Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- Market overview
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- Figure 1: Consumer cooking segments, October 2020
- Impact of COVID-19 on cooking habits
- COVID-19 has forced changes in employment
- Majority are still confident in their financial situation
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- Figure 2: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on cooking at home, November 2020
- Opportunities and challenges
- Americans are spending more time in the kitchen this year
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- Figure 3: Mealtime behaviors compared to last year – Cooking and baking in general, October 2020
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- Figure 4: King Arthur Flour name change, July 2020
- Saving money and filling time are reasons for increased cooking frequency
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- Figure 5: COVID-19 cooking behaviors, by gender, October 2020
- A visual approach is important to attract young cooks
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- Figure 6: Enthusiasm – Media, by generation, October 2020
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- Figure 7: Makeover your mixer, March 2019
- Convenience helps combat cooking fatigue
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- Figure 8: Kroger Chefbot, October 2020
- Parents are getting their kids involved in the kitchen
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- Figure 9: Family cooking – Kids, October 2020
Target Audience – Key Takeaways
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- Enjoyment in cooking is fading for many consumers
- Increases in number of Enthusiastic and Unenthusiastic Cooks
- Impact of COVID-19 and the recession
America’s Cooks by the Numbers
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- Shift in cooking frequency over the last year
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- Figure 10: Cooking frequency, October 2020
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- Figure 11: Cooking frequency percentage point difference, 2019-20
- Cooking attitudes have experienced small shifts
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- Figure 12: Cooking attitudes, by cooking frequency, October 2020
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- Figure 13: Cooking attitudes, October 2020
- Figure 14: Cooking attitudes, 2016-20
- Cooking skills remain intermediate
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- Figure 15: Cooking skills, October 2020
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- Figure 16: Cooking skills, 2016-20
- Cooking motivations
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- Figure 17: Cooking skills, October 2020
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- Figure 18: Cooking skills, 2016-20
- Consumers want to improve their cooking skills
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- Figure 19: Cooking motivation – Learning, October 2020
Consumer Cooking Segments
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- Segmentation factors
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- Figure 20: Consumer cooking segments, October 2020
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- Figure 21: Consumer cooking segments percentage point difference, 2019-20
- High-priority segments
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- Figure 22: High-priority cooking segments, October 2020
- Enthusiastic Cooks
- Unenthusiastic Cooks
- Aspiring Cooks
- Avoidant Cooks
- Low-priority segments
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- Figure 23: Low-priority cooking segments, October 2020
- Content Cooks
- Conflicted Cooks
- Non-cooks
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- Figure 24: Consumer cooking segments demographics, October 2020
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- Figure 25: Consumer cooking segments, by cooking skills, October 2020
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- Figure 26: Consumer cooking segments, by interest in improving cooking skills, October 2020
Market Factors
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- Impact of COVID-19 on cooking habits
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- Figure 27: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on cooking at home, November 2020
- Lockdown
- Re-emergence
- Recovery
- Learnings from the last recession
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- Figure 28: Consumer spending on food at home, annual, 2000-19 and Q1 2020
- Consumers are stocking up out of fear of supply shortages
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- Figure 29: COVID-19 behaviors – Stocking up and product shortages, April-October 2020
- Changes in employment result in cooking behavior changes
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- Figure 30: Employment situation, October 2020
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- Figure 31: COVID-19 employment situation, October 2020
- Most have confidence in their financial situation
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- Figure 32: Financial situation, October 2020
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- Figure 33: Future financial situation, October 2020
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- Younger consumers are finding their adult identity in the kitchen
- Pandemic safe shopping solutions may stick long term
- Shopping for local produce
- Brands can provide consumers with new kitchen experiences
Competitive Strategies
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- Mintel Trend Driver: Identity
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- Figure 34: Mintel Trend Driver, Identity
- Kitchen appliances can reflect consumer aspirations
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- Figure 35: Makeover your mixer, March 2019
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- Figure 36: Le Creuset bread baking social post, November 2020
- Mintel Trend Driver: Value
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- Figure 37: Mintel Trend Driver, Value
- Promoting kitchen convenience
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- Figure 38: Kroger Chefbot, October 2020
- Highlight the convenience of meal kits
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- Figure 39: New cooking habits – Meal kits, October 2020
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- Figure 40: Marley Spoon to the rescue, April 2020
- Brands must respond to convenient shopping options
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- Figure 41: New cooking habits – Grocery shopping, October 2020
- Mintel Trend Driver: Surroundings
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- Figure 42: Mintel Trend Driver, Surroundings
- Appeal to gardeners with locally sourced ingredients
