I enjoy hearing fresh, new perspectives on the issues facing agriculture, and it’s important for us to be objective and open to different approaches, especially in the face of change. But it’s equally important to remember our history lessons, lest they be repeated.

A common thread in recent meetings is how American’s eating and shopping habits are changing. My guess is that you and your family probably eat out more often now than your parents did when you were growing up. That’s partially due to a lifestyle change, but it’s primarily due to the fact that there are more dual-income families than ever before.

According to Anne E. Winkler, in an article from the Monthly Labor Review Online,
“labor force participation rates among married women have increased dramatically in recent decades, rising from 35 percent in 1966 to 61 percent in 1994. The increase was even more dramatic for married women with children under 3 years: 21 percent to 60 percent over the same period. As a result, dual-earner couples are swiftly replacing the traditional married-couple model of a “breadwinner” husband and “homemaker” wife. From 1970 to 1993, the proportion of dual-earner couples increased from 39 percent to 61 percent of all married couples.”

Competition for the American consumer’s food dollar has never been greater, with over a dozen types of retailers grappling for a share of the huge retail market, estimated to be worth from $450 billion to $612 billion per year. It’s a case of “Retailers are from Venus and shoppers are from Mars,” as traditional supermarkets face an identity crisis. Though still the dominant force in food shopping with 34,000 supermarkets in the U.S., they are pressured by the “supercenter” price/value players and warehouse clubs on one side, and “natural” food chains on the other. Major demographic, lifestyle and technological changes create a fertile environment for new concepts to entice shoppers, capture market share and basically re-invent the grocery industry.

Meal solutions gain importance in time-constrained lifestyles. Everyone wants convenience, but there is a new agenda of values. Shoppers are more interested in quality than quantity and they’re willing to pay for it. Sometimes the intangibles override the tangibles, and time is more important than money.

Still, these time-deprived, dual-income families want to feel good about the food choices they make. As a result, we’ve seen a “raw food movement” emerge, made up of dehydrated, sprouted and raw food products. We’ve seen “daily juicing” become more popular, with whole aisles of juicers in coastal markets. And did you know that the primary market for sushi was 12 to 14-year-old girls?

On the other hand, we’ve also witnessed a “slow food” movement to bring families back to the table. Quality products, like artisan breads and cheeses, soups, whole grain products and ethnic foods are enjoying rising popularity.

From an agricultural viewpoint, these trends are certainly worth watching, because they’ll impact what we grow and how we grow it in the years to come. We’ll have more on this important topic next week.

This commentary is from Farms.com
For comments on this column, e-mail: joann.alumbaugh@farms.com

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