06.20.2007

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4 Key Implications of the Globalization of Food Preferences

Recently we posed what was thought to be a pretty basic question to several young consumers in their late teens and early 20s:

You and a friend decide to go out for lunch tomorrow and it's your turn to pick, where are you going to go?

Without hesitation, the answers rolled off their tongues, Thai, Chinese, Bento, Mexican, Pho, Indian, Teriyaki, Taco truck...

Every single kid - all 15 of them - mentioned a cuisine (Thai) or a preparation (Teriyaki), and in each case their answers reflected an international selection. As a follow up we asked about McDonald's, Taco Bell, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC and the like. While several admitted occasionally dining at these restaurants, the consensus was pretty clear. As one unusually articulate young consumer noted, "American food sucks."

The general pattern of these consumers' responses matches a consistent finding in our ongoing research. Namely, Americans - especially young Americans - have become completely comfortable, if not enchanted with, the foods, cuisines and menus of foreign lands. To be certain, our comfort level varies (generally the older and more rural are somewhat less open to foreign or "ethnic" cuisines), but the big picture is clear: We are rapidly evolving into a culture marked by truly global food preferences.

Moreover, we believe this is a permanent development, the inevitable consequence of the inexorable march of globalization. Trust us, should the youth of today ever find themselves in assisted living communities as they enter their declining years, they will not be content to dine on roast beef, fried chicken, spaghetti, hamburgers, hot dogs or any of the other menu preps that defined the American way of life for most of the 20th century.

4 Key Implications

We believe there are four important implications of these developments for those in the retail food industry:

1) Firstly, we will witness the slow demise of a common understanding of an American way of eating. To be certain, families and other institutions will always have their own food traditions and preferences, and certain food items (e.g., hot dogs or hamburgers) may continue to enjoy long-standing popularity within our culture. But the idea that there will be a "commonly understood" cuisine served at critical ritual occasions such as weddings, parties or summer picnics is quickly becoming a thing of the past. One need merely consider the diversity of preparations gracing wedding menus to get a sense of what we're referring to here.

2) Those of us born after, say, the late 1990s will pick freely from a truly global palate. As part and parcel of our ongoing consumer research we routinely interview families whose young children may opt for scones for breakfast, Yakisoba for lunch, playful Japanese candy while shopping for dinner, before returning to an evening meal of papadams and curried chicken. This is not a blip on the trend map but, rather, a permanent feature of globalization.

3) Conversely, as a reaction to the spread of globalization, there will be also be a permanent and growing interest in all things regional, local and authentic in the world of food. Organizations such as the Slow Food movement will continue to expand, and as well we will continue to see growth in artisanal products and heirloom fruits and vegetables. But the important thing for all of us in the food business to remember here is that authenticity is not an objective status but, rather, a fabricated designation referring to a product, process or "way of doing" to which certain critical parties (food critics, experts, artisans, craftspeople, the food industry) have lent their support.

In other words, while the consumer interest in authenticity may seem, at first glance, to limit marketplace opportunities (how many authentic cheeses are there from Vermont?), the reality is exactly the opposite. In fact, it's possible for there to be thousands of authentic cheeses from Vermont. All that is necessary is a horde of interested artisans, a network of cooperative actors (critics, writers and the like), and a slew of impressive narratives.

4) Most troubling of all, we believe we're going to witness a long, steady decline of consumer interest in many of the legacy brands that dominated the American commercial landscape of the past century. In one sense we're already witnessing this phenomenon with declining center store sales and the rise of private label brands such as Trader Joe's, but a more fundamental problem is that the consumer of tomorrow is going to be thinking in terms of preparations, flavors and ingredients rather than branded food products. Packaged cookies, canned soups and frozen dinners will be replaced by desires for Biscotti, Fettuccini Alfredo, Chicken Mole or Rasam soup.

True, consumers may not always have the interest or time necessary to create those preparations themselves, but that won't be a problem, because the successful grocery store of the future's perimeter area will resemble an international food court. And truth be told, we needn't really even speak of the future as many of the most successful grocers currently resemble this model now.

To put things most simply, if your prepared foods case is currently stocked with potato salad, Jell-O salad, cole slaw, fried chicken and the like, you had better rethink your model, and do so with utmost urgency. While these foods are surely familiar, and may provide comfort in their nostalgia, they are not the foods capturing the imagination of existing and future American shoppers.

And come to think about it, do you think anyone who would really want to dine on cole slaw, potato salad and spaghetti from a can?

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