Summary of how an ageing population transforms the food industry
- Ageing populations are reshaping food markets as demographic patterns shift
- Older consumers increasingly influence nutritional priorities and marketing approaches industrywide
- Brands must pivot functional food messaging toward longevity and everyday mobility
- Older demographics prefer clean labels and familiar ingredients with clearer transparency
- Rising focus on fibre reflects strong health motivations among ageing consumers
Demographics are changing. Birth rates are declining in much of the world, with more and more people deciding to have fewer, or even no, children.
And this comes hand in hand with populations getting older. According to the UN, one in six people will be over 65 by 2050.
This means that older consumers are making up a more significant chunk of the population. Therefore, what their demands and preferences are will shape the food industry in the decades to come.
To put it simply, “you, as a food producer, have got to recognise who your target audience is, who’s got the money, and why they’re going to spend it”, says Tom Rees, global insight manager for stable foods at analytics company Euromonitor International.
How to reframe food around older consumers
With the population shifting towards older consumers, food companies must understand the wants, needs and preferences of these consumers more than ever. They are, after all, an increasingly larger proportion of the population. Nutrition for older adults is becoming less of a niche as they make up a greater part of the overall population.
This will likely involve repositioning existing markets towards older demographics, tailoring the way certain products are marketed towards certain needs. There will be more marketing around what meets the nutritional needs of older consumers, explains Euromonitor’s Rees.
One example is functional foods, such as those high in protein. These products are currently focused on fitness and performance, with imagery of sports and athletes used extensively on packaging.
Yet as the market shifts towards older consumers, this should be reflected in the way products are framed. Older consumers may be interested in food that can improve flexibility, for example, which is a much greater concern for this demographic than for young consumers.
If foods boasting a high protein content target an older demographic, their marketing will have to move away from athlete and high-performance-focused imagery, suggests Rees. Instead, it should be focused on maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle for as long as possible.
“If you’re going to start looking at that older population, you’re going to have to start looking at what their concerns are.”
Meeting older consumers’ preferences
Food will not only have to shape itself around particular physical or nutritional needs that older consumers may have, but also their preferences. Older demographics have many distinct preferences from younger consumers.
For example, older consumers are more sceptical about artificial sweeteners and difficult-to-understand ingredients lists in food than younger consumers. They are more interested in the clean label trend.
They are also more focused on fibre than younger consumers. They are more aware of the ingredient, and more interested in having it in their food. However, younger consumers are now joining them in the rise of the fibremaxxing online trend.
Because of this, it may not be hard for industry to pivot to increasing a focus on fibre.
In short, older consumers have a stronger desire for and interest in healthy food than younger ones.
As the population gets older, the needs and desires of older consumers are more important than ever. Food cannot afford to sideline them.
Want to know more about nutrition for older consumers? Tune in to our ‘Positive Nutrition: Healthy Ageing - nutrition for longevity and vitality’ session on 13 May. Register now.
