Millennials and their wholesome choice

Millennials are THE generation shaping the consumption patterns of today & tomorrow. Who are they, what drives their food – and chocolate – preferences, and why?

Who are these sought-after millennials?

Millennials is the nicer name of the generation Y kids who are now between 25 and 39 years old. Children of Generation X, the baby-boomers, and also named the ‘Me generation’ or the ‘selfie generation’. Their primary motivation is to enjoy life, coming from the confidence and sense of entitlement that define them.

On the other hand, they are digitally connected and exposed to huge amounts of information, so their awareness of whichever topic is higher than ever before.

What does it all mean for food preferences?

These 2 fundamental characteristics (entitlement and awareness) result in a very typical attitude that Millennials display: holistic view upon health. To achieve this they are in a constant balancing act. Balance between getting the most out of it and being in control, between healthy and pleasurable, fun and duty, you name it. What they are looking for is a general sense of wellbeing, where health, work, family, emotions are inextricably linked.

good & tasty — Tasty + Good. Millennials’ Holy Grail. Source: Good & Tasty.

So in food, the simple yet spot-on way to describe it is Tasty + Good. Taste is obviously critical because we only live once and ‘life is too short to drink bad wine’ – or to eat tasteless food. But Millennials don’t want to compromise on health either – too well aware of consequences such as globesity, they strive to live a long and fulfilling life. So they will go after products that are tasty and good at the same time, offering the best of both worlds and the balance that they value so much.

What about chocolate and sweets?

Now, by definition chocolate is not healthy. Its primary raison d’être is pleasure, it makes us happy while Millennials are aware of its flipside – sugar, fat, calories. So how do you create chocolates, biscuits, ice creams, any sweets that fit into the sweet spot of Tasty + Good?

There are 4 main strategies you can follow:

Leverage better perception: make your creations ‘sound better’. Focus on the goodness of the ingredients and their naturalness or add loved inclusions such as nuts, superfoods, ancient grains
Make functional health claims: explain how your products can help improving health or add actively positive nutrients and elements

Reduce the baddies – sugar, fat, calories
Benefit from the positive halo of Free-From: vegan and gluten-free are your friends.

Functional claims: don’t mention the baddies, just add goodness!

Functional claims: don’t mention the baddies, just add goodness! Source: Trendhunter.
Passive claims: the domain of sugar.

Passive claims: the domain of sugar. Source: OldTimeCandy.
The innocent world of free-from.

The innocent world of free-from. Source: Veganoo.