The NPD Group Releases a New Report That Examines the Eating and Diet Habits of the Baby Boomer Generation
Baby Boomers have impacted Americans’ eating habits throughout their lives. They’ve made their mark in the fast food boom of the 60’s, the fern bars of the 70’s, the microwave oven and take-out trends of the 80’s and 90’s and now the health movement. This movement is being seen throughout the food market. People in their 50s, the older boomers, are now worried about fat, salt, cholesterol and sugar more than people in their 40s, the younger boomers.
These concerns may be a reflection of underlying medical conditions facing the aging baby boomer. The NPD Group’s latest report -Profile of American Baby Boomers: Health, Diet and Consumption Behaviors and Attitudes – found that boomers in their 50s may be forced to change their eating and diet habits to address health and weight issues. NPD’s latest report is the only one of its kind. This report analyzed eating and diet habits of tens of thousands of people.
It examined actual consumption habits and health and diet habits of boomers. The report found that one-third of all boomers are overweight and about 30 percent are obese. NPD also tracked the diet rates for boomers and found that one in four (25%) boomers are on a diet.
“Many in this generation embrace the idea that age is a state of mind and in their minds, they’re still young and vivacious. But our report finds that reality sets in as we age as and health concerns drive diets. Expect marketers to follow this group’s needs,” said Dori Hickey, author of the report.
Boomers Are Back at Restaurants
Before they had children, the baby boomers were the most frequent users of restaurants. But as soon as the first child came along, restaurant usage declined. Now that many baby boomers are empty nesters, older boomers in their 50s are back using restaurants … but for more than just take out pizza.
Burgers and fries top the list for all adults at restaurants, including boomers, but boomers are also now more likely to have steak, seafood, soup, and salad than when they were younger.
While restaurant usage rises at this age, we are also seeing another major shift occurring as you move into your 50s, according to The NPD Group’s report on baby boomers. It is at breakfast. You are more likely to eat one. NPD finds a 7 percent increase from 303 breakfasts in a year during your 40s to 324 in your 50s. Boomers are most likely to be at home or at a restaurant for breakfast rather than eating on the run. People in their 40s eat 282 breakfasts per person in home or at a restaurant during a year. Older boomers in their 50s eat 308 breakfasts per person, nine percent more than the younger boomers.
Because boomers constitute the single largest generation in America, numbering about 80 million people, their eating and health habits will drive trends for years to come.
“Boomers want to have it their way. I think there will be a demand for foods that improve the healthfulness of their diet. Expect marketers to begin offering more foods and beverages with added health benefits targeting this group,” said Harry Balzer, vice president of The NPD Group.
The NPD Group’s Report on The Profile of American Baby Boomers:
Health, Diet and Consumption Behaviors and Attitudes
The report profiles American Baby Boomers, examines their consumption behavior and their diet and exercise habits. The report also looks at Boomers’ food preparation habits and the healthfulness of their diet as it relates to the government standards. This report analyzed consumption and attitudinal data through 7 of NPD’s databases and surveys. The report analyzed eating and diet habits of tens of thousands of people.The data collected ranged from 1994 to 2004.
National Eating Trends (NET) – Up to 10 years of continuous data collection ending August 2004. This is a comprehensive database that measures consumption habits of about 5000 people in-home and away-from-home. The data is collected via paper diaries and has been continuously collected in the same way since 1980. The sample is geographically and demographically reflective of the U.S. Census.
NETPlus Database – Annual nationally representative sample of 136,642 households reporting on yesterday’s dinner meal including attitudes, drivers and satisfaction with dinner meal.
NET Nutrient Intake Database – This merges frequency from the NET data with portion size and nutrient composition information from the USDA’s CSFII and Nutrient Database.
NPD’s Dieting Monitor – One year of bi-weekly data collection ending December 2004. Nationally representative annual sample of 26,000 adults 18+ polled on their patterns of eating food products, their knowledge of nutritional elements and their awareness of and participation in particular diets. Also includes questions related to food content concerns, label reading, dining-out behavior, exercise habits and physical habits (weight, height).
NPD’s HealthTrack Database – National Eating Trends panelists report their Body Mass Index (BMI), dieting status, medical conditions, exercise behavior, usage of vitamins/supplements, and nutritional attitudes which can be linked to actual consumption behavior for individuals.
The Complete Kitchen Audit – One year of quarterly data collection ending December 2002. The Complete Kitchen Audit is based on quarterly reporting by a nationally representative sample of 500 American households. Data includes recipe usage, magazines and newspapers read, and household penetration of appliances, cookware, utensils, other cooking items and food and ingredient items. Data are collected every three years from 2,000 households.
About NPD Foodworld®
NPD Foodworld® , a division of The NPD Group, provides sales and marketing information for manufacturers, operators, and retailers in the food, beverage, and foodservice industries. Only NPD Foodworld provides a complete picture of what Americans are really eating – both at home and at restaurants. A variety of easy-to-use tools from Web-based to desktop make information accessible and actionable to a wide range of users – from executives to sales and marketing to research. Today a host of market-leading companies in the industry rely on NPD Foodworld for the knowledge they need to drive better, fact-based decision-making.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
Since 1967 The NPD Group has provided reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today more than 1,400 manufacturers and retailers rely on NPD to help them better understand their customers, product categories, distribution channels and competition in order to help guide their business. Information from The NPD Group is available for the following major vertical sectors: apparel, appliances, automotive, beauty, consumer electronics, food and beverage, foodservice, footwear, home improvement, housewares, imaging, information technology, music, software, travel, toys, video games, and wireless. For more information visit www.npd.com
The NPD Group – 900 West Shore Road – Port Washington, NY 11050 – www.npd.co
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