Nearly two-thirds of American adults have reevaluated their life priorities due to the pandemic, and this has had a major effect on their food and drink habits. Consumers are now more likely to have flexible dietary needs, depend on e-commerce, and take a proactive approach to health. The amount of convenience foods people buy is influenced by time constraints, prices, the food environment, and financial resources. Ready-to-eat foods range from bananas to frozen pizza and require little or no preparation.
Understanding what motivates people to buy these foods is important for public health, as they are often associated with lower nutritional value. This growing demand gives formulators an opportunity to innovate consumer trends with a simple, portable solution. Almond and almond-based ingredients are versatile and can be used in numerous convenience food and beverage trends. Households where all adults are employed buy 12 percent less ready-to-eat food in grocery stores and 72 percent more food in full-service restaurants than households where not all adults are employed.
SNAP participants tend to buy more food at grocery stores and less at restaurants than non-participants who are eligible for SNAP. Jenny combines her experience in trends with food and beverage topics such as health, formulation, sustainability, and premiumisation. Mental and emotional health should be considered a long-term trend, as 18-34 year olds are the most likely to be open to mental health solutions. While convenience foods save time, they tend to have lower nutritional values and may be more expensive than foods that require more time to prepare.
Consumers are looking for ways to counter fast lifestyles, support local food, and combat declining interest in where food comes from.
