The Choosi Modern Food Trends Report 2017

Food and eating, besides being a necessity in life, has long been something that draws people together and an important social occasion for families and friends. While this sentiment remains today, modern pressures and changes have altered the way we approach eating, as well as the way in which we shop for food, and the factors that concern us most when it comes to purchase decisions.

The Choosi Modern Food Trends Report is the latest edition in the Choosi research series, uncovering new trends in food and diet habits in Australia, and revealing the thoughts, sentiments and concerns underpinning Aussies’ dietary choices.

Supermarkets are super popular

When it comes to shopping for food, today’s big supermarkets are a huge convenience to time-starved Aussies, with 97 per cent of respondents saying they shop for food at the big supermarkets.

In good news for independent food stores, more than half of Australians surveyed still take the time to visit smaller local markets (51.2%), or source their food from local produce or farmers’ markets (49.2%). In addition, fewer than one in five (18.2%) typically buy food online, which is surprising for a nation that prioritises convenience.

Time to fill the trolley

When in need of groceries, Australians typically favour a weekly shop (57.6%), while close to three in ten (28.5%) prefer doing smaller shops throughout the week.

And perhaps for those boasting industrial-sized fridges and/or hangar-sized pantries, 12 per cent tend to shop for food fortnightly.

Nothing beats home cooking

Despite being short of time, the allure of a home cooked meal hasn’t faded for many Australians, with close to half (47.8%) cooking more at home now than in the past ten years. This number increases slightly to 48.8 per cent when compared to people’s home cooking habits over the last five years.

Cooking shows are a key driver for more home cooking, with three-quarters of Aussies claiming cooking shows ignite their creativity to experiment with ingredients (74.4%). This is despite the reported rising food costs with more than three-quarters of Aussies agreeing that food has become more expensive over the past decade (77.9%). Whether it’s the rise in popularity of cooking shows, cost advantages, or sentimentality over the appeal of a home cooked meal – or a combination of all three – it seems that home cooking is here to stay.

Home cooking also rules when it comes to lunches. In comparing today’s eating and food habits to ten and five years ago, there appears to be modest rises in the popularity of making packed lunches for work (23.4% over ten years and 25.9% over five years).

A rising trend in packed lunches could well be because of time-pressed work schedules, with almost one in six eating at their desk (14.9%). Gen Ys are spearheading this trend with more than a quarter staying at their desk throughout lunchtime (26.8%). It appears that if we want a bite to eat, food preparedness is essential for today’s time-poor workers.

The semi-prepared meal deal

Semi-prepared foods have come a long way from when they were referred to as ‘TV dinners’, with this option now offering a convenient compromise between takeaway and home cooked meals. Typically cheaper than takeaway and faster than cooking, more than half (53.5%) of Aussies say they eat semi-prepared food at times.

Perhaps this will be the next big trend in food, with the benefits of producing less guilt than takeaway foods and being quicker and easier than cooking from scratch. Either way, Choosi will continue to shed light on this and many other areas of interest for Australians in upcoming reports.

Stay tuned for the next chapter in our Choosi research series.