Home > Back to Publisher > Report Information

Boomers: Changing Food Consumption Among Baby Boomers

Hartman Group
April 1, 2007
110 Pages - SKU: HAR2206800

Abstract Table of Contents Search inside this report Related Reports

What You Can Expect

Given that boomers' changing relationship with food and beverages, and health and wellness are occurring in an ever-complicating labyrinth of dining, product and retail options, Changing Food Consumption Among Baby Boomers: Looking Five Years into the Future will provide food manufacturers, food retailers and other interested stakeholders with the following insights:

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding health and wellness,
How this translates into current food purchase and consumption, and
Trends likely to unfold in five years' time.

The report takes a deep dive into baby boomers' dietary priorities, as expressed and as lived today, in order to predict their consumption habits in fiver years' time.

Executive Summary
Chapter I. Who Are the Boomers?: Boomers as a Population; Historical Influences; Ideas of Security and Freedom; Strong Individualists - and Selective Consumers
Chapter II. Getting Old - Boomer Style: The Executive Producers of Their Own Lives; Boomers Compare Themselves to Their Parents; Interacting with Other Generations Is Important; Inventing a New Life Stage; The Process of “Becoming Philosophical”; A Positive Attitude; Defying Gravity: The Aging Boomer Body; “Golf Will Get Old”; “They Won’t Call Us Seniors”; No “Sun City”; A House That Is a Home; Community Matters; Positive Attitude, Positive Results; Increasing Simplicity; Travel, Travel, Travel; Even Healthier Living
Chapter III. Key Boomer Differences - Life History, Age and Gender: Family and Household Arena; Divorce; Empty Nest; Parents Die; Becoming a Grandparent; Economic Livelihood Arena; Lost Job - Retirement Without a Safety Net; Secure Retirement; Switch to Self-Employment or New Job; Physical Health Arena; Changing Food Consumption Among Baby Boomers: Looking Five Years Into the Future; Changes to Physical Health; Encounters with Disease and Deterioration Shift Awareness Around Physical Health; A Model to Show Different Orientations to Change and Opportunity; The Adventure-Meter; Dancing Adventurers; Personal Growth-Centered; The Family Anchor; Family-Centered Growth; Non-Explorers; Structure and Routine-Centered; Age-Specific Rites of Passage Are Key Markers of Differences; Key Insights; Economic Livelihood Changes; Men; Women; Household/Family Changes; Physical Changes; Men; Women
Chapter IV. Healthy Living, Boomers and the World of Wellness: Evolution in Wellness; Common Wellness Emphasis; Periphery Wellness Boomer Consumers; “Bad Eating Habits” from the Past; Focus on Health Driven by Others; In Their Words: Periphery Wellness Boomers on Health; Mid-level Wellness Boomer Consumers; More Self-Driven in Health and Wellness; In Their Words: Mid-level Wellness Boomers on Health; Core Wellness Boomer Consumers; Significant Lifestyle Commitment to Health and Wellness; In Their Words: Core Wellness Boomers on Health; Finding Time for Staying Fit; Older Boomers; Younger Boomers; Boomers with Children in the Home; Exercise Practices and Routines; Outdoor Activities; Combining Mental and Physical Discipline; Everyday Tasks as “Exercise”; Changing Food Consumption Among Baby Boomers: Looking Five Years Into the Future; Healthy Living Is Part of Aging; New Physical Limitations; Staying Healthy to Live Longer; Motivations for Living Healthy:; Triggers and Gateways to Awareness of Healthy Living; Named Health Concerns; Conditions - Prevention and Management; Weight Management; A Healthy Living Language Map; Codes of Healthy Eating; A Culture of Healthier Living; Paying More Attention to the Function of Food; Taking More Time; Goods and Bads
Chapter V. Emerging Boomer Product Preferences: Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Are Central to Healthy Eating; Fresh Also Means Less Processed or Homemade; A Quality Distinction; Natural Means Real or Authentic; Local Is Increasingly Important; A “Worthwhile” Indulgence is Necessary for Balance; Consumers Indulge in Gender-Distinct Ways; Indulgences Are Often Associated with Being Social; Exploring New Flavors Can Be an Adventure, and Healthy Too; Exotic Cuisines Are an Adventure; Eating Out Is Good for the Soul; Consumers Are Willing to Explore New Beverages with Health Benefits or Premium; Quality; Boomers Feel Entitled to Have Healthy Food that Also Tastes