Consumers polled in December reported that food safety and taste are top concerns when eating past-date foods, a new survey reveals.
The Consumer Food Insights survey of more than 1,200 consumers by Purdue University’s Consumer Food Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability reported that sensory information (smell and appearance), when combined with date labels, slightly reduces unnecessarily discarded food.
The survey reported consumers are also slightly more likely to discard foods past the “use-by” date compared to the “best if used by” date.
“Generally, food quality (taste) is a concern for more people than food safety when assessing whether or not to consume or discard the food items past the date labels, regardless of the type of label or food,” the report said.
The survey includes what is called the Sustainable Food Purchasing Index.
“The oldest consumers (Boomer+) are less likely than younger generations to consider the environmental impact and social responsibility of their food purchasing decisions compared to taste,” the survey said.
Consumers in the Boomer+ cohort are more likely to be satisfied with their diets and food secure than younger generations, according to the report.
The survey also found that consumer food inflation estimates (5.9%) and expectations (3.5%) declined from November as food inflation continues to cool.
On average, the survey reported consumers are spending about $120 per week on groceries and $63 a week on restaurants and other carryout. Average weekly food spending in 2023 ($187) is 5% higher than in 2022 ($178), according to the survey.
“Consumers’ inflation expectation for the next 12 months is the lowest it has been since the inception of the survey (3.5%),” the survey said. “A decline in both the consumer food inflation estimate and expectation suggest consumers may be more optimistic as we see food prices increasing much more slowly relative to the high inflation consumers experienced in 2022 and much of 2023.”
The survey found younger generations (Generation Z and millennials) reported eating fewer home-cooked meals per week than the older Generation X and Boomer+ generations.
Consumers polled in December 2023 reported out-of-stock rates for groceries decreased from 2022, with eggs being the most frequently reported out-of-stock item due to the avian flu outbreak.
“Sugar was the most common response consumers gave in 2023 when asked which foods they are actively limiting from their diets,” the survey said.
The survey estimated national food insecurity to be about 12.6%, below the 2022 average (15%) and reflecteda continued slow decline in food insecurity since June 2023.
“Food insecurity is consistently highest among the youngest generation of adults (Gen Z) while the oldest generation of consumers (Boomer+) are the most food secure,” the survey said.
Younger consumers are more likely to choose organic food, the survey said.
“The majority of Gen Z and millennial adults believe organic food is more nutritious than non-organic food compared to only around 30% of consumers in the Boomer+ cohort,” the survey said. However, the survey found that the majority of all age groups believe that climate change will impact food prices and that local food is better for the environment.
The survey found consumers in the Boomer+ cohort are also less likely to take risks with their food consumption, as they reported eating unwashed fruits and vegetables, rare or undercooked meat and raw dough or batter less frequently than other consumers.
Boomers also check food labels less often than younger generations, except for the use-by and sell-by dates and nutrition labels, which are frequently checked by all consumers, according to the survey.
