Consumer Concerns

Foodservice customers, particularly influential Millennials and Gen Z, are very attuned to the problem of food waste, and they are looking to the food and beverage industry to help solve it.

CHAPTER 3

Consumer Concerns

THE SOCIAL BENEFITS RESONATE MOST WITH CUSTOMERS

It stands to reason that operators would be concerned about food waste; in fact, says Technomic, 96% consider food-waste reduction to be important to their businesses, largely as a means of cost control.

41% of college students believe waste reduction is a top initiative that food operators should be implementing.¹

Consumers are also concerned; a notable majority (83%) of consumers think that reducing food waste is important, according to Technomic. However, while 94% of consumers practice food-waste reduction at home, almost one-third (30%) of them indicate that they are not familiar with food-waste reduction in foodservice at all. Obviously, this gap in knowledge represents a challenge for operators.

Not surprisingly, patron familiarity with the problem of food waste is influenced by demographics. Familiarity with food-waste reduction in foodservice is highest among Millennials (11% are very familiar), while 44% of Baby Boomers and 43% of Matures indicate that they are not familiar at all.

Hunger relief is the second most important social issue (after health/medical), cited by 50% of consumers in all age groups.²

In general, according to Technomic, social benefits, rather than environmental and economic ones, are the primary drivers of importance for consumers. Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to consider environmental issues, such as carbon footprint and energy conservation, than are older consumers. Nearly three-quarters of Matures valued the potential cost savings, while economic factors mattered less to younger consumers.

Awareness of the waste-reduction strategies that would influence consumers to visit a given restaurant offer another window into their concerns. The initiatives include donating excess food to charities, converting scraps to animal feed, composting, repurposing edible food, serving smaller portions, using all parts of a vegetable or protein, using smaller plates at a buffet or food bar, and using imperfect produce.

Younger consumers are more influenced than their elder cohorts by recent trends such as upcycling food, root-to-stem or nose-to-tail eating, and the use of “imperfect” produce, as they tend to be more adventurous eaters.

This consumer embrace of less-wasteful ingredient usage—which reflects increased concern over the environment and sustainability, as well as trends toward more adventurous eating—is particularly true of proteins. For example, 59% of consumers who eat pork regularly say they would order an “off-cut’’ of pork at a restaurant, such as belly or shank, while 45% of regular beef consumers would order an off-cut of beef like oxtail, tongue, or bone marrow at restaurants. Moreover, 15% of beef and 19% of pork consumers are eating cuts they didn’t eat a year ago.

9% of adults consider the environment as a top factor when making food and beverage purchase decisions, and it’s young adults, ages 18–44 years old, who are most likely to feel this way.³

OPERATOR SPOTLIGHT
Loyal Nine, in Boston, prides itself on more sustainable menuing, including turning produce into pickles and fritters, and by utilizing “off-cuts” of protein in such items as Roasted Chicken Hearts; Smoked Pork Belly; Smoked Pork Hock Scrapple; and Sunchoke & Turkey Neck Porridge.

^{_{Source: Technomic, “The Benefits of Waste Reduction and How to Achieve Them” (2019). Additional Sources: [1] Technomic Ignite, Noncommercial (May 2019). [2] Datassential, Personal Values & Food (2018). [3] NPD, Health Aspirations & Behavioral Tracking Service (2019).}}