Part 2 – Recession Trends: Fresh Food on the Chopping Block

In part one, we discussed the impact of the recent economic downturn on our dietary habits: Americans are eating out less, and turning to takeaway and processed foods instead of fresh produce.
In one 2004 paper, Dr Drewnowski, director of nutritional studies at the University of Washington, Seattle, noted that obesity in the US is a socio-economic issue (Drewnowski, 2004). Highest rates of obesity occur amongst low-income populations, who often lack money, time, access to fresh produce and information to make healthy food choices. Dr. Drewnowski found that high-income earning women have the healthiest diets, with more nutritive value for every dollar spent.

Since the recession, as incomes plummet and stress increases, it seems more and more families, especially those in lower-income demographics, are making further cuts to their eating expenditure – often opting for quick, filling, discounted products which are marketed heavily as “super savers” or “value meals”. What shoppers may not be looking for is nutrition value, hidden additives, and portion size relative to the cost of the product.
While I’m not going to delve into the intricacies of economics, or the inner workings of the human psyche (phew!), you can basically narrow down the reasons for these alarming statistics to two factors: Read more

Possibly Related Posts:

• 38% of Mobile users seek out Food Apps
• Building Loyalty with Health & Wellness
• The next target for the food conscious community
• Smart Choices RIP
• Progressive Grocer wants to know about H&W initiatives

Part 1 – Recession Trends: Fresh Food on the Chopping Block

The economy’s downward spiral has already claimed many jobs, houses and secure futures. Are our waistlines the next thing to suffer? As the world becomes accustomed to living under a gloomy economic cloud, more people are looking for ways to save – and unfortunately, fresh food seems to be the first thing ousted from America’s collective shopping basket.

Recent data show some expected consumer trends. Americans are eating out less and less, saving expensive meals for special occasions (Countries & Consumers, 2009; Lee 2009; Shea 2008). This has led to an increase in at-home dining and grocery sales – one of the few retail sectors currently expanding (3.1 per cent growth in 2009, compared with a 0.6 per cent decline across the retail market as a whole) (Talking retail, 2009). Major beneficiaries are lower-end stores who offer discounts and coupon deals, while more expensive stores are not enjoying the same boom. Consumers are more aggressively chasing deals, and are willing to go out of their way to find them. Statistics show that consumers are now more willing to “trade down” from value brands, and are opting for cheaper labels in staple items such as cheese, bread, milk and coffee. (Shea, 2008)

Unfortunately, the rise in home cooking has not led to healthier eating habits. Read more

Possibly Related Posts:

• 38% of Mobile users seek out Food Apps
• Building Loyalty with Health & Wellness
• The next target for the food conscious community
• Smart Choices RIP
• Progressive Grocer wants to know about H&W initiatives