Meet Gen Z
This article originally appeared in Optimum Wellness, Spring 2020. p 12-13.
Meet Gen Z: Now buying at a grocery store near you….how the youngest generation is driving the future of eating.
Enough about the Millennial generation impacting food trends; it’s time to meet the next influential cohort, Generation Z. This large, multicultural group is already spurring the growth of positive trends in healthful snacks, bold flavors, and foods that reflect this generation’s values around the environment and sustainability. As we move into a new decade that already feels like the future has arrived, count on this savvy, can-do generation to lead the way.
Generation Zs are 7 to 22 year old and make up 26% of the population. The youngest are noshing on nutritious kids’ food and bold snacks from big food brands (think Epic Crunch Goldfish) while the oldest are launching independent lives, learning to shop and cook on their own (hello, frozen snacks). Being digital natives, they turn to online videos to learn how to make just about anything in the kitchen. However, these convenience seekers rely heavily on snack foods, assembling pantry, fridge and freezer favorites to make a meal.
This is an empowered generation, taught from an early age to define themselves and demand foods that meet their dietary needs, flavor preferences or match their values. Food companies are tapping into this power: Kashi invited a team of Gen Zs to co-create a new snack, Kashi With Kids Organic Super Food Bites. These whole-grain, bite-sized crunchy nuggets feature coconut flour, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, berries, and chocolate and come in portable snack packs, a plus for on-the-go eating.
Speaking of on-the-go, portable yogurt drinks, instant hot cereal cups, and snack-packs of all kinds suit this crew. They grew up with parents plying them with snack-sized everything, in school, at play dates, and after sports practice. They are used to nibbling and sipping a variety of foods and beverages throughout the day to get the nutrition their still-growing bodies need. Protein-rich snack kits, pouches of protein-fortified nut butter, and flavorful fruit cups work well for them. If there is added flavor adventure, such as in Del Monte’s Fruit & Chia Cups with Dragon Fruit, all the better!
More than others, Generation Z is looking for non-dairy and meat-free foods in an effort to prioritize animal welfare and environmental sustainability in their diets. Plant-based versions of favorite foods get their attention. Oat milk yogurt and ice cream, mushroom jerky, and “chicken” nuggets fit right in as do brands touting eco-conscious packaging. Generation Z-member Jaden Smith created JUST Waters, a brand of responsibly sourced spring water in recyclable paper containers, as an alternative to plastic bottles of water. See, this generation really does have the power and the smarts to drive food trends toward positive change.