Forever young

“Boomers also consider themselves to still be young, so factors that contribute to mental and physical acuity will be top of mind. Foods and beverages that promote cognitive function and physical mobility, such as joint health, will gain traction,” she says. “From an ingredient perspective, this implies that omega-3s will grow in importance (since emerging evidence suggests that it positively impacts several concerns, including heart health, cognition, joint health), as well as protein and protein components that promise retention of muscle mass and control of blood pressure. And the immune enhancing properties of food components, such as probiotics, will remain important. Food safety concern will manifest itself in increasing interest in organic and kosher.”

Boomers make up the largest food spending demographic — collectively spending $22.8 million per week on groceries, or about $125 weekly per family, according to Packaged Facts. With many boomers still heading households with children, the trend to eat well is being passed on to future generations.

With a preference for fresh, natural, organic ingredients, as well as exotic, sophisticated and bold flavors, boomers spare no expense to incorporate quality foods into their daily family life. “Boomers are a driving force behind the success of functional and fortified foods — as well as organics — and they prefer gourmet foods of convenience that meet the demands of their elegant yet hectic lifestyles,” says Publisher Don Montuori.

Lifestyle vs. lifestage

To be sure, with a 19-year span, boomers aren’t a homogenous group, so developing new products and marketing to them requires know-how. Are they older or younger, working or retired, married or single/divorced/widowed? Do they have children over 18 or under 18 (39.7 do have young kids, according to ACNielsen)? There are vast differences in education, cultural backgrounds and “wordliness.”

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It’s notable boomers are not stuck in their purchasing behavior — 60 percent of people over 40 research different brands before making a decision, according to a survey by AARP. They pick and choose foods according to what makes sense to them based on their lifestyles and lifestages.

“When targeting boomers, it’s important to realize this group spans many years,” says Barbara Katz, president of HealthFocus International (www.healthfocus.com), St. Petersburg, Fla., and a frequent contributor to Food Processing. “While they share levels of concern about some conditions like diabetes, key health concerns of younger boomers are often different than those of older boomer.

“Older boomers are significantly more concerned about arthritis and Alzheimer’s, while younger boomers, many with kids still at home, are more concerned about stress and tiredness. While labeled in the same generation, they are often in different life stages.”

Only 1 percent of boomers say age is a barrier to achieving their goals, and one in five wants to live to be 100. “I want to die at 100 … running to catch a plane,” Fergus Clydesdale, head of the Dept. of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, said at a recent Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting.

“When it comes to food, boomers are likely to make conscious choices when it can potentially affect their lifestyle,” explains Barbara Burton, senior ethnographic analyst with the Hartman Group (www.hartman-group.com), Bellevue, Wash. “They eat foods for their function — whether it be nutritional value or emotional well-being — and they avoid certain ingredients and foods that are believed to undermine their health.

“Since they are no longer able to be carefree with their indulgences and are seeing firsthand the consequences for unhealthy lifestyle choices, they are more likely to choose, high quality and more worthwhile rewards,” she continues. “They don’t want to eat something they will ‘pay’ for later unless it is beneficial in some other way.”

Don’t call them seniors

“Boomers try to stay more active and stronger than their parents did, because they don’t want to be defined as seniors,” says Cheryl Bell, healthy living advisor/dietitian for superstores Meijer Inc. (www.meijer.com), Grand Rapids, Mich. “Concerned with how nutrition can impact the aging process, they seek functional or what I call efficient foods, look at nutritional value and avoid foods they think will undermine their health. That varies depending on a person’s individual health status. Someone who has heart disease might want to integrate soy into the diet because of the isoflavonols and phytochemicals, whereas a woman may avoid soy if she has estrogen positive breast cancer.”

Although boomers seek ingredients to improve their health, they also are interested in how foods make them feel — how food impacts their emotional well-being or mood, according to Bell. “Well-traveled, they also are more concerned with the total eating experience, ethnic cuisines and learning new cooking techniques. When boomers do indulge, the food is typically of higher quality because their palates are more sophisticated. If they buy chocolate, they choose darker varieties because they know of the higher antioxidant health benefits and better taste.