At first glance, the “big picture” of how American adults eat has remained largely steady over the past year. But beneath the surface, generational shifts are unfolding: as Gen Z matures and Millennials move into new life stages, there is a clear distinction between older and younger consumers' eating and drinking occasions. Our latest occasion-based research highlights fundamental changes in how Gen Z and Millennials source food and what informs their choices and expectations.
Rethinking sourcing
Food sourcing is increasingly fragmented and opportunistic for younger consumers. Yes, grocery remains the dominant retail channel across the board—but Gen Z and Millennials are significantly more likely to look beyond it than older consumers.
Younger generations are increasingly turning to convenience stores, club and discount retailers, natural/specialty shops and even pharmacies. In fact, 17% of Gen Z food and beverage occasions now come from convenience stores, up 6 percentage points in just one year. This reflects a broader shift toward fluid, on-the-go and digitally influenced eating that often bypasses traditional planning and routine in favor of moments and feelings. Meals and snacks are increasingly shaped by what’s nearby, what fits the mood, what’s fast and what feels right—right now.
Eating with Emotion
This convenience-oriented approach to sourcing mirrors the layered emotional context Gen Z and Millennials bring to eating. While hunger, pleasure and health are still the top motivators across generations, younger consumers are more likely to eat in response to how they feel in a given moment—tired, bored, anxious or physically/mentally depleted. However, how younger consumers eat isn’t just driven by negative feelings. Gen Z and Millennials also over-index on wanting to connect with and impress others: considerations like friends, cultural roots and delivering the “wow” factor all inform their food and beverage experiences.
Curiosity as a core driver
Perhaps the most defining trait of younger eaters is their curiosity. In 2024, Gen Z showed significant growth in food and beverage needs tied to exploration:
- 73% want to explore new ideas/expertise about healthy living (+6 pts vs. 2023)
- 64% seek authentic global flavors (+9 pts vs. 2023)
- 68% express needs for foods or beverages with a unique story (+8 pts vs. 2023)
This curiosity is fueled by open access to information and peer influence. With so much food content circulating across platforms like TikTok and YouTube, young consumers are increasingly fluent in culinary trends, dietary hacks and global food rituals. Legacy brands especially have an untapped opportunity to better engage with this sense of play, purpose and possibility to better compete with young, disruptive brands.
Key takeaways
To stay relevant, food brands, retailers and manufacturers must rethink old assumptions:
- Focusing solely on traditional grocery could lead to missing a meaningful share of occasion opportunities. Younger consumers are sourcing food in ways that defy old models of retail loyalty. Omnichannel strategies must now consider convenience, digital and alternative channels as core—not secondary.
- Emotional and functional context need to be part of the product brief. Younger generations want food that aligns with their mood, motivations and the occasion. Legacy brands especially have an untapped opportunity to better engage with this sense of play and purpose to better compete with young, disruptive brands.
- Curiosity is a currency. Discovery is not a “nice to have”—it’s a central need and driver of food engagement among young consumers. Brands that can surprise and delight while delivering on other dimensions of value will win among younger audiences.
Activating on these shifts requires robust occasion-based insights. Our Eating and Drinking Occasions Landscape 2024 report analyzes over 12,000 eating and drinking occasions across the year, offering a detailed view of how behaviors are evolving across generations, channels and dayparts with streamlined dashboards to help you make sense of it all. Plus, our proprietary Compass Eating and Drinking Occasions Database also captures self-reported teen (13-17) and parent-reported child (0-12) occasions for added layers of insight on the youngest generations.
Curious to learn more? We’d love to help you navigate the next wave of food culture—starting with the consumers who are already redefining it.
Source:
Eating and Drinking Occasions Landscape 2024: Underlying Currents of Change, Hartman Group