On-the-Go Eating: Consumer Mindsets, Menu Trends, and Product/Packaging Innovation

SUMMARY

Current consumer trends bode well for companies able to develop healthy foods that taste good, are good for you, and are also good for eating on-the-go. Only 60% of all meals today are prepared and eaten in the home, largely because the increasing number of two-working-parent and single-parent households means less time to cook. At the same time, Americans are taking a more balanced approach to eating on-the-go, realizing the need to combine convenience with healthier fare. Simmons Market Research Bureau data show that over half of adults (51%) like the trend toward healthier eating, and this trend--combined with tremendous consumer demand for convenience and the desire for more flavorful foods, including premium and gourmet offerings--is driving foodservice and retail sales across many breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack food categories in many retail and foodservice venues.

Eating on the Go: Consumer Mindsets, Menu Trends, and Product/Packaging Innovation, an all-new Packaged Facts report examines trends in convenient and hand-held foods in quick-service and fast-casual restaurants, mass-market food retailers, and alternative channels such as convenience stores and vending. Key trends covered include the steadily growing demand for gourmet sandwiches in foodservice channels and their untapped market potential in supermarkets, convenience stores, and other mass-market retailers; the impact that litigation and new and proposed legislation is having on food producers and marketers; and the increasing focus on combating obesity and related illnesses in the United States via healthier fare, including among kids. Drawing on diverse consumer attitude, consumer purchasing, sales-tracking, and new product data, this report delineates current and potential demographic markets, identifies strategies for new products and packaging, and profiles leading players in each channel including Subway, Applebee's, Panera Breads, Quiznos, H.E. Butt Grocery, Wegmans, 7-Eleven, Sheetz, Canteen Vending Services, and many others.

Report Methodology

The information in Eating on the Go: Consumer Mindsets, Menu Trends, and Product/Packaging Innovation is based on both primary and secondary research. Primary research involved on-site examination of the retail milieu, interviews with marketing, public relations and industry analysts within the food market and consultants to the industry. Market size data was derived from Information Resources, Inc. Secondary research entailed data-gathering from relevant trade, business, and government sources, including company literature. New product information is gathered via literature research, personal interviews and data compiled by ProductScan, a service of Marketing Intelligence Service Ltd. Consumer information was derived from Simmons Market Research Bureau, fall 2004 National Consumer Survey.

What You'll Get in this Report

Eating on the Go: Consumer Mindsets, Menu Trends, and Product/Packaging Innovation makes important predictions and recommendations regarding the future of this market, and pinpoints ways current and prospective marketers can capitalize on current trends and spearhead new ones. No other market research report provides both the comprehensive analysis and extensive data that Eating on the Go: Consumer Mindsets, Menu Trends, and Product/Packaging Innovation offers. The report addresses the following segments:

• The Market (including market size and composition, and projected market growth)
• The Competitors
• Competitive Profiles (of the mainstream competitors, specialists and up-and-coming niche players, and analyses of the products they market)
• Retail Strategies
• The Consumer (who's buying what, and where)
• The Products
• Trends and Opportunities

Plus, you'll benefit from extensive data, presented in easy-to-read and practical charts, tables and graphs.

How You Will Benefit from this Report

If your company wants to understand the new, on-the-go eating paradigm of today's consumer, you will find this report invaluable, as it provides a comprehensive package of information and insight not offered in any other single source. You will gain a thorough understanding of the current market for on-the-go foods, as well as projected sales and trends through 2009. Contributing to that understanding will be a complete analysis of sales data, and a detailed discussion of the consumer based on Simmons data.

