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Whole Foods takes closer look at Millennials

Poll: Young shoppers will pay extra for higher-quality, responsibly sourced food

Russell Redman

September 9, 2019

3 Min Read
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Whole Foods Market

Millennials will pay more for higher-quality food and show a predilection for products promoting health and wellness, transparent sourcing and environmental responsibility, a new survey by Whole Foods Market finds.

Of 1,006 U.S. adults ages 22 to 37 polled, 68% said they would pay extra for high-quality food, and 53% would do so for high-quality nonfood items like personal care and cleaning products, Whole Foods reported. However, those figures fall to 27% and 20%, respective, for those who “strongly agree” they would be willing to shell out more dollars for high-quality food and nonfood items.

Overall, 80% of respondents “strongly agree” (42%) or “somewhat agree” (38%) that quality is important when it comes to buying food, according to the online survey, conducted by YouGov for Whole Foods.

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Fifty-two percent of Millennials said they would pay extra for high-quality, healthy ready-made meals, with 19% strongly agreeing that they would do so.

“We’re always striving to better understand our customers’ passions when it comes to food,” Whole Foods Chief Marketing Officer Sonya Gafsi Oblisk said in a statement. “Millennials don’t settle for just any food in their shopping carts, and neither do we.”

In the area of wellness, 67% of respondents try to eat healthy on a daily basis, while 59% said they buy food and beverages to help them achieve physical and emotional well-being. About half avoid eating or purchasing foods with specific ingredients.

Related:Consumers still prefer beef over alternatives: report

Many Millennial consumers, however, encounter difficulties in trying to follow a certain nutritional regimen, the Whole Foods study revealed. Forty-five percent said that in the past year they tried a special diet or alternative eating approach, yet 63% found that it’s challenging to do so conveniently. Likewise, 52% agreed that it’s challenging to find the right products in grocery stores to maintain a special diet or alternative eating approach.

Among various dietary regimens, 63% of those polled reported that they’re trying to include more plants and unprocessed foods in their diet.

Millennials, too, exhibit a high level of interest in where their food comes from and how it is sourced, Whole Foods noted. Sixty-four percent of survey participants said how and where their food is sourced influences their purchasing decisions. Similarly, 65% agreed that transparency in food sourcing is important, with the same percentage indicating that transparency is key specifically when buying meat and seafood.

Fifty-five percent of Millennials reported that they’re willing to pay extra for products adopting animal welfare standards, and 65% prefer to buy responsibly sourced brands and products.

Related:How conventional groceries are chasing today's natural consumer

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Along the same lines, half of Millennial shoppers look for food and beverages produced with less packaging and plastic, while 60% said they’re aware of the impact that their food choices have on the environment. Fifty-four percent indicated that they want to support mission-based brands that reflect their own values.

“The stories of how food is produced and grown matter to them — and to us. That is why we ban more than a hundred ingredients in the food we sell,” Oblisk added. “Going beyond the USDA requirements, we prohibit antibiotics and added hormones for all meats in our meat department, and we only sell sustainable wild-caught or ‘Responsibly Farmed’ seafood. Our standards drive the work we do, and if products don’t meet our standards, we don’t sell.”

Austin-based Whole Foods operates 483 specialty supermarkets in the United States, as well as 14 in Canada and seven in the United Kingdom.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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