4 F&B Consumer Insights for Executives in 2019

‘The bowl’ – the name for an increasingly popular all-in-one meal found in America’s trendiest neighborhoods – is the fastest-growing method to serve food today. An enticing combination of versatility, ease, and aesthetic, the bowl hits the mark for what up-to-date consumers want. The rapid rise of bowls provides significant opportunities for restaurants, grocers, retailers and the CPG industry alike; bowls already hold 14% year over year growth, and are featured in menus of more than 12% of restaurants and counting. The dish offers the food industry a way to capture and own forward-thinking ideas, like the following.

• The rising popularity of bowls affords a new opportunity to showcase creative condiments; emerging ingredient tahini holds incredible untapped potential. Tahini is well-penetrated into online recipes with a 12% penetration rate, yet holds only -30% of the conversation. Featuring the condiment with in-demand bowls will get consumers talking about both.

• Retailers and grocers can create ahead-of-the-game marketing plans tailored to the interests of a new potential consumer demographic: ‘only-bowlers’. Over 10% of bowl-makers don’t make anything but bowls at home; this ‘only-bowler’ demographic is over 20% more male and 3.5% more into fitness than other bowl-makers.

• Freshness is top-of-mind for bowl consumers; marketing language centered on fresh ingredients and ‘clean eating’ aligns retailers with customers’ needs and wants. 42% of bowl-eaters specifically call out the health benefits of bowls, and almost a fifth (19%) name fitness and ‘clean eating’ as a main priority when eating. Fresh versions of produce like black beans, corn, and cauliflower rice cater to consumers’ key needs for protein and clean eating.
• Quality, gourmet pre-packaged CPGs foods can appeal to consumer preferences, enrich flavor profiles, and increase profits from bowls. Single-use, packaged meats, cheeses and grains add valuable protein to meals and raise the flavor profile of dishes; the most popular ingredients across the meat, cheese and grain categories are chicken (8%), feta (3%) and quinoa (22%).