This report will help:

• Marketing Managers identify market opportunities and develop targeted promotion plans for on-the-go foods and beverages.
• Research and development professionals stay on top of competitor initiatives and explore demand for portable food and beverages.
• Advertising agenciesworking with clients in the food industry understand the product buyer to develop messages and images that compel consumers to purchase these products.
• Business development executives understand the dynamics of the market and identify possible partnerships.
• Information and research center librarians provide market researchers, brand and product managers and other colleagues with the vital information they need to do their jobs more effectively.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Executive Summary

Scope and Methodology Scope of Report Report Methodology Healthy and On-the-Go Eating Trends Among U.S. Consumers The Driving Trends: Convenience and Health Less Time for Food Preparation Figure 1-1: Consumer Attitudes About Healthy Foods vs. Time Constraints, 2004 (U.S. adults) Consumer Demographics by Meal Occasion Meals vs. Snacks Time In Cars Increases Quick-Service and Fast-Casual Dining Restaurants The Market Landscape Fast-Food and Family Restaurant Consumer Demographics Drive-Through vs. Curbside Appeal Nutrition Trends and Menu Offerings Low-Carb Craze Waning; General Health Concerns Rising The "Anti-Health" Backlash Food Stores and Supercenters Shifting Demographics Reshaping American Shopping and Eating Patterns Less Time in the Kitchen Eating In with Takeout Eating on the Road Convenience as a Consumer Value Supercenters Gaining Ground Healthier Packaged Snacks on the Rise Alternative Channels Convenience Stores Broadening Their Appeal Drugstores: Room to Grow Vending Trends Looking Ahead Trends and Opportunities Table 1-1: Projected Population of the United States by Age, Sex, and Race/Ethnicity, 2000-2010 (in thousands)

Chapter 2: Healthy and On-the-Go Eating Trends Among U.S. Consumers

• The Driving Trends: Convenience and Health
• Less Time for Food Preparation
• Figure 2-1: Consumer Attitudes About Healthy Foods vs. Time Constraints, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Consumer Demographics by Meal Occasion
• Meals vs. Snacks
• Commuting: Time In Cars Increases
• Convenience as a Consumer Value
• Trends in Healthy Eating
• Low-Carb's Future Is Critical Question
• Consumers Focus on General Health
• Better Health Through Portion Control
• The Trans-Fat Front
• The Revised Food Pyramid
• Threat of Litigation, Legislation Driving Change
• Rising Interest in Ethnic Foods
• Trend Overview by Channel
• Foodservice
• Food Stores
• Alternative Channels
• Variations in Consumer Attitudes About Eating by Retail Channel
• Table 2-1: Shopper Indices by Retail Channel for Agreement with Statement: Try to Eat Healthier Foods These Days, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Table 2-2: Shopper Indices by Retail Channel for Agreement with Statement: Like Trend Toward Healthier Fast Food, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Table 2-3: Shopper Indices by Retail Channel for Agreement with Statement: Don't Have Time to Prepare/Eat Healthy Meals, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Table 2-4: Shopper Indices by Retail Channel for Agreement with Statement: Fast Food Fits My Busy Lifestyle, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Table 2-5: Shopper Indices by Retail Channel for Agreement with Statement: Rarely Sit Down to a Meal Together at Home, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Table 2-6: Shopper Indices by Retail Channel for Agreement with Statement: Often Eat Store-Made, Pre-Cooked Meals, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Table 2-7: Demographic Indices by Meal-Time Attitudes, 2004 (U.S. adults)

Chapter 3: Quick-Service and Fast-Casual Dining Restaurants

• Trend Overview
• The Market Landscape
• Fast-Food and Family Restaurant Consumer Demographics
• Restaurant Trends by Meal
• Breakfast: Meeting the In-Home Challenge
• Lunch: "Desktop Dining" Increasingly Common
• Dinner: Wooing the Late-Night Diner
• Table 3-1: Fast-Food Restaurant User Demographics, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Table 3-2: Family Restaurant User Demographics, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Table 3-3: Fast-Food Restaurant Usage Indexes: Overall, by Companion, and by Meal Occasion/Companion, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Table 3-4: Family Restaurant Usage Indexes: Overall, by Companion, and by Meal Occasion/Companion, 2004 (U.S. adults)

