This report offers a complete review of the Gen Z food consumer. As Gen Z explore food and foodservice, they’re going to shape the spending future of these industries. Explore how Gen Z perceive and prefer food with this report.
While the full opportunity of Gen Z won’t be realized until they fully hit adulthood, around 95% are engaging with foodservice, retail food, or both. It may not be their dollars spent at this stage, but they’re building the loyalties now that will shape their spend well into the future.
Like most consumers, Gen Z food habits revolve around convenience, quality, and value. And, perhaps above all else, Gen Z is looking for food to be an experience, not simply a way to fuel their bodies.
Bringing a sense of fun to food can engage Gen Z, allowing them to express themselves and capture a sense of adventure. CPG and foodservice alike can embrace a sense of play in their brand story and messaging, remembering that food doesn’t have to be serious or stuffy to win its category. At restaurants, this might look like casual vibes with snacking menus; for CPG, this can include fun flavors, innovative formats, and products that help cooking be fun, even as young people are still learning.
Gen Z has real power: about 60% picked some or most of the restaurants they ate at in the last three months, and only 4% of those 14-17 (2% for 18+) did not buy any food. Help them come of age in the kitchen with products that make the learning process less painful, and get them in the door at restaurants with menus that consider the budgets of early adulthood.
Each of the following is broken down by teen Gen Z (14-17) and adult (18+):
Michele joined Mintel in 2019 as a Senior Research Analyst reporting on the cannabis industry. In her current role, she covers all things cannabis, including topics related to THC, CBD and hemp. Michele has a PhD in sociology from North Carolina State University and has expertise in qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
Opportunity won’t wait for Gen Z to age up; meeting their demands and acting as a partner in their culinary coming of age is fruitful now, and into the future.
Michele Scott
Associate Director, US Research – Food and Drink
Mintel is the world’s leading market intelligence agency. We show you how consumers think today and tomorrow. As a trusted partner to industry leaders, we deliver game-changing insights to businesses across the globe, fuelling their marketing and innovation strategies that will shape the future.
Access high-quality market research with every purchase of Mintel’s consumer reports. Here’s what else is included in your report purchase:
From consumer reports to customised growth strategies. We have an option to suit your business requirements.
Find out more$ 6,300 – $ 26,000
Mintel’s 2024-25 Global Outlook on Sustainability: A Consumer Study is designed to help you understand what brands and companies should prioritise in order to educate consumers and ensure...
Find out more$ 4,995
Red meat continues to spark debate – celebrated as a protein powerhouse, yet scrutinized for potential health risks. While rising prices have prompted some to cut back, many...
Find out more$ 4,995
Pre-made sweet baked goods offer the mix of attributes consumers crave like convenience and indulgence, often surpassing homemade options in time-saving and versatility. Ready-made treats provide a practical...
Find out more$ 4,995
The growing appeal of away from home ice cream and frozen novelty experiences with younger generations indicates the craving for a level of intentionality and excitement in frozen...
Find out more$ 4,995
At-home baking continues to gain momentum, yet it's not a one size fits all baking experience that consumers find enjoyment in. Kelsey Olsen - Analyst, Food & Drink...
Find out more$ 4,995
Private label food and drink continues to grow and gain share against a backdrop of financial strain and economic uncertainty. But while shoppers count on private label for...
Find out more
We use Mintel to inform our thinking and reinforce strategy. If you’re presenting new ideas, it’s essential they are underpinned by robust data and evidence, and clearly rooted in fact.
Mintel gives us all that. It’s a great brand and one that is trusted by clients.
One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.
We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.
We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.
There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.
However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
Mintel helps us when we want to know something quickly – it provides fast answers to our questions. If we need to get a view of what’s going on in a particular market it’s very useful.
When carrying out background research, I find Mintel an excellent starting point.
The fact that it covers so many markets is a big plus for me– instead of having to buy specialist products in each area we are interested in, especially when we only require a brief view on a particular market, we can go to Mintel for help as a one-stop shop. I find Mintel a useful and valuable resource.
From consumer reports to customised growth strategies. We have an option to suit your business requirements.
Find out more
