Discussing Today's Consumer

Discussing Today’s Consumer. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Davey McHenry, Project Manager with the Hartman Group had a very large topic to discuss at this year’s Annual Hort Convention, “Today’s Consumer.”

McHENRY: We’ve currently found that consumers are really aspiring to live a better life. They have taken this idea of health and wellness from the idea of physical good; being in shape; being healthy to this all encompassing. It now includes the physical, the emotional, social and the spiritual. It’s not only about the individual but also about their family, the community and the world.

The Hartman Group out of Bellevue is a market research firm that calls themselves a consumer culture consultant. McHenry says that the current food culture is changing.

McHENRY: In the recent past, we looked at production driving economy, currently it’s consumption that drives the economy. In the past it was somber and serious; today consumers are looking for something fun and experiential. In the past, they wanted predictable, uniform branded food products but now they’re looking for something better. Unique, quality and distinguished foods.

She says the days of everyone sitting down for a meal are gone.

McHENRY: Consumers are now looking for ways to eat on the go. They’re always going, they’re always doing new things and they’re looking for those eating occasions that are going to help embrace their lifestyle. And they are continually distinguishing between what they call industrial foods and real foods. Industrial foods are those things that they say were invented by the food companies and not part of food culture.

More tomorrow.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.