• Keeping It Moving
  • Drive-Through vs. Curbside Appeal
  • Sandwiches Are Tops
  • Expanding Portable Sandwich Options
  • Burgers Remain a Mainstay
• Making It Healthy
  • Nutrition Trends and Menu Offerings
  • Legal and Regulatory Trends
  • Lawsuits Tarnish the Golden Arches
  • Low-Carb Craze Waning; General Health Concerns Rising
  • he "Anti-Health" Backlash
  • Table 3-5: Demographics for Adults Who Agree with Statement: Like Trend Toward Healthier Fast Food, 2004 (U.S. adults)
  • Table 3-6: Fast-Food Usage Overview Among Adults Who Agree with Statement: Like Trend Toward Healthier Fast Food, 2004 (U.S. adult fast-food consumers)
  • Table 3-7: Fast-Food Usage by Chain Among Adults Who Agree with Statement: Like Trend Toward Healthier Fast Food, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Beyond the Basics
  • The Decline of the Value Meal
  • Customer Satisfaction, Healthier Choices, and Premium Items Drive Sales
  • Targeting Women with Health and Convenience
• Competitive Profiles
  • Applebee's: Convenience, Healthy Choices, and Curb Appeal
  • Boston Market: Home Meal Takeout Specialist
  • McDonald's: More Healthy Eating Options
  • Moe's Southwestern Grill: Menu Appeals to Health-Conscious
  • Panera Bread: Healthy Gourmet Focus Drives Sales
  • Quiznos: Healthy Food Made Fresh To Go
  • Schlotzsky's: Heart-Healthy and Hot Sandwiches
  • Subway: New Menu Choices
  • Wendy's: Entree Salads and Fresh Fruit

Chapter 4: Food Stores and Supercenters

• Trend Overview
• Shifting Demographics Reshaping American Shopping and Eating Patterns
• Less Time in the Kitchen
• Eating In with Takeout
• Eating on the Road
• Convenience as a Consumer Value

• Supermarkets/Food Stores vs. Mass Merchandisers/Supercenters
  • Supercenters Gaining Ground
  • Supermarket/Food Store Trends
  • Shopper Demographics
  • Supermarket Shopper Attitudes Toward Convenience Foods and Healthy Eating
  • Building Up Takeout
  • Trend Profile: H.E. Butt
  • Trend Profile: Harris Teeter
  • Trend Profile: Wegmans
  • Mass-Merchandiser/Supercenter Trends
  • Shopper Demographics
  • Trend Profile: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
  • Portable Private-Label
  • Growing Competition from Alternative Channels
  • Looking to Restaurants for Inspiration
  • Table 4-1: Monthly Shopping Trip Patterns by Retail Channel: Supermarkets/Food Stores vs. Mass Merchandisers/Supercenters, 2004 (U.S. adults in millions)
  • Table 4-2: Supermarket/Food Store Shopper Demographics, 2004 (U.S. adults)
  • Table 4-3: Mass Merchandiser/Supercenter Shopper Demographics, 2004 (U.S. adults)
  • Table 4-4: Shopper Indices by Retail Channel for Agreement with Statement: Try to Eat Healthier Foods These Days, 2004 (U.S. adults)
  • Table 4-5: Shopper Indices by Retail Channel for Agreement with Statement: Often Eat Store-Made, Pre-Cooked Meals, 2004 (U.S. adults)
  • Table 4-6: Shopper Indices by Retail Channel for Agreement with Statement: Fast Food Fits Busy Lifestyle, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• In-Store Trends
  • Healthier Packaged Snacks on the Rise
  • On-the-Go Across Categories
  • Healthier, Portable Breakfast Foods
  • Yogurt/Yogurt Drinks Riding the Wave
  • Sandwiches: An Untapped Market
  • The Soup Connection
  • Hand-Held Meat Snacks Coming on Strong
  • Deli Foods To-Go: Freshness/Packaging Is Key
  • Value-Added Vegetables and Fruits
  • The Fresh Fruit Challenge
  • Beverages to Go
  • Natural/Organic On the Rise
  • Table 4-7: Usage Rates for Selected On-the-Go Food Products, 2004 (U.S. adults)
  • Table 4-8: IRI-Tracked Sales of Selected Packaged Food Products: Snack Bars/Granola Bars, 2000-2004 (in millions of dollars)
  • Table 4-9: IRI-Tracked Sales of Selected Packaged Food Products: Frozen Breakfast Entrees, 2000-2004 (in millions of dollars)
  • Table 4-10: IRI-Tracked Sales of Selected Packaged Food Products: Instant Breakfast, 2000-2004 (in millions of dollars)
  • Table 4-11: IRI-Tracked Sales of Selected Packaged Food Products: Refrigerated Yogurt//Yogurt Drinks, 2000-2004 (in millions of dollars)
  • Table 4-12: IRI-Tracked Sales of Selected Packaged Food Products: Frozen Hand-Held Entrees (Non-Breakfast), 2000-2004 (in millions of dollars)
  • Table 4-13: IRI-Tracked Sales of Selected Packaged Food Products: Ready-to Serve Wet Soup and Ramen/Dry Soup, 2000-2004 (in millions of dollars)
  • Table 4-14: IRI-Tracked Sales of Selected Packaged Food Products: Dried Meat Snacks, 2000-2004 (in millions of dollars)
  • Table 4-15: IRI-Tracked Sales of Selected Packaged Food Products: Fresh-Cut Salad, 2000-2004 (in millions of dollars)
• Package Types and Trends
  • Rigid Packaging
  • Portable Cups
  • Squeezable Tubes
  • Aseptic Packages
  • Stand-Up and Retort Pouches
  • Resealable and Easy-Open Packaging
  • Portion Control and Serving Sizes
  • Ergonomic and Burn-Proof Packaging

