Americans are full of good intentions. In the past couple of years consumers have cut down on alcoholic beverage consumption or stopped drinking completely; eschewed meat in favor of meat substitutes; and supported sustainability in its many guises.
These resolutions, however, are waning in the wake of the coronavirus and the economic uncertainty it’s accelerated, show findings from the report Shifting Sands: Trends Shaping the Food Industry in 2020/21 from trend forecaster Culinary Tides.
Sober Curious Reversal
While the sober curious movement had been gaining momentum, that may be reversing as consumers become fearful of COVID-19 and its impact on the economy, according to Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides, who anticipates a rise in alcohol consumption. “When times are difficult, consumers drink,” she said.
In fact, it’s already happening. According to Nielsen data, sales of alcoholic beverages rose 22 percent during the week ending March 28 vs. the prior year.
Badaracco expects to see people drinking more beer, including craft to support local brewers and familiar varietals of wine such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as simple mixed drinks like gin and tonics.
Hard seltzer will continue to be popular, she says, because it’s approachable, lower in alcohol and a good mixer. However, what will lose out are complex mixed cocktails, since most drinking is now happening at home.
The consumers who will hold out longest on their sober stance will be the younger ones, Badaracco said, because they haven’t been drinking that long in general, so it’s less of a formed habit.
Eschewing Faux Meat
Products like the Impossible Burger, which tout the flavor of meat but no meat products, have been the darling of consumers and the marketing world for the past couple of years. They’ve been primarily consumed by meat-eaters, rather than vegetarians, and Badaracco expects to see an end to this trend, which, she said, “was already heading south because people just want meat.”
Consumers are also realizing that with their long ingredient lists, these products are not good for them, she said. “One of the biggest mistakes they made was going into retail because people could read the ingredient panels. Before that they were sexy and delicious.”
And, said Maeve Webster, president of foodservice consultancy Menu Matters, “as consumers grapple with anxiety and uncertainty they’re going to turn to the foods they feel most comfortable with and are willing to give up a bit of health to feel good in the midst of this crisis.”
No Longer Sustainable
Expect to see a sudden drop-off in the purchase of sustainable food and beverage products, said Badaracco. With COVID-19 increasing unemployment numbers, shoppers simply don’t have the money for these higher-cost products anymore, especially younger consumers, she said, who were driving a lot of the demand.
“Once economics become a problem – which it is now – people will abandon anything that costs any bit of money, even if the desire is still there,” she said, though she does expect this trend to bounce back once normality returns.
from Industry Operations https://ift.tt/2JNj69N
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