Consumers sacrifice taste for convenience when buying produce to prepare at home, according to the leading industry source of research and education, the IGD. And although on the whole, consumers make decisions in the same way when eating out as they do when buying produce for home preparation, expectations are reportedly higher when eating out with consumers listing taste and knowledge of ingredients as two important factors.
IGD's research crosses the European and global food industry to include wholesalers, distributors and catering companies, and their analysis has reported on significant produce trends. And IGD reveals that not only do shoppers compromise when it comes to food for home preparation by choosing products that may not taste good but are quicker and easier to prepare, but when it comes to the foodservice sector, just two per cent look for a familiar brand name.
Dr Richard Hutchins, business director at IGD said: 'The similarities in the way consumers make decision when eating out and doing the food shopping suggest that they too are blurring the boundaries between foodservice and retail. Foodservice operators must strive to provide products that taste great to satisfy the consumer's primary motivation when eating out.' But Richard Clements, branch manager at Redbridge's Produce and Flowers division said: 'We think that customers see taste as important wherever they are. There are differences in what customers want when they buy produce for home cooking and for when they eat out. Packaging is important for the retail sector, but for those eating out it is the appearance of the finished dish that matters. These are very different considerations.' IGD has also revealed that foodservice offers consumers a greater opportunity to try new produce with up to five per cent of consumers seeing eating out as a chance to try new ingredients. Clements confirms: 'When consumers eat out they are looking for dishes that are unusual - with ingredients that they wouldn't cook for themselves at home. When customer purchase food for home preparation they prefer to buy items that they know, understand and feel comfortable with.' Research also indicates that knowledge of the ingredients in a meal or product is important to 14 per cent of consumers when they are eating out and for 15 per cent when they are purchasing food. The IGD believes this enables the consumer to both know what the product will tastes like and to check for any potential impact on theirs or the family's health as in the case of allergies.
But while concerns about taste and health are likely to drive a desire for knowledge about ingredients used in foodservice the IGD warns that getting the relevant information across to consumers in a food service environment may be challenging. Solutions could include having two version of menus, one with more detailed information, or increasing the detail in the description of the meal to help people understand what it will be.
Hutchins, added: 'Innovation is a major challenge and opportunity for foodservice. For example while it is seen by consumers as the main way to try new foods, this means that continual innovation is needed in planning menus. Retailers on the other hand need firstly to communicate the level of innovation involved in their products and secondly to give confidence to consumers who believe they would not be able to prepare the same kind of meal at home. This could be done by offering recipe cards, in-store demonstrations or detailed instructions on packs.' Clements said: 'Redbridge is fully committed to working with customers to improve their experiences and to give customers a point of difference in terms of price, flavour and quality. For example, we have been involved in breeding strawberries and other berry varieties for enhanced flavour. If something doesn't taste right then the customers won't buy it again.'
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