TORONTO — The locavore movement may be picking up steam in restaurants, but according to a recent NPD Group report, Canadians are opting for more pre-packaged, convenient meals that boast good nutritional value.
“A lot of ink has been devoted to the locavore and 100-mile-diet movements, but the vast majority of Canadian households see food in an increasingly practical, utilitarian way where time and perceived nutritional punch continue to rise in importance,” said Joel Gregoire, food & beverage industry analyst, The NPD Group.
The Toronto-based consumer and retail market research company’s Eating Patterns in Canada (EPIC) – 12th Edition found that Canadians consumed an average of 380 homemade meals in 2009, down from 398 in 2008.
In fact, 75 per cent of meals made in the country last year were prepared in 15 minutes or less and consumption of frozen food jumped to its highest level in a decade, with a 15 per cent spike since 2004. With that in mind, 76 per cent of consumers also claim that nutrition is the most important factor when planning meals, compared to the 13 per cent who rank taste as more essential than nutrition.
According to the report, sodium (85 per cent), saturated fats (84 per cent) and trans fats (85 per cent) are the top three things that Canucks are looking to cut from their diet, opting instead for foods rich in fibre, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.
“Canada’s eating trends in the last decade have been widely influenced by demographics, particularly the dominant baby boomer cohort, and we can be relatively confident that they will continue to influence food behaviour for the next decade,” said Gregoire. “Ultimately, aging Canadians living increasingly in an empty-nest dynamic have been searching for easy-to-prepare meal options that are heart healthy and nutritious, and this will be the trend for the foreseeable future.”
