June 11, 2010 – A columnist with Food Technology Magazine says changing lifestyles and demographics are creating new opportunities for processors to introduce new food products.
June 11, 2010 – A columnist with Food Technology Magazine says changing lifestyles and demographics are creating new opportunities for processors to introduce new food products.
Targeting Consumer Trends for Future Food and Ingredient Success was discussed last week in Winnipeg as part of the 2010 Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada biennial joint conference.
Dr. Elizabeth Sloan, the tends columnist with Food Technology Magazine, says people in Canada are cooking more and, while a lot of the is driven by the economy, people are starting to enjoy food, cooking at home from scratch, spending more time with family and doing more entertaining which is creating a brand new market for food manufacturers in Canada.
"There's kind of a shift in what you prepare at home by how old you are.
We have to remember that people over age 45 in Canada were pretty much raised on European cooking where the younger generations have been exposed to everything from Taco Bell to Asian take-out so there's a big difference in what they cook and how they cook," said Dr. Sloan.
"The older folks (if you can call over 45 older) tend to eat the same way they always did, the basic four approach: a little bit of protein, a little side dish, potatoes, vegetable and bread.
The young people tend to kind of mix it up into stir fries.
We're seeing a lot more ethnic in the younger group, not as much in the older group."
"There's a very big opportunity now because everybody is looking for more natural and fresher foods closer to the farm and one of the big opportunities to be uniquely Canadian" she added.
"We're seeing a big new movement to regional Canadian cooking, so the province or the type of area, the farm that you were grown on makes a great big difference and it's a whole new world for the chefs in this country," she said.
Dr. Sloan says consumer data gathered around the world shows Canada is perceived to have the safest, most wholesome and healthiest food supply in the world.
She is convinced that offers a golden opportunity for food manufacturers to produce products that are uniquely Canadian.
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