Page 38 - Food & Drink March 2020

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Kids these days
Australia’s millennial generation is fast gaining a reputation as a cohort that is demanding more from society, government and itself. Managing director of bakery supplier Bakers Maison Pascal Chaneliere says the food industry has to take notice.
THERE is some conjecture about the exact years the millennial generation spans, but most agree it includes people born from the early 1980s to early 2000s, who are currently aged from 18 to their late 30s.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, this cohort of the Australian population is expected to grow by 17 per cent over the next 10 years, from 7.2 million people in 2016 to 8.3 million people in 2026.
This is a generation that is bringing change to the way Australians eat and and those of us in the food industry need
to be paying attention. Research shows that
millennials are motivated by causes in both their work and in their personal lives. If a product or service concerns them in some way, they will take to social media to express their displeasure.
Millennials embody the concept conscious consumption. They want to feel good about both what they eat and the company who made it.
They expect companies to be actively thoughtful about ingredients, packaging, supply chain, resource use and environmental impact.
Bakers Maison’s frozen bakery goods mean less wastage and reliable freshness.
According to a report by global research company NPD Group, millennials are now the largest ‘healthy-eating’ consumer group in Australia. An unprecedented 32 per cent claim to be focused on eating healthy food.
The report suggests that requirements for health- motivated meals, ‘clean’ eating and transparency around ingredients have dramatically increased and online ordering of healthy food using mobile- phone apps is also now at an all-time high.
The latter is said to be one of the defining factors behind the rise in healthy-eating statistics.
SEEING THE CHANGE
For our business, of course millennials are not our only customers, but they are a group we need to focus on for the future of our business.
We sell our bakery products to the foodservice industry,
including cafes and restaurants. At the moment, the average age of chefs in Australia is 34, which is the upper age of millennials.
That means in the next 10 to 15 years many chefs will be part of the generation at the forefront of diet and consumer behaviour change.
In our own research we have learnt that unlike generations before them, millennials take social, ethical, political, and environmental issues seriously.
They seek out brands that match their values.
According to Canadian dietician Cara Rosenbloom, there are a few key changes being driven largely by the millennial generation.
Rosenbloom says millennials want the truth from food manufacturers and big food producers are starting to listen to consumer demands for transparency about ingredients and source.
38 | Food&Drink business | March 2020 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au