Young consumers’ relationship with food is changing, with food quality and discovery becoming some of the most important factors to them.

Young consumers’ relationship with food is changing, with food quality and discovery becoming some of the most important factors to them. According to a 2021 News Study conducted by Hunter (a consumer marketing and communications firm) that surveyed 1,002 U.S. consumers, more people now consider themselves “foodies”—but not in the way you may think. Consumers are becoming more concerned with food’s impact on society, while their awareness for food safety, food inflation, and food quality are growing. The study found that Millennials are the most likely to change their shopping and eating habits based on the news flow, and “a greater portion of Americans consider food quality and discovery the most important factors defining their relationship with food and many are less concerned with convenience,” notes Heddy Demaria, chief insights and strategy officer at Hunter. Consumers are interested in less-heavy news about the food industry, too, with the popularity of air fryers ranking as the fifth most-important development among respondents, and Lady Gaga’s Oreo partnership was one of the most attention-grabbing food stories this year. YPulse’s cooking and diets research shows the pandemic has made young consumers more interested (and more confident) in cooking at home, and they’re paying closer attention to what they eat while restricting foods like gluten, dairy, and carbs at a higher rate in 2021 than in 2019. (AdAge)