Food & Wine

The Millennial Diet…

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Just like every other generation, Millennials enjoy eating and drinking.   But “What is it that Millennials like?” is the question every other generation is trying to figure out and I am not quite sure even the Millennials know what they want.  With staples like McDonalds, Coca-cola and steakhouses on a decline, here are a few trends that only Millennials really appreciate.

Energy Drinks

According to a recent Mintel survey, 58% of U.S. Households with children consume energy drinks such as Monster and Red Bull compared to 27% of households without kids.  While this is a large number, 64% of millennials reported that they consume energy drinks daily.

 

Organic Foods

Even though millennials get their energy from canned drinks, they are very conscious of the fruits and vegetables that they purchase.  According to a Gallup poll last year, 45% of Americans actively purchase and incorporate organic foods into their diet.  The numbers skew greatly between the baby boomers who average about 33% purchasing organic versus 53% of millennials actively include organic foods into their diet.

 

Hot Sauce

Move over ketchup, Sriracha has evolved to the go-to condiment for the millennial market.  With more than half of American household purchasing hot sauce and 16% of that market is Sriracha, this food craze has influenced the flavors from Pizza Hut to potato chips.

 

Gas Station Food

If you are 50 and older, you may think of the gas station convenience store as a place to grab a pack of gum or bottle of water.  You may also think that Chipotle is the go-to fast food spot for the millennial generation. Well, surprisingly, the gas station Wawa, 7-Eleven and Sheetz are the preferred grab-and-go convenience stores for Millennials.  They offer a wide variety of foods including healthy salads, wraps alongside with pizza and hot dogs.  Not to mention, many Wawa locations now offer a coffee bar including lattes, espressos and even smoothies (sorry Starbucks)

 

Craft Booze

Millennials have demonstrated distaste for mass-marketed beer opting for pricier small batches. As millennials have come of drinking age, the craft beer sales have soared regardless of their higher price point and the “college student” budget.  At the same time, the mass-marketed brands have shown a decline.

Along with craft beers, millennials are opting to purchase craft spirits over the larger distributors.  Unlike the bigger brands, millennials feel a “connection” to the story behind the brand lending to the uniqueness of the beverage.

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