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- Figure 43: New cooking habits – Vegetable gardens, October 2020
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- Figure 44: North Carolina Berry Blend, July 2020
- Mintel Trend Driver: Experiences
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- Figure 45: Mintel Trend Driver, Experiences
- Interest in baking can lead to rebranding and expanding
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- Figure 46: New cooking habits – Baking bread, October 2020
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- Figure 47: King Arthur Flour name change, July 2020
- Encourage a craft cocktail pairing
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- Figure 48: New cooking habits – Craft cocktails, October 2020
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- Figure 49: Stoli Lime Mule, October 2020
- Provide consumers with craved experience through virtual cooking and baking classes
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- Figure 50: New cooking habits – Virtual cooking classes, October 2020
- Figure 51: Whole Foods virtual classes, August 2020
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- Consumers are spending more time in the kitchen this year
- Cooking intentions differ for men and women
- Cooking fatigue will challenge brands to keep consumers engaged
- Working-from-home offers new weekday cooking opportunities
- Social media and visual appeal is important to future success
- Getting kids involved in the kitchen
Cooking Behaviors Compared to Last Year
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- Spending more time cooking and baking
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- Figure 52: Mealtime behaviors compared to last year – Cooking and baking in general, October 2020
- Consumers are more intentional in meal preparation
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- Figure 53: Mealtime behaviors compared to last year – Preparation, October 2020
- Time spent on meals has increased
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- Figure 54: Mealtime behaviors compared to last year – Time spent, October 2020
- Consumers are experimenting more in the kitchen
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- Figure 55: Mealtime behaviors compared to last year – Making different foods, October 2020
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- Figure 56: Disneyland ice cream day Instagram post, July 2020
- Consumers are still relying on foodservice
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- Figure 57: Mealtime behaviors compared to last year – Relying on foodservice, October 2020
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- Figure 58: Shake Shack at your shack, May 2020
Reasons for Changes in Cooking Behaviors
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- Women are focused on saving money, while men are focused on new hobbies
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- Figure 59: COVID-19 cooking behaviors, by gender, October 2020
- Working from home has altered cooking behavior
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- Figure 60: Working from home has changed my cooking behaviors, mealtime behaviors compared to last year, October 2020
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- Figure 61: Tasty 20-minute meals, September 2020
- Cooking fatigue will continue to grow
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- Figure 62: COVID-19 cooking behaviors – I have experienced cooking fatigue, by cooking segments, October 2020
Maintaining Enthusiasm
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- Anticipating the meal makes people excited to cook
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- Figure 63: Enthusiasm, October 2020
- How to maximize cooking excitement
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- Figure 64: TURF analysis – Enthusiasm, October 2020
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- Figure 65: Lemon & Blueberries parfait, April 2020
- Women get excited to cook by the basics, while men get excited about innovation
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- Figure 66: Enthusiasm, by gender, October 2020
- Cooking and baking go viral on social media
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- Figure 67: Social media usage, by platform, October 2020
- Appealing visuals are important for younger generations
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- Figure 68: Enthusiasm – Media, by generations, October 2020
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- Figure 69: Chrissy Teigen Twitter post, Spicy Miso Pasta, September 2020
- Easy recipes are preferred by all cooking segments
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- Figure 70: Enthusiasm – Challenging vs simple recipes, by cooking segments, October 2020
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- Figure 71: Pillsbury cornbread swirls, November 2020
Cooking with Kids
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- Parents cooking segmentation
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- Figure 72: Cooking segments among parents, October 2020
- Half of parents involve their kids in the kitchen
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- Figure 73: Family cooking – Kids, October 2020
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- Figure 74: Kids’ knives from Curious Chef, May 2020
- Dads prefer to cook; moms prefer to bake with kids
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- Figure 75: Family cooking – Kids, by gender, October 2020
- Offer safety and independence to junior chefs
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- Figure 76: Family cooking – Kids, by age of children, October 2020
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- Figure 77: Sous-Chef Toddler Tower, August 2020
- Moms find more reasons to cook with kids
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- Figure 78: Cooking with kids, by gender, October 2020
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Direct marketing creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 79: Consumer cooking segments demographics, October 2020
- Figure 80: Sales of food at home and away from home, January 2010-August 2020
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Appendix – Competitive Strategies
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- Figure 81: Dutch oven and KitchenAid mixer search history trend, 2004-20
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Appendix – The Consumer
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- Figure 82: Enthusiasm, by cooking segments, October 2020
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- Figure 83: Table – TURF analysis – Enthusiasm, October 2020
- Methodology
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