Have you ever wondered why should we know about the food habits of Gen Z ? Why is it important ? Does it matter ? Surprisingly perhaps, it is very important, especially to food companies, marketers and even the medical community. What Gen Z prefer to eat and how they prefer to eat it will determine how the food industry will evolve, which type of restaurants will succeed and which will not, and how the the marketing industry has to evolve to succeed in attracting Gen Z.
Gen Z is the generation after Gen X and Gen Y. They have unique tastes and preferences distinct and differing from those of their preceding generations. These food habits of Gen Z will determine the environment around the evolution of the food industry, to some extent the entertainment industry and also the healthcare industry. In this article, we will discuss the food habits of Gen Z.
When we say Gen Z, we mean people born between 1997 and 2021 or between 1995 and 2010 or between 1997 and 2012, depending on the source we are referencing to for the information. We can conclude that Gen-Z comprises the college going population and the young working adults. When I was doing my research for this article, I came across a startling difference, which might be alarming even between the food habits of the general Western gen-Z population and those of gen-Z in India.
When we put in ‘Food habits of Gen-Z’ in Google search, we get a result that says that Gen-Z food habits are focused on sustainability, wellness and health. They have more choices in food than any previous generation and exercise flexible food habits, often vegetarian and vegan.
People of this generation are more conscious of what they are eating and intend to eat healthy, nutritious food. At the same time, they also tend to be busier, with less free time, spend a lot longer online, through mobile phones, and are also a lot less active physically compared to earlier generations.
Being guided on what to eat by Social Media
Being online mostly through their mobile phones makes them susceptible to online advertising and food promotions by influencers and food manufacturers. Gen-Z also actively seeks information and recommendations online, through social media like Tik-Tok, Instagram and YouTube. Also, they may come across conflicting information when searching online. In such situations, knowing which information to trust can be challenging. Food companies are increasingly trying to reach out to them and advertise through social media. The companies also provide more health information and try to promote their product as healthy as Gen Z is quite aware of what is going on and what they should eat to maintain good health.
Why the food habits of Gen Z matter
Gen-Z are the young people of today and are and will be forming the main consuming class of the next few years. Knowing their food habits is crucial for food companies and marketers to shape their product offerings and marketing campaigns.
Gen-Zers like to experiment with their food and eat healthy, but also eat a lot of junk food. They also like and tend to snack in between meals, the snacking is more often than not, on junk food. And this tendency has given rise to a whole industry.
In India, Gen-Zers prefer western cuisine to Indian mainly do to things like better taste, convenience and less time consuming to prepare and eat, etc. Gen-Z also loves to eat food that is full of cheese. Such food while being better to eat, might not be better nutritionally as compared to the traditional Indian options like chapati and dal.
In countries like India, the onslaught of major fast food companies is having a major impact on the food habits of the people, particularly of Gen-Z. The traditional healthy food options are being replaced by fast food options, increasingly towards good tasting but low on nutritional value junk food like burgers and pizzas. This is leading to a growing epidemic of poor health and obesity.
Gen-Z is also less inclined to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking. Traditional foods while healthy do require significant time in their preparation. A majority of the Gen-Zers find it hard to find the time and inclination to cook and prefer eating out or ordering their food online.
This habit of Gen-Z of not spending much time in the kitchen and ordering their food has given rise to the Quick Service Restaurant or QSR business in India. Gen-Z want more variety in not just their food but also cuisine. Chinese today, Mughalai tomorrow perhaps Italian the day after and so on. Combined with the food delivery services, Gen Z can enjoy restaurant food at home and very conveniently too. With the growing popularity of delivery apps like Zomato and Swiggy and 10 minute deliveries becoming common more and more restaurants are partnering with them.
Impact of the food habits of Gen Z on health
Food habits also have a big role to play in the general health of the generation and also have a big role in the growth of NCDs or non-communicable diseases, also known as lifestyle disorders. The prevalence of obesity can lead to disorders like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, metabolic syndrome and many more.
The food and eating habits of Gen Z in India, especially the consumption of junk food is causing an obesity epidemic in India. It is due to a combination of factors like high salt, fat and carbohydrate content in junk food like pizzas and burgers along with a lack of fibre, the mostly sedentary lifestyle and a predisposition to diabetes among Indians. With diabetes and other lifestyle diseases striking progressively younger people, the food habits of Gen Z does have a major role in this.
Gen Z tends to eat a lot of junk food like chips and similar snacks and drink sweetened carbonated drinks or soft drinks, especially while watching or binge watching movies or web series or during social gatherings. Companies and marketers too target them with advertising so that the companies can sell more of their products.This combined with the lack of physical activity is impacting the health of Gen Z.
There is hope however. As Gen Z has more access to information, they can learn about good eating habits and exercise. Increasingly, Gen Z is snacking on healthier options like Makhaana and dry fruits. Increasing awareness of good food habits will help reverse the obesity epidemic we find ourselves in.
Capitalizing on this tendency to prefer junk food yet being aware of the need to eat healthy and nutritious food among Indians, at least one company has come out with what they call ‘healthy junk’. This is an attempt to get Gen Z especially to eat healthier while still experiencing the joy of eating junk food.
Conclusion
The food habits of Gen Z differ greatly from that of the previous generations. Factors affecting the habits are increased exposure to social media, increase in remote ordering and consumption especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, temptation to eat more junk food due to the taste and convenience and increased awareness of the need to eat healthy and nutritious food. In India, the food habit of Gen Z have led to the growth of quick service restaurants and also restaurants offering global cuisines. There is an increased tendency to eat chips and other junk food especially while watching TV and social gatherings. This tendency to binge on junk food along with a sedentary lifestyle and Indians’ predisposition to diabetes is leading to a diabetes epidemic in India. Some members of Gen Z are snacking on nuts and other healthy foods.