Good; Healthy Beverages that Taste Good and Fill You Up; Waters that Aren’t So Boring; Substitutes for Sweet That Aren’t High in Calories and Fat; Healthy Snacks that Are Fun and Comforting; New Flavors; Snacks and Beverages Are Significant Categories for Brand Exploration and Opportunity; Social Occasions Are Crucial and Opportunities to Eat and Drink Snacks and; Beverages; Snacking and Drinking Liquids Are Associated with a Healthy Lifestyle; Flexible Leisure Time Requires More Food Variety; Premium Brands Are Increasingly Attractive, Especially in Snacks and Beverages; Changing Food Consumption Among Baby Boomers: Looking Five Years Into the Future; Organic and Private Label Brands on the Rise; Nostalgic Brand Loyalty Decreases as Consumers Gain Fluency in Health and Wellness; Products Associated with Childhood Are Often Associated with Bad Health; Gourmet or International-Origin Brands and Ingredients Are Intriguing; Ingredients to Avoid; Ingredients to Embrace; What Is on the Package; The Lack of a Package
Chapter VI. Shopping, Consuming, Spending: Different Channels for Different Reasons; Flexible Time Brings Flexible Shopping; Natural and Specialty Channels - Select Retailers are Fertile Ground for Discovery; Grocery and Mass Channel Use; Positive In-Store and At-Shelf Experiences; Definitions of Quality at Retail - Health Perception is Key; Channels Promoting “Fresh” Foods Are Compelling; Quality and Healthiness Perceptions Varies by Health and Wellness Orientation; “Real” and “Authentic” Are Increasingly Important; Trend Toward Self-Diagnosis Impacts Views of Pharmacy and Grocery Channels; Boomers Seek Holistic Health Resources; Neighborhood Pharmacies Ought to Be Neighborly Pharmacies; Eating Out Is Both a Luxury and a Habit; Fast Casual Is a Habit and a Way of Life; Dining Out as Vacation; Eating Out is Part of a Healthy Lifestyle; Travel Is More than Just a Trip - It’s a Way of Life and a Way to Keep Living; Boomers Will Expand What It Means to Travel; Boomers Feel Entitled to Travel; Boomers Comment on the Role of Travel in Their Lives; Travel Is More than a Trip
Chapter VII. Information Sources: Social Networks; Low-Tech News Sources; Internet; Popular Celebrity Culture; Healthcare Practitioners; New Consciousness-Raising Channels
Chapter VIII. Conclusions and Recommendations: Changing Food Consumption Among Baby Boomers: Looking Five Years Into the Future; Provide Help with the Aging Process; Support the Process of Reinvention; Provide an Opportunity to Be an Expert; Recognize Autonomy and Independence; Celebrate the Life Stage; Build a Positive Future; Simplify Information; Label Products to Guide Not to Scold; Overall, Less Packaging on Food Products; Gentle Not Harsh, Provide Insights Not Hype; Encourage Product Participation; Recognize New Freedoms and Directions; Celebrate and Support the Aging Body; Build and Support Travel Adventures; Accommodate Boomers of Varying Health and Wellness Orientations; More Conservative Boomers; More Progressive Boomers; General Food and Beverage Ingredient Recommendations; Ingredients/Foods to Avoid or Reduce; Ingredients/Foods to Promote or Accentuate; Indulgence-Oriented Foods and Ingredients; Beverages; Snacks; Retail-Oriented Recommendations; General Recommendation - Elegant Retail Space; Accommodate Cross-Channel Shopping of Progressive Boomers; Accentuate “Fresh” at Retail; Exploit “Local” and “Authentic” Cues
Appendix I . Methodology: Ethnography; One-on-One, In-Home Interviews; Social Network Parties; Shop and Talk Tours; Online Discussion Groups; Visual Ethnographic Artifacts (All consumers)
List of Figures: Figure 1- The Struggle for Optimism; Figure 2- Boomers on Signs of Getting Old; Figure 3 - Boomer Arenas of Change; Figure 4 - Family and Household Arena of Change; Figure 5 - Livelihood Arena of Change; Figure 6 - Physical Health Arena of Change; Figure 7 - Summary Chart: Orientations to Change and Opportunity; Figure 8 - Age-Based Shifts; Figure 9 - The World Perspective; Figure 10 - Dimensions Organizing the World of Wellness; Figure 11 - Proportions of the World of Wellness; Figure 12 - Periphery Wellness Boomer Preferences; Figure 13 - Mid-level Wellness Boomer Preferences; Figure 14 - Core Wellness Boomer Preferences; Figure 15 - Boomer Health Conditions, Disease and Concerns; Figure 16 - Boomer Perceptions of Healthy Living

Boomers: Changing Food Consumption Among Baby Boomers

Share this report

Other tasks

Research Assistance

Related Markets

Food & Beverage Reports

Free Alert Me service