Chapter 5: Alternative Channels

• Convenience Stores
• Trend Overview: Broadening the Appeal
• Convenience Store Shopper Demographics
• Snack Market Stronger than Ever
• Portability Rules
• Healthy Eating Trends a Mixed Bag
• Growth Potential: Lunch and Dinner
• Trend Profile: 7-Eleven
• Trend Profile: Sheetz, Inc.
• Table 5-1: Convenience Store Shopper Demographics, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Table 5-2: Convenience Store Shoppers: Usage Rates and Indices for Selected On-the-Go Food Products, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Table 5-3: Convenience Store Shopper Indices for Agreement with Selected Lifestyle- and Food-Related Statements, 2004 (U.S. adults)

• Drugstores
  • Room to Grow
  • Drugstore Shopper Demographics
  • Trends in Packaged Foods
  • Emphasizing Health and Convenience
  • Table 5-4: Monthly Shopping Trip Patterns by Retail Channel: Drugstores, 2004 (U.S. adults in millions)
  • Table 5-5: Drugstore Shopper Demographics, 2004 (U.S. adults)
  • Table 5-6: Drugstore Shopper Indices for Agreement with Selected Lifestyle- and Food-Related Statements, 2004 (U.S. adults)
  • Table 5-7: Drugstore Shoppers: Indices for Selected On-the-Go Food Products, 2004 (U.S. adults)
• Vending
  • Trend Overview
  • Marketing and Product Trends
  • Sodas and Snacks Still Out Front
  • More Healthy Fresh Food Options
  • Hot and Cold Alternatives
  • More Diverse Customers
  • Laws Prompt Healthy Vending in Schools
  • Staying Ahead of the Courts
  • Making it Healthy
  • College Vending and Foodservice
  • Trend Profile: Canteen Vending Services

Chapter 6: Looking Ahead

• Spotlight on Health and Convenience
• Beyond "All in the Family"
• Growing Ethnic Diversity
• Impact of Revised Dietary Guidelines
• Functional Foods to Address Key Health Concerns
• Segregation vs. Integration of Organic Products
• Packaging Trends
• Dollar Store Potential
• Table 6-1: Projected Population of the United States by Age, Sex, and Race/Ethnicity, 2000-2010 (in thousands)

Appendix: Addresses of Selected Marketers