Kids’ Tastes Are Evolving

October 17, 2023 || Originally posted on convenience.org

The youngest generation enjoys the foods their parents are eating—not just chicken nuggets.

Children of Generation Alpha, born between 2010 and the early 2020s, have developed a more diversified palate thanks to their Millennial parents, according to a Datassential study. This generation is the first to be born solely in the 21st century and have daily lives rich in stimuli, new experiences and food.

Generation Alpha is predicted to be the largest generation ever in size and is expected to reach over 2 billion by 2025, reported Forbes. The earliest of the generation is already approaching adolescence and will soon join the workforce.

Despite that, the generation is still very young, causing retailers to market towards the mostly Millennial parents, shifting marketing strategies to continue marketing Millennials while also keeping their kids’ generation on the radar, said Forbes.

With that, many kids now shift towards foods more similar to their parents’ tastes instead of the typical chicken nuggets and mac and cheese associated with kids’ menus.

According to the study, 31% of Gen Alphas are eating on-trend ingredients like plant-based foods several times a week. Of their parents, 56% say that they buy their kids new foods that they’ve seen on TV or online.

Eighty-four percent of Gen Alpha consumes content on YouTube, while 51% view content on TikTok. In business terms, 35% of foodservice operators say that Gen Alpha is “very” or “extremely” important to their business.

Some of the fastest growing dishes of Gen Alpha include beef fajitas, boneless wings, mini quesadillas, white rice, pho, sweet tea, chicken quesadillas, seasoned fries and mini pancakes. Gen Alpha enjoys ingredients such as plant-based chicken, wagyu beef, chickpeas, feta cheese and anything vegan.

They also enjoy the flavors and sauces like lemon pepper, sriracha, honey BBQ, chipotle and buffalo sauce.

Meanwhile, Generation Z is reaching adulthood and has changed their spending habits due to increased prices. This includes eating at home instead of dining out, spending less on clothes and limiting groceries to essentials.

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