10/4/13
More than one in five Americans (21%) are “opportunist” eaters, habitually grabbing food or drink on the run rather than eating specific meals, according to IRI. Opportunist eaters are more likely than average to be female, non-Hispanic, single and/or childless, and under age 45.
Opportunist eaters are less likely than others to take into account nutritional content and calorie count when making food choices. Compared to the average American, opportunists are 50% more likely to say they often choose items that taste better over those that would be healthier. They’re 9% more likely than average to believe preparing healthy meals or snacks takes more time than preparing other types of meals or snacks.
In keeping with this outlook, opportunists are 30% more likely than average to say they look for foods that are quick and easy to prepare and 58% more likely to prefer ready-to-eat or heat-and-eat foods over meals that require preparation.
Opportunists are more likely than the average consumer to purchase frozen appetizers or snack rolls (60% more likely), lunch meats (59% more likely), nonchocolate candy (30% more likely), bottled water (30% more likely), carbonated beverages (24% more likely), frankfurters (20% more likely), and bakery snacks (16% more likely).
Opportunists’ food purchases are more likely than the average consumer’s to be driven by price considerations, especially coupons and discounts. More than two-thirds of opportunists (67%) say price is an important factor in making food/beverage choices. More than a third (34%) say they tend to base their meal and snack decisions on the availability of coupons/discounts. Dollar stores account for 14% of opportunists’ shopping trips, compared with 9% of the shopping trips of other consumers.
More than six in 10 consumers overall (64%) are concerned about digestive health, and 61% are concerned about heart problems. More than four in 10 Americans (43%) consider exercise to be an important part of life. Opportunists are 42% more likely than the average American to exercise less than twice a week and 35% less likely to exercise two to four times per week. Though they’re less active than other Americans, the majority of opportunists (55%) say they’re active for at least 20 minutes daily.
SOURCE: “How America Eats: Capturing Growth With Food on the Run,” September 2013, IRI Worldwide, Susan Viamari, Editor, Times & Trends, 15 N. Clinton St., Chicago, IL 60661; 312-726-1221; susan.viamari@iriworldwide.com; www.iriworldwide.com.
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