constraints i need to work with.
The world is becoming a meling pot of all the diverse cultures coming together - culinary trends are evolving, work styles and eating habits are changed. Most of the people who will go out of the standard grosarry purchase behavior to buy or try new foods are either one person family, or if you have kids they become buyers drive in trying new stuff.
Why the companies don't invest in more of the smaller packaging equipment? I think it would give a chance to the typical consumer outliers and all to atleast be tempted to try the new product offering, personally sometimes i hesitate to buy new stuff - but most definately wish to be able to tast the stuff but am not sure if i would like it or not and end up with a large quantity of food which i really don't want, but then again i dont know how many will share my opinion here. The market is getting flooded with all these exotic names, even if it was never paid any attention to or was growing as a stray plant a few years ago - but then all of a sudden over night one will see - its become the next big thing in the market - take for example the acai' and pomegranate. The fruit concentrates are "eww" tasting :-( I wonder if the sources are authentic anyway, but then again - the propaganda, publicity and consumer mass apeal becomes the suitable derivatives.
The need for familiar food is great especially for the migrants. The palate is so adapted and used to particular flavors and spice systems, even though they are mostly open to try out new stuff - the need for something familiar reminding them of home is always there. Anyone instersted in surveying the market trends - should in my opinion also look at the population demogarphics as consumer trends can be misleading. But then again its just my own personal opinion as I am no authority figure in marketing research.
This is my first topic related post, I will try be more upto date with the current trends and hopefully learn more as I go along on this journey of food. This whole post was inspired by the pic above from an ad by otten flavors, from prepared foods magazine, feb 2008 edn.
This is my first topic related post, I will try be more upto date with the current trends and hopefully learn more as I go along on this journey of food. This whole post was inspired by the pic above from an ad by otten flavors, from prepared foods magazine, feb 2008 edn.
Any consumer ideas and reader notes, suggestions will be highily appreciated.
