Food Trends

According to "Mintel Menu Insights," between the 2nd quarter 2009 and the 2nd quarter 2010, the appearance of healthy food items on restaurant menus increased by 65%. Likewise, the appearance of vegetarian food items on menus increased by 12%, although over a longer time period (2nd quarter 2007 to 2nd quarter 2010).

The "2010 Food & Health Survey" by the International Food Information Council identifies recent attitudes of U.S. consumers toward their diet. Most (70%) are concerned about their weight. To address this concern, people are changing the amount of food they eat (69%), changing the types of food they eat (63%), and engaging in physical activity (60%).

According to a presentation at the international meat trade show in Germany (IFFA), worldwide demand for sheep and goat meat is on the rise due to a combination of increasing per capita incomes and changing taste preferences.

A survey of 5,000 consumers by the Australian Egg Corporation Ltd found that hen welfare is a secondary consideration for most egg consumers. Despite this finding, however, "free-range" eggs hold a significant share of the Australian market.

Research from Asia suggests that free-range hens' eggs in Taiwan contain at least five times the levels of certain pollutants than regular eggs, most likely due to greater exposure to environmental pollutants and potentially toxic substances that are byproducts of burning waste.

Consumers in the United Kingdom are against genetically modified (GM) foods, says a survey by Friends of the Earth and GM Freeze. Two-thirds of people in the U.K. want GM crops to be kept out of the food chain; less than 40% were aware that GM enters the food chain via animal feed used in British factory farms.

Published by the American Meat Institute, a U.S.-based trade group, this pamphlet provides an overview of the U.S. meat industry, including consumption and production estimates. In 2009, meat and poultry production reached over 93.9 billion pounds, with average meat consumption consisting of 55% red meat, 37% poultry, and 8% fish.

According to research from Mambo Sprouts Marketing, eight out of ten natural and organic consumers regularly read product ingredient labels for health and nutrition information; 39% of these consumers are "very interested" in functional foods and 31% say they are interested in vegetarian items.

This study of United Kingdom consumers by MMR Research Worldwide shows that vegetarians represent about 6% of the UK adult population and that "lapsed vegetarians" represent about 10% of the population. The vegetarians surveyed expressed dissatisfaction with the food offerings available to them in both supermarkets and fast food restaurants.

A graphical depiction of the price trends of fresh fruits and vegetables (+ ~32%), breakfast cereal, fish, soups, cheese (- ~17%), meats (- ~22%), and carbonated nonalcoholic drinks over a thirty year period from 1980 to 2010, which shows a basic decline in the prices of food groups considered "unhealthy" and a basic increase in the prices of food groups generally considered to be "healthy." These trends in food prices are at least partly due to artificial factors at work, including government subsidies and production efficiencies.