Generations Differences in Flavor Preferences

Flavor isn’t one size fits all. It’s no secret that consumers vary widely when it comes to flavor preferences, making it all the more challenging for brands to innovate in ways that are going to appeal to the masses. Defining your target customer and identifying the demographics that your brand is going to appeal to the most is crucial for developing successful products and creating flavors that consumers will totally crave.

Unsurprisingly, a key indicator of consumers’ flavor preferences tends to be age. It probably seems safe to assume that younger consumers are more adventurous and older consumers tend to stick to familiar flavors, which is generally true. But in order to understand what flavors are going to win over consumers, it’s necessary to get a bit more granular in examining generational differences in flavor preferences. Keep reading for our experts’ insights into what each generation is craving – and how to use these insights to create flavors tailored to your targeted demographics.

What is Each Generation Craving?

Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2013): All eyes are on Gen Z these days, as they have increasing influence on the food industry – and increasing spending power. It does tend to be true that the youngest generation in the workforce sets the trends, which is why everyone is so interested in what Gen Z is going to prefer. Gen Z shares some similarities with Millennials, in that they tend to be more adventurous in their flavor preferences. There are, however, some key differences.

While Gen Z and Millennials both enjoy global-inspired flavors, Gen Z consumers are interested in more specificity and authenticity. For this reason, regional options from trending cuisines are going to be more popular with Gen Z consumers. As an example, Indian cuisine is trending with consumers in general. Gen Z consumers, however, would be more excited by a flavor inspired by a very specific region in India, like the Kerala region. This generation is also interested in global cuisines that have yet to hit the mainstream in the U.S. food industry. African cuisine, for example, has caught their attention.

Gen Z consumers are interested in knowing the specifics behind their food products – where the inspiration came from for a flavor, where the ingredients that make a flavor are from, and so on. This generation also grew up with the greatest product and flavor variety in their households, and as a result, they get bored with flavors faster than previous generations. This is the generation of LTOs. Taking the flavors that are trending, introducing them in LTO format, and then moving on to what’s next is going to be the way to appeal to this generation.

Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): Millennials are responsible for many of the most prolific flavor trends in recent memory, like the sriracha craze, the demand for extra hot and spicy flavors, and the infusion of functional ingredients in everyday flavors. Even though Gen Z is becoming more influential on food and flavor trends, Millennials are still having an impact.

This generation is all about using flavor as an experience. They’ve been through multiple recessions and global crises, and as a result, they’ve relied on unique flavor experiences as a means of escapism. They crave flavors that tell a story and help them add some excitement to their daily lives. This can take many forms, including innovating with global flavors, putting new twists on nostalgic options, testing out sophisticated ingredients to bring upscale vibes to their diets, and creating flavor fusions that mashup unexpected flavor profiles.

Gen X (born between 1965 and 1980): This generation often gets neglected when it comes to flavor innovation. It tends to be true, however, that Gen X follows Millennials’ lead, eventually adopting their flavor preferences. Gen X is slightly less adventurous than Millennials, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t looking for something new and different. Regional American cuisine is becoming increasingly popular with this generation, for example. They’re also interested in global cuisine, just some of the slightly less exotic options, like Mediterranean cuisine, South American cuisine, and some Asian cuisines.

Gen X may stay in their comfort zones a bit longer than Millennials, but something that has gotten them excited is seeing new takes on familiar favorites. One way to appeal to the Gen X consumer is to offer an unexpected spin on a flavor that they grew up with. New spins on comfort foods, like BBQ, grilled cheese, and fried chicken, are sure to catch this generation’s attention.

Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) and the Silent Generation (born between 1928 and 1945): We’re grouping these generations together because their food shopping and eating habits tend to mirror each other. These generations grew up with mostly home cooking and fewer options when it came to flavor. As a result, they tend to be a bit more hesitant about trying something new. That doesn’t mean that brands can’t innovate with flavor to appeal to these consumers, however.

Like Gen X, nostalgia is important to these consumers, so innovating with familiar favorites is a great way to appeal to them. Simplicity in ingredients and flavor profiles tend to be preferred by these generations as well. Baby Boomers, in particular, are still interested in the global flavor trend, but they tend to stick to more mainstream options, like Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and Thai. Brands should consider what flavors are most familiar and beloved by these generations and make relatively minor adjustments to them to offer something new and different. Adding a trending ingredient to a familiar favorite like BBQ or chocolate chip cookies is a good place to start to encourage them out of their comfort zone just a bit but not too much.

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