Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- Market overview
- Impact of COVID-19 on approach to meal planning and preparation
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- Figure 1: Short-, medium- and longer-term impact of COVID-19 on approach to meal planning and preparation, March 2021
- Opportunities
- Elevate cooking tips and planning tools by making them more entertaining and interactive
- Focus on the familiar and find ways to bring comforting meal ideas to their fingertips
- Keeping the heat on the emotional benefits of cooking will be necessary in the months to come
- Challenges
- HMR needs freshening up as shifts in grocery shopping behaviours limit access
- Engaging Gen Z with a ‘food is fun’ positioning will be necessary
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- Eating healthfully all or most of the time isn’t helping waistlines
- Rising food costs may keep Canadians eating at home
- Inequalities in household division of labour is amplified
Market Factors and Current Opportunities
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- Healthy eating is targeted; success is questionable
- Canadians strive to eat healthfully, but the bulk of adults are overweight or obese
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- Figure 2: Distribution of underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese, by age, 2018
- What we’re seeing in-market now: educating younger consumers about food
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- Figure 3: Waffles + Mochi Instagram post, March 2021
- Rising food costs will keep the focus on at-home eating for many
- Canadians are cooking at home more now
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- Figure 4: Canadian basket weight for consumer expenditure on food components, February-October 2020
- Higher food costs will hit consumer bottom lines
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- Figure 5: Monthly movement in selected components of the Canadian Consumer Price Index (2002=100), not seasonally adjusted, January 2018-March 2021
- What we’re seeing in-market now: strategies giving consumers a break
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- Figure 6: Flipp Instagram post, April 2021
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- Figure 7: Walmart Facebook post, February 2020
- Figure 8: Walmart Facebook post, February 2021
- The pandemic is reversing equality in household dynamics
- Household division of labour was uneven before the pandemic
- The pandemic has exasperated inequity in the household
- What we’re seeing in-market now: normalizing men’s participation in household duties
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- Figure 9: Downy Philippines Facebook post, March 2021
Competitive Strategies – A Look Ahead
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- Meeting consumer needs through the lens of the Wellbeing Trend Driver
- The pandemic draws deeper attention to the emotional aspects of eating
- Providing guidance on healthy eating will be an important value proposition in the next 18-24 months
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- Figure 10: Metro Ontario Facebook post, January 2021
- A healthier future calls for supporting Gen Z nutritional knowledge now
- Combine nutritional info (literally) with video games to meet Gen Zs where they’re at
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- Figure 11: Kostministeriet Facebook posts, June 2020
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- There’s a need to encourage more men into the kitchen
- Elevating the enjoyment of cooking will be more important in the months to come
- Beyond ease and healthfulness, familiarity matters when planning meals
- Canadians shop differently for groceries; HMR needs freshening up
Cooking and Planning Responsibility
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- Women continue to be primarily responsible for cooking and planning meals
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- Figure 12: Cooking and meal planning responsibility, by age and gender, February 2021
- Moving men 18-34 beyond the basics will help
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- Figure 13: Cooking skills, by age and gender, February 2021
- Strategy recipe: Step 1. Tap into existing shortcuts
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- Figure 14: Attitudes towards recipe inspirations and association of cooking with stress relief, men 25-34 vs overall, February 2021
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- Figure 15: PC Chef Instagram post, December 2020
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- Figure 16: Cooks Illustrated Instagram post, February 2021
- Strategy recipe: Step 2. Enhance shortcuts with educational and entertaining elements
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- Figure 17: We Made Pizza!, November 2019
Cooking Attitudes: Nourishing the Heart and Mind
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- Cooking enjoyment is gained throughout the process – even now
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- Figure 18: The emotional benefits of cooking, February 2021
- Looking ahead: keeping the heat on these mental health benefits needs to be a priority
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- Figure 19: Vosges Haut-Chocolate Instagram post, December 2020
- Eating together has become more important, particularly for parents
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- Figure 20: ‘Eating together as a household is more important now than before the pandemic (ie March 2020)’ (% agree), parents with under-18s at home vs overall, February 2021
- Stir it up by making it a joint discovery and/or collaborative creative process
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- Figure 21: KiwiCo Instagram post, April 2021
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- Figure 22: Dr. Oetker Spectacular! Science Crazy Colour Changing Icing Cupcake Mix (UK), December 2020
Meal Planning Factors and Considerations
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- Alongside ease and health, familiarity is a priority
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- Figure 23: Top factors considered when planning home cooked meals, February 2021
- Use interactive tech to help them quickly find recipes that they know and love
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- Figure 24: Kroger Facebook post, October 2020
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- Figure 25: Introducing Kroger Chefbot | Kroger, October 2020
- Some assistance for those with ‘basic’ cooking skills, please
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- Figure 26: Top factors considered when planning home cooked meals, those with basic cooking skills vs overall, February 2021
- Private label brands and discount retailers will gain by inviting ‘beginners’ to the party
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- Figure 27: Gardening Masterclass: Growing Mint & Basil, April 2021
- Figure 28: National Parks Board Instagram post, September 2020
- Unsurprisingly, parents are more constrained by household tastes and habits
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- Figure 29: Select attitudes towards meal planning, parents with children under-18 vs overall, February 2021
- Help parents get ‘buy-in’ from kids in the planning and prepping stage
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- Figure 30: Chrissy Teigen Instagram post, February 2020
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- Figure 31: Luna's Lunch Menu - How To Make Chrissy's Homemade Fish Sticks!, February 2020
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- Figure 32: Raddish Kids Instagram posts, March 2021
Cooking Habits and Behaviours
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- Shortcuts are relied on to see meal plans through
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- Figure 33: Frequency of engaging in various cooking behaviours, February 2021
- Meal kits continue to see low traction even after a year of needing shortcuts
- Change in shopping behaviours negatively impacts access to HMR, now and into the future
- Strategy recipe: Step 1. Give HMR a fresh take by including ‘add on’ elements
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- Figure 34: Epicurious Facebook post, January 2021
- Strategy recipe: Step 2. Freshen up HMR with a fresh location
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- Figure 35: Sprinkles Cupcakes Instagram post, December 2020
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- Figure 36: blogTO Facebook post, November 2019
- Strategy recipe: Step 3. Consider targeting fathers with HMR
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- Figure 37: Frequency of engaging in select cooking behaviours, fathers vs mothers with under-18s at home, February 2021
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- Figure 38: Dove Men+Care Global Channel, August 2020
- Figure 39: Dove Men+Care Global Channel, September 2020
- Moms lean on small kitchen appliances; grocery stores will gain by partnering with them
- Moms will be stocking up more into the future, but they’ll need a plan before going in
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- Figure 40: ‘I’ve made more large stock-up trips’ when shopping for food and drink during the COVID-19 pandemic, mothers with under-18s at home vs overall, February 2021
- Grocers could lean on a tool already used by moms: small kitchen appliances
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- Figure 41: Select attitudes towards meal planning, mothers with children under-18 vs overall, February 2021
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- Figure 42: Instant Pot Community Facebook post, January 2020
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Mintel Trend Drivers
- Abbreviations
- Terms
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