Shifting Food and Beverage Consumption Habits Influenced by YEMMies - Young Educated Millennial Moms

Toronto, ON - Amid the reality of rising food costs, opportunity still exists for Food and Beverage companies to find growth by focusing on shifting consumer needs, priorities and behaviours that are reshaping the marketplace in Canada. According to Ipsos' 2015 Canada CHATS report released in November, many of these trends are being influenced by YEMMies, Young Educated Millennial Moms.

Other key environmental factors like the need for convenience, demands for healthier yet simpler ingredient profiles, the requirement for personalization and the continued quest for enjoyment through experience are also contributing to decision-making among today's mindful and knowledgeable consumers.

Below are four consumer trends mined from Canada CHATS that showcase how new food era needs are transforming consumption habits.

Year of the YEMMies. A new breed of decision-maker and eating influencers is emerging from the Millennial cohort, Young Educated Millennial Moms (YEMMies). With an average age of 29 years old, they are better educated, have more spending power and are not isolated by new Motherhood but are connected and engaged. They have complex and intersecting needs for real food solutions that are nutritious and convenient.

The Shift in the Structure of Eating. In Canada, we continue to see less focus on the traditional meal occasions of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Instead, consumers are opting to eat more often throughout the day. In fact, over 65% of consumption occasions throughout the day occur in-between traditional meals, as snacks.

Quite simply put, the impact of this shifting behaviour is not changing how we eat at traditional meals but it is changing and evolving how we define a snack.

Anti-Artificial Movement Continues. As consumers continue to leverage information sources to inform mindful choices about what to eat and drink, they are becoming increasingly educated and savvy about the options available to them. Today, almost two-thirds (63%) of adult consumers read the Nutrition Facts Table to evaluate ingredient profiles. In addition, more than three-quarters of consumers report a special label on the products they consumed.

Armed with this on-package information in hand, consumers:

• Continue to identify Calories as the most important variant on the Nutrition Facts Table
• Report lower concerns over Fat compared to last year
• Detail that among the Top 10 Labels reported are All Natural, No Trans Fat, No Artificial Flavours/Colours and No Preservatives, though All Natural has declined in importance year over year
• Indicate eating less processed foods is critical to a healthy diet

Simpler, Fewer and Less. Consumers continue to shift concerns away from reactive eating to manage a wide array of preferences (Low Sugar, Low Fat) and conditions (High Blood Pressure) to focus on eating real foods that have simpler and fewer ingredients and are less processed. In fact, one in four consumers (22%) was motivated to consume a food or beverage item with simpler and fewer ingredients which is double that of a year ago.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Elen Alexov
Director, Marketing Services, North America
Ipsos
(778) 373-5136
[email protected]

Kathy Perrotta
Vice President, Canada
Ipsos Marketing
(416) 572-4419
[email protected]

About Ipsos

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