Earned indulgences |
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Whilst people have been more conscious of their spending and have cut back on expensive luxuries during the economic downturn, they have still found it important to indulge in occasional small treats. To justify this, people have tended to cut back their spending on basic products in order to trade up in areas that provide the most emotional benefit. Sensory pleasure from food in particular has given people an affordable way of emotionally rewarding themselves and improving their personal well-being. Chilled desserts, for example, have become an increasingly popular ’reward’ with products such as cheesecakes and chocolate profiteroles being firm favourites. |
Exciting flavours and cuisines |
People have become much more ‘worldly’, experimenting with new flavours and cuisines influenced by international travel, exposure to other cultures and familiarity gained through mass media and the Internet. What will delight the taste buds in the future? According to some research Moroccan, Korean, Japanese and Peruvian cuisines will increase in popularity. |
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Authenticity
People’s growing interest in food has resulted in a greater knowledge of where particular foods originate from and an understanding of how they should taste. People are equating provenance with quality and, as such, people’s desire for authentic products is playing an increasingly important role in their purchasing decision. To some extent this interest is driving the popularity of local foods. In the UK, for example, there has been a resurgence in demand for British fresh produce and meats.
Familiarity breeds contentedness
To counteract having to cope with today’s pressures people are drawing comfort from the traditional and familiar by reverting to foods which they fondly associate with the simpler times of the past. Sometimes overwhelmed by the vast choice on offer, people are also buying products with which they are familiar and which they know are going to taste good e.g. Lancashire Hot Pot in the UK or Stamppot in the Netherlands.