PLANT BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 2021
OK, Boomer
Survey highlights gulf between youngest and oldest consumers
Generation Z consumers are more concerned about
the sustainability credentials of food and beverage
products than Boomers, and find vegetarian and
vegan products more appealing, new research shows.
PR company Ingredient Communications surveyed
1,000 adults in the US and UK. A third of those aged
18-25 (34%) said they consider it ‘very important’ that
a product is made sustainably, compared with 18% of
those aged 65 and over.
Meanwhile, 38% of 18 to 24-year-olds said they find vegetarian
claims on products to be ‘very appealing’ and 33% said
they feel the same way about vegan claims. However, only 6%
of respondents aged 65+ said they find vegetarian claims ‘very
appealing’ and just 3% said the same about vegan claims.
It’s not only on environmental and ethical issues that the
two generations differ. The youngest consumers are much
more price sensitive. In the survey, 29% respondents aged
18-24 said it is ‘very important’ that a product is the cheapest
available, while only 3% of people aged 65+ agreed.
However, consumers aged 18-24 are much more willing to
pay extra for a product that is made entirely with ingredients
they recognize, with 67% saying they’d do so. By contrast,
only 27% of those aged 65+ would pay more.
Richard Clarke, Managing Director of Ingredient Communications,
said: “It’s no surprise that younger and older consumers
see the world differently. But this survey sheds light on
how their views diverge in the food & beverage sector. These
insights highlight the importance of aligning product development
and marketing with the worldview of your target consumer
demographic. While there will be common ground between
generations, the areas of disagreement can be quite
striking – and this means a one-size-fits-all approach is risky.”
The research, conducted by SurveyGoo in September
2020, also found that the youngest shoppers have the
strongest feelings against GMO ingredients. Two in five
(39%) said that a GMO-free product is likely to be ‘very
healthy’, compared with just 14% of over 65s.
In addition, while nearly four in ten (38%) of 18 to 24-yearolds
believe that label claim ‘gluten-free’ is a sign that a product
is ‘very healthy’, only 6% of Boomers hold this view. Accordingly,
31% of 18-24s said they find a gluten-free claim on a product to
be ‘very appealing’ compared with 8% of over-65s.
A new survey found that generations differ not only on environmental and ethical issues (Photo: Ingredient Communications)
18 · January/February 2021 ¦ international-dairy.com
/international-dairy.com
