Taste for Food
April 1 2003
When eating out, consumers' priorities are the taste of the food and knowledge of its ingredients. However they will sacrifice taste for products that are easier to prepare when shopping for food. Although on the whole, consumers make decisions in the same way when eating out and when buying food in a supermarket, their expectations of taste are higher when eating out according to IGD's Consumer Tracker in the UK, part of the Consumer Watch series.
Four main findings emerged from IGD's research:
- Liking the taste is more important in foodservice -The most important influence on food choice when eating out is taste and 24% of consumers cite this as the top influence, compared to only 10% in retail. When at home, they may compromise and choose a product that they think might not taste as good, but is quicker and easier to prepare.
- Familiar brand names have a minor role in foodservice -In a supermarket, 15% of consumers look for a familiar brand name and only 2% do this in foodservice. Established brand names are clearly holding onto their place in consumers' hearts and new entrants to the market face a challenge in competing against them. Familiar brand names are therefore challenged to stay fresh and innovative in the face of competition.
- Foodservice offers consumers a greater opportunity to try new foods. 5% of consumers see eating out as a chance to try new foods. For the majority, eating out is still a treat and so people want to eat foods that they know they are going to enjoy.
- Knowledge of ingredients is essential in both environments. Knowing all the ingredients in a meal or product is important to 14% of consumers when they are eating out and 15% when they are shopping for food. They want to know about ingredients for two main reasons: to know what the product tastes like and to check for any potential impact on theirs or the family's health, e.g. allergies.
Concerns about taste and health are likely to drive this desire for knowledge, but getting the information across to consumers in a foodservice environment may be challenging. Solutions may include having two versions of menus, one with more detailed information, or increasing the detail in the description of the meal to help people understand what it will be.
Dr Richard Hutchins, Business Director IGD said 'The similarities in the way consumers make decisions when eating out and doing the food shopping suggest that they too are blurring the boundaries between foodservice and retail. Foodservice operators must strive to provide products which taste great to satisfy the consumers' primary motivation when eating out. Brands face a stiff challenge in this market, as they are not something that consumers look for when making decisions. However when they have decided, it is likely that the presence of a familiar brand name will give them confidence in the product. Innovation is a major challenge and opportunity for foodservice. For example while it is seen by consumers as the main way to try new foods, this means that continual innovation is needed in planning menus. Retailers on the other hand need firstly to communicate the level of innovation involved in their products and secondly to give confidence to consumers who believe they would not be able to prepare the same kind of meal at home. This could be done for example by offering recipe cards, in-store demonstrations or detailed instructions on packs.'
All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.
