Millennial Nutrition

by karen on May 10, 2019

Born between the early 1980s and mid 1990s, millennials are key influencers of the foods we see when grocery shopping and eating out. This generation of folks in their early 20s to mid 30s spends the most money on food, particularly prepared foods and foods eaten out, and they are the largest generation to date (75.4 million strong in the United States), so their dollars speak to food companies.

Millennials value fun, creativity, travel, and adventure, and expect their food experiences to incorporate these aspects. Millennial parents look at cooking with family as a way to bond with their kids, have fun, and create the next generation of foodies, but at the end of the day, they do put health as a greater priority.

Millennials know it’s important to eat healthfully but admit to not always eating as well as they would like. They have a pretty good nutrition knowledge base, believing a healthful meal to include lean meat, starch, fruits, and vegetables, but their actual meals contain too much red meat and fried food, with few or no fruits and vegetables.

Millennial Food Stats

  • 52% of those who buy organic are millennials
  • 65% of millennials are using or plan to start using meal delivery services
  • 79% look at the list of ingredients on food labels
  • 51% check packaging labels to ensure positive social and environmental impact
  • 73% are willing to pay more for sustainable brands
  • 38% say fair-trade is very important in making food purchases
  • 83% agree that a home-cooked meal is healthier than a meal from a restaurant
  • 69% take pictures of their food before eating it
  • 24% of millennial’s annual income is dedicated to eating out

 

Millennial-Impact Food Trends

  • Farm-to-table restaurants—keeping food local helps increase the availability of fresh foods that are free of pesticides, hormones, and additives, and reduces the carbon footprint of the foods we consume
  • Transparency—you may see a table tent at your restaurant that speaks to the impact of their recycling program or that the company donates a portion of proceeds to a charity
  • Social responsibility—restaurants and food companies that take care of their employees and the community score big with this generation, and we all benefit as a result
  • Reduced food waste—there’s a push for food companies and restaurants to donate unused food to local communities, and there are increasingly more examples of getting around the concern of a lawsuit should a foodborne illness arise from the donation
  • Healthy choices—millennials are the driving force behind the new release in multiple fast food chains of “meatless” meat options, a result of the desire for healthier choices that are environmentally sustainable. It may come as no surprise that millennials have the largest percentage of vegetarian and vegan eaters of all the generations.

Men, Women, Apparel, Woman, Man, Couple, People, Happy

Maybe you, too, could benefit from looking at the world the way a millennial does. Next time you meet someone in their early 20s to mid 30s, thank them for their positive influence on the food trends that are giving us healthier food choices, taking better care of the members our communities, and safeguarding our planet. It’s impressive!

Stay tuned for next week’s blog, where we’ll look at whether millennial’s food beliefs are paying off in terms of their health.

Karen Fisher, MS, RD, LDN, CDE is a dietitian in Reno, Nevada, happily promoting the benefits of healthy foods at her nutrition consulting firm, Nutrition Connection. Find her website at www.NutritionConnectionNV.com

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