CHICAGO – Home meal
replacements or prepared foods from supermarkets, drug stores, and other retail
outlets will continue to capture share of the meal/snacks market by stealing
visits from restaurants, according to The NPD Group. NPD’s recent foodservice
forecast through 2022 indicates that instances of prepared food purchased at
retailers for at-home consumption will increase by 10% over the next decade
compared to a 4% increase forecast for commercial foodservice traffic.
While there is no one age
group that takes greater advantage of the prepared food offerings from retail
outlets than another, the needs being met do differ by age group, according to
NPD’s “A Look into the Future of Foodservice” study. For example, adults 35
years and older are more likely than those between the ages of 18 and 34 to use
prepared foods from retail to meet their in-home supper needs.
Lunch-at-home interests
are also met by these retailers, especially for seniors (age 65 and older).
Consumers between the ages of 18 and 24 are more inclined than others to make
purchases from these retail outlets to satisfy their interest in afternoon or
evening snacks.
In terms of prepared foods
purchased, younger adults are more likely than those older to purchase pizza,
hot dogs, and burgers to eat at home. Consumers age 50 and older are interested
in purchasing both fried and non-fried chicken. Younger adults are more
inclined to order non-fried chicken than fried chicken. The home meal replacement
entrees purchased most frequently from retail outlets include chicken, pizza,
and macaroni and cheese. Sandwiches are also popular take-home items.
Acknowledging the growth
in the number of baby boomers moving into their senior years, the larger share
of home meal replacement purchases from retailers will source to those age 65
and older over the next 10 years. Prepared foods retailers are also expected to
benefit from increased visiting from those in their 30s.
“Capturing visits from
direct competition, like prepared foods retailers, has been the primary source
for a restaurant operator’s growth over the past ten years and this will
continue to be the case,” said Bonnie Riggs, NPD restaurant industry analyst,
in a press release. “Efforts to pull consumers out of their homes and back into
restaurants will require touting the benefits of eating out versus staying at
home and cooking or eating meals offered by home meal replacement retailers.”