Tracking Trends in the Food & Beverage Industry
Updated: Jan. 16, 2023 | By Emily Moquin
The food & beverage industry continues to navigate a complex landscape as constantly evolving macro forces — from concerns about the broader economy to the future of work — shape daily choices around eating and drinking. Leaders in food & beverage must stay informed on consumers’ changing attitudes and behaviors around grocery shopping, cooking and dining out.
Morning Consult is tracking consumer trends in the food & beverage industry through a monthly survey of U.S. adults. We’ll be updating this page with new and essential data and analyses every month. Sign up for alerts below.
The methodology for the monthly tracker is included at the bottom of this page.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Grocery cost concerns appear to have stabilized. At the end of the year, 40% of consumers said they were concerned about the cost of produce — still 5 percentage points higher than in December 2021, but down 5 points from the high seen in mid-2022. While food inflation has yet to ease, these relatively steady concern levels may be attributed to consumers planning to spend whatever was necessary for their holiday meals, or due to price relief in other nonfood categories.
Food insecurity climbed year over year: 15% of U.S. adults said they often or sometimes did not have enough food to eat in December 2022, compared with 10% in December 2021. That’s a notable rise after a year of persistent price increases.
Fewer consumers tried new recipes during the winter holidays. The share of U.S. adults who said they tried a new recipe this December declined 4 percentage points year over year. Attempts at new recipes peaked in January 2022, so perhaps the new year will inspire more culinary exploration.
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TRENDS IN GROCERY SHOPPING
Share of respondents who said they got groceries the following ways in the past month:
Shares of respondents in key demographics who said they ordered groceries online at least once a week in the past month
Respondents were asked how spending on groceries changed this month compared with the previous month
Share of respondents who said they are very concerned about the cost of the following categories:
Shares of respondents who said they often or sometimes did not have enough food to eat in the past month
COOKING BEHAVIORS
Share who said they did the following at least once a week in the past month:
Shares who said they tried a new recipe for the first time in the past month
Shares from key demographics who said they cooked using a meal kit in the past month
RESTAURANT TRENDS
Share who said they did the following at least once a week in the past month:
Respondents were asked how often they purchased food or beverages from the following types of restaurants in the past month:
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTIONN TRENDS
Share of U.S. adults ages 21 and older who said they drank the following at least once a week in the past month:
Shares of U.S. adults ages 21 and older who said they drank the following at least once a week in the past month:
HEALTH AND WELLNESS TRENDS IN FOOD & BEVERAGE
Respondents were asked if they do any of the following:
Shares who said they plan to choose healthier foods and drinks next month
Respondents were asked if each of the following describes their diet:
Shares of respondents who said food sustainability is very important to them
RELATED
ABOUT
Methodology
The Morning Consult Food & Beverage Monthly Trend Tracker relies on Morning Consult’s proprietary survey research capabilities. The interviews are conducted online, and the data are weighted to approximate a representative sample of U.S. adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race and region. Results from the full survey have a monthly sample size of 2,200 U.S. adults and an unweighted margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
About Morning Consult
Morning Consult is a global decision intelligence company changing how modern leaders make smarter, faster, better decisions. The company pairs its proprietary high-frequency data with applied artificial intelligence to better inform decisions on what people think and how they will act. Learn more at morningconsult.com
About the author
Emily Moquin is the food & beverage analyst on the Industry Intelligence team, where she conducts research, authors analyst notes and advises leaders in the food & beverage industry on how to apply insights to make better business decisions.
Email press@morningconsult.com to speak with a member of the Morning Consult team.