Food industry must react as Brits become more adventurous
advertise their products in an increasingly competitive
marketplace, but new research this week suggests that the food
purchases of many Britons are being influenced not by adverts but
by the growing number of TV chefs.
For a nation ridiculed the world over for its less-than-spectacular cuisine, Britain has produced a long line of top class chefs, many of whom can be seen regularly on TV and whose recipe books frequently top the best sellers lists. And this exposure is clearly rubbing off when it comes to British shopping and cooking habits, with a new study from market analysts Mintel showing that 58 per cent of consumers feel that they are now more adventurous when it comes to preparing meals.
"These days the media plays a very large role in our lives and this is true also of our cooking habits. Many adults have been inspired to change the way they cook and experiment more with new recipes. Overall, the findings certainly suggest that cooking programmes bring a higher profile to cooking and wield real influence on what people cook at home, encouraging viewers to try out the less familiar for themselves and to become more adventurous with their cooking," said James McCoy, senior market analyst at Mintel.
The research showed that more than a quarter (26 per cent) of adults claimed to have tried a new recipe after having seen a TV chef cook it, while one in five (21 per cent) claimed that watching TV cookery programmes had made them try more adventurous food.
"There is already considerable interest in learning more about different foods, and the desire to improve cooking skills. So there is clearly a very good fit between viewers' wants and what TV programmes can potentially deliver. The same applies to those other media that also include food coverage within their remit, such as women's magazines and weekend newspapers," said McCoy.
Some 31 per cent of British consumers now use a wider variety of ingredients than they used to, and just under one in four (24 per cent) now use better quality ingredients than they used to. But where the TV chefs' influence can be seen the most clearly is in the way people use these ingredients: 27 per cent said that they were much more confident about their cooking than they used to be, while 22 per cent said that they were more adventurous.
"These findings show that there is and has been an overall readiness to learn more about food and cooking and an openness to new ideas. This clearly paints a picture of a receptive audience in Britain, which is ready and willing to expand their culinary knowledge and skills," suggested McCoy.
But the TV chef phenomenon is not the only reason for the change in UK eating habits over the last five years. Mintel's research suggested that health concerns are in fact the main reason, with some 85 per cent of those questioned citing concerns about their own or their family's health as the main reason for changing what they eat.
Nonetheless, the influence of the media cannot be underestimated, with 27 per cent of respondents saying that seeing new ideas on television or in newspapers and magazines had influenced their changing habits.
The supermarkets also have a major role to play, with 35 per cent of Britons saying that improvements in the range of food available had also allowed them to change their eating habits.
"First and foremost come health concerns and it is probable that weight is a central concern here, alongside other aspects such as a nutritionally balanced diets and the wholesomeness of food. But it is interesting to see that supply issues such as a greater choice of products and the influence of media have had such an impact on people's cooking and eating habits. The market is having an impact on the consumers, rather than the market solely being dictated to by consumers' demands," said McCoy.
Nor is there any likelihood of the rate of change slowing in the near future, according to Mintel. With some 49 per cent of those questioned by Mintel saying that they were perfectly happy with their present cooking habits, the implication is that around half of Britain's consumers would like to change or improve their cooking in some way.
Wanting to be a better cook is then most obvious reason for change - given by 38 per cent of Mintel's respondents - while 21 per cent said that they would like to learn more about different foods and cuisine. A further 17 per cent said that they would like to be able to cook more complicated recipes.
"This growing readiness to consider change will embrace a number of elements; for instance it may relate to a healthier diet, to greater use of organic foods, cutting down on or omitting meat, buying higher quality produce, or trying to cook more from scratch. In any event, it will certainly and inevitably have implications for cooking. The fact that the British are also travelling more and experiencing a wider variety of cultures will also continue to play a part in broadening people's culinary skills and understanding," McCoy said.
It will, of course, also have implications for food and drink manufacturers and retailers. A more adventurous population means, for example, that fewer people might buy ready meals, while stores with the widest ranges of fresh fruit and vegetables could have a major advantage over those with more traditional portfolios.
However, there is still plenty of room for food and drink producers with their ear to the ground and who know the right consumer groups to target. For example, the under-25s are the least likely to cook from scratch, according to Mintel, but they are also the most likely to want to learn more about different foods, and to want to improve their cooking skills.
The research also finds that the number of those sticking to a traditional diet is slowly declining, and while 60 per cent of over-64s stick to a traditional diet, this is only true of a quarter of under-35s.
