Leaders in the refrigerated foods business meet annually to network, share ideas and talk with industry experts in a wide range of disciplines.\u00a0 Following are program highlights about some of the key issues important to the refrigerated foods business.<\/p>\n
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One of the most compelling words to consumers when they purchase food for at home or away from home consumption is \u201cfresh.\u201d\u00a0 Eighty-seven percent of consumers believe fresh is healthier and tastes better, according to Sloan Trends. \u00a0As much as healthy is in demand, healthy-made-easy<\/em><\/strong> is even more desired.\u00a0 Refrigerated foods are uniquely suited to deliver on the promise of fresh taste.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is a growing interest in naturally functional foods, particularly fruits and vegetables.\u00a0 Experts agree that creating \u201chealth halo\u201d equals competitive advantage<\/em><\/strong> in restaurants and on retail shelves. \u00a0Protein is gaining positive attention related to weight loss and general health.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Consumers are looking for high quality ingredients and deals when it comes to food.\u00a0 Young consumers in particular appreciate sophisticated flavors<\/em><\/strong> and want something different every night even when they cook at home.\u00a0 Buying fresh ingredients and a speed scratch ingredient like a specialty sauce feeds this desire.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Everyday catering is up because entertaining at home<\/em><\/strong> is up 39% from 2012.\u00a0 And 27% of those who eat at home are using prepared food or take-out to make it happen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Meals on demand<\/em><\/strong> are becoming the mantra for today\u2019s consumer who snacks literally all day long and has come to consider breakfast a progressive meal with snacks throughout the morning.\u00a0 High quality prepared foods are readily available in retail and foodservice venues, and even drug stores are becoming a serious new channel for prepared foods.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Local brands are feeding today\u2019s locavores <\/em><\/strong>who want to have a closer relationship with the vendors who bring them their food.\u00a0 Although this personal connection is important, it\u2019s not possible in every category, but understanding the source and the integrity of the farmer, fisherman, rancher or manufacturers who bring the food to market is important.\u00a0 Sustainability and local ingredients are top trends among chefs and consumers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Being a foodie is on trend, and understanding the relationship foodies have with food is key to successfully targeting this group.\u00a0 New research presented by the Culinary Visions\u00ae<\/sup> Panel identified foodies by their purchase intentions, not just their interest in food.\u00a0 Mainstream consumers like to stick with their favorites but will sometimes try something new.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Foodies and mainstream consumers think differently about food and the choices they make.\u00a0 Culinary adventure and tried and true comfort are both on today\u2019s menus<\/em><\/strong>, and following are some of the trends that were discussed:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Ethnic Foods<\/strong> \u2013 foodies are the first to try new ethnic foods \u2013 micro-cuisines, cooking techniques, authentic ingredients and imaginative fusion.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Foodies and Flavor<\/strong> \u2013 foodies prefer bitter, sour and umami flavors; mainstream consumers prefer sweet and salty flavors.\u00a0 Balancing on trend flavors with power ingredients can please them both.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Invisibly Healthy<\/strong>\u2122 \u2013 the foodie\u2019s complicated relationship with healthful choices is not that different than that of the mainstream consumer. \u00a0In foodservice venues, indulgence wins out over healthfulness most often, but when making decisions in the deli for home meals, consumers are more likely to balance healthful choices that taste great with indulgent offerings.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Value \u2260 Price<\/strong> \u2013 foodies and mainstream consumers consider price and quality key attributes in making their decision in foodservice venues, but not in the same order.\u00a0 Value can be delivered at any price; price only drives decisions when there are no perceived differences among choices.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Leaders in the refrigerated foods business meet annually to network, share ideas and talk with industry experts in a wide range of disciplines.\u00a0 Following are program highlights about<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[33],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culinaryvisions.org\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culinaryvisions.org\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culinaryvisions.org\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culinaryvisions.org\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culinaryvisions.org\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/culinaryvisions.org\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":413,"href":"https:\/\/culinaryvisions.org\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216\/revisions\/413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culinaryvisions.org\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culinaryvisions.org\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culinaryvisions.org\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Naturally Functional Foods<\/h3>\n
The Way Consumers Cook and Eat<\/h3>\n
Made Close to Home<\/h3>\n
Foodie Fascination<\/h3>\n
Implications for Food Manufacturers:<\/h3>\n
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