Forever young

“Consumers drive what food choices are available in grocery stores and restaurants. That’s where you’re seeing the organic movement,” she continues. “According to Kraft Foods, only 2.5 percent of grocery industry sales are organic, but 30 percent of baby boomers buy them.

“They also use supplements for prevention — calcium to decrease bone loss and fish oil to delay heart disease. Phoods (functional foods) are hotter among baby boomers, but they go in and out in those purchases.”

Boomers purchase solutions to their problems. That’s why ads for erectile dysfunction and anti-aging products have proliferated. They want to live every moment to its fullest, so quality of life is key. Thus, it should be no surprise they are obsessed with health and wellness.

“What I find most interesting about the first wave of baby boomers turning 60 is the research being born in their wake,” says trends forecaster Suzy Badaracco, CEO and president of Tualatin, Ore.-based Culinary Tides (www.culinarytides.com). “The family of research inspired by this generation includes studies into memory, mood, depression, dementia, Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, prostate health and menopause. This research is not completely novel, but now has a voice and is being heard more clearly. With luck, food and pharmaceutical companies will partner in time to also help the Swing and WW II generations who, while not having the fame of the baby boomers, are suffering these issues now.”

Beyond what foods to produce, a secondary concern for the food industry as boomers age will be the packaging itself, according to Badaracco. “Ease of opening and larger print labeling for both human food and pet foods will be increasingly more important,” she says.

“Boomers pay attention to packaging; they look for unusual designs,” says Bell. “Each week, I design quick and easy menus from Meijer ads, and on Saturdays, I plug in a wine like Funky Lama and Little Penguin. If the packaging is not exciting or fun, boomers may pass it up.”

It can be the kiss of death to define food and beverage products “for boomers,” which makes them feel older. But there are functional products that resonate well with boomers because they sell benefits to present or future health problems.

“It is true that most companies do not market products specifically to baby boomers,” says Steve Harris, vice president marketing-North America for Sunsweet Growers Inc. (www.sunsweet.com), Yuba City, Calif. “But with this being the largest growing demographic over the next 10-15 years, it presents a fantastic opportunity for products that meet their needs.

“Unlike the prior generation of people 45-plus, this demographic is looking for products that are convenient, healthy and indulgent.” He cites as examples Sunsweet Ones (individually wrapped prunes) and PlumSmart plum (not prune) juice. The latter, in addition to naturally occurring fiber, magnesium and potassium, has added chicory root, a prebiotic, plus “a touch of ginger and chamomile for their soothing effects.” “They are examples of nutraceutical foods that fit with the daily habits of eating right, exercising to stay fit and avoiding pharmaceutical solutions to the body's natural aging process ... absolutely perfect for the baby boomer generation.”

The most important thing to remember about boomers is that they are rule breakers, according to “Rocking The Ages: The Yankelovich Report on Generational Marketing.” Individuality over conformity is a consistent boomer pattern. They have always done it differently than the way it was done before, and as they get older, they will continue to demand products that fit their individuality.

“Boomers are adventurous, media savvy, Internet articulate, well educated and concerned about health and wellness, and they spend more on groceries,” says Kapica. “Messages that processors might use that would likely appeal to boomers are minimally processed, natural/organic, quality calories (lots of nutrients, very few calories), and science-based messages. Since Boomers want to avoid all health problems, messages that speak holistically to health (life marketing) as opposed to disease orientation (death marketing) will resonate better. Boomers don’t want to just avoid cancer or heart disease; they want to avoid it all.”