Smaller Portions Major Trend

Mini, is the new major, in food portions. As consumers focus on health and wellness, the era of large portions that Americans are famous for, may be coming to an end. Increasingly, consumers are trending toward the consumption of smaller food portions.

A national dialogue on obesity and an ageing population, with the first group of Baby Boomers having crossed the 60 barrier in 2006, are obvious catalysts for this trend. Consumers, though are also influenced by a plethora of flavors to enjoy as ethnic foods continue to gain in popularity.

Today's consumer is willing to sacrifice quantity and filler , for an indulgent flavor experience that satisfies the palate and allows the consumer to walk away from the table without having over eaten.

Flavorful food, in fun mini forms are gaining shelf space at retailers and finding a home on more restaurant menus. The grazing phenomena, that began in the 1980's with the advent of casual theme restaurants and expanded appetizer menus has evolved to a host of mini delights and will no doubt contine to evolve as consumers continue to seek indulgence in smaller portions.

Consumers Embrace Signature Retail Brands

As America suffers through a recession that has eroded faith and confidence in our markets, our local retail supermarkets perceive the downturn in the economy as an opportunity to accelerate the transfer of traditional consumer brand loyalty to a new range of premium signature retail brands.

The evolution of retail brands in the food industry, has evolved from black and white generic labels, through more traditional store identified brands, to a host of emerging signature brands.

Americans, who have lagged behind European and Canadian consumer trends, with respect to embracing private labels, are catching up quickly, as attractively packaged products that are equal to or at times better than iconic brand offerings, are attracting new consumers to retailers brands. Nearly one in four purchases in supermarkets today are private or signature labeled items.

Clearly, Loblaw's began the trend toward retail signature brands in North America, with their President's brand launched in the Canadian market a decade ago and subsequently adopted by several retailers in the U.S. market. Since then Retailers have created their own signature brands and placed them in categories throughout their stores.

In many cases, retailers are partnering with suppliers to identify products that are highly differentiated from competitive national brands as they seek to enhance their relationship with consumers.

Premium products that are packaged well, taste great and provide a lower priced alternative to traditional national brands are right for today's consumer and over time will gain market share at the expense of traditional brands.

All Things Food

After many years of involvement in the food industry I have arrived at the the conclusion that to understand the essence of food one must understand flavor, function and form. In future Blogs, I will write about all things food related including, products, concepts , manufacturing companies,retailers, restaurants and consumer trends from the perspective of someone who has created new products and brand concepts, led companies and consumed a great amount of food in various locations around the globe.