Almost one third (31%) of consumers would eat out more often if healthy options were readily available, according to new research by UK-based grocery research organisation IGD.
'Eating out' and 'eating well' are both rising trends among consumers, with over two in three (67%) eating out at least once a week, and 34% claiming to do so a couple of times a week, according to IGD.
The organisation said that restaurants, cafés and food-to-go businesses should harvest the benefits of both trends by making it easier for customers to choose healthy options while eating out.
“Eating out of home plays a significant part in the national diet and at the same time, interest in health and eating healthily is growing,” said Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive of IGD.
“Many food and drink companies already view health as a hugely important part of their strategy, but there is a clear commercial opportunity for businesses to take the lead in this area."
Influential Factor
While health is rarely the number one factor for eating out, it still widely influences behaviour and was regularly mentioned by consumers in IGD's report, with 34% saying they avoid eating in places that they view as unhealthy.
“Even when people are not actively seeking healthy choices, they avoid some outlets and menus viewed as too unhealthy,” said Rhian Thomas, head of shopper insight at IGD. “Also, people may limit their eating out occasions if they associate this with over-indulgence.”
Thomas said that there are four key areas of influence when it comes to people’s decision-making process when eating out, determining whether they are in the market to try new things or visit other places.
“The first is occasion, i.e. day of week and time of day,” she said. “Regular occurrences such as workday lunches are more functional and controlled whereas weekend dinners are usually seen as special occasions and the time for a treat.”
“The second is companionship i.e. who people eat with, if anyone,” she continued. “On their own, people tend to stick to regular choices, whereas in a group, they are more likely to try new things or visit different places.”
The third is mood, and the fourth is speed and convenience, due to the fact that out-of-home eating decisions are often made under time pressure, when people need easy choices.
Barriers
There are still a number of barriers preventing health from having more of an influence on people eating out, the research found.
Over half of consumers said they feel it’s more expensive to eat healthily when eating out. IGD said that the industry therefore has a lot of scope to show consumers how they can eat healthily on a budget.
Confusion and mixed messages about how health is presented also keep many consumers from eating better.
“If health information is not presented in a consistent way, it can sometimes confuse and lead to wrong choices,” said Thomas. “The food industry therefore has an opportunity to continue the work it has already started on refining its messaging to consumers.”
The effort it takes to pursue a healthy option is often a deterrent for consumers, which connects back to speed and convenience. Retailers should therefore make it as simple as possible for consumers to seek out healthier options.
“When offered a range of options to make finding healthy food easier, the largest proportion of consumers (35%) recommended a dedicated selection of healthy options clearly marked in-store or on the menu,” said Thomas.
The last barrier is the conception around takeaway-food culture, being that it is generally viewed as involving the lowest consideration around health. However, expanded home delivery and takeaway options could shift this perception over time, according to IGD.
Business Potential
Despite the current obstacles, the influence of health alongside the growing trend of eating out offers a lot of commercial potential.
Retailers need to offer a broader range of healthy options and meet specific dietary preferences. According to IGD data, 30% of consumers were looking for more vegetarian options, 22% for more dairy-free choices and 20% for a larger vegan range.
Another potential source for increased sales and engagement is to reposition the associations and language around health food from being a sacrifice to showing that good food can taste nice and make customers feel good too.
“This requires hitting the right emotional notes, for example, giving healthy ingredients ‘hero status’, using enticing language and visuals to excite the senses and creating a sense of theatre around preparation,” Thomas said.
Finally, she added, it’s important to vary the healthy offer and target certain demographic groups, locations and occasions when people are most concerned with healthy eating.
“For example, families with young children are particularly keen to see a wider choice of affordable, healthy choices in their area,” she said.
By boosting and promoting these offerings, retailers have the chance to lead the way in the rapidly-growing healthy food sector. But the researchers argue that this needs to be done in a skilful way, without alienating those who don’t want health messages to be too intrusive.
Thomas concluded: “If the barriers and solutions our research identifies are tackled over time, then there are clearly huge commercial opportunities for food and drink companies looking to bring together the two powerful trends of eating out and eating well.”
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Kevin Duggan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
