Aging boomers are the highest spenders in restaurants and they're looking for dining experiences that will take into account their health concerns, experts told a food industry conference in Brampton, Ont.

"We see a need for different types of products — products which address the diseases of aging, osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease," Jane Graham, general manager of food services for the NPD Group, said Tuesday before her presentation to the 15th annual Foodservice Interchange Conference.

Baby boomers, opting for salads and smaller portions, are driving new trends in the restaurant industry, says author David Foot.
CBC

People in this demographic need larger print on the menus to help them decide what to order, Graham said in an interview.

The conference brought together food manufacturers and restaurant operators.

David Foot, a University of Toronto economics professor and bestselling author of Boom, Bust and Echo, said people spend the most money on restaurant food in their 50s.

Boomers want fresh produce, smaller portions

"You're much more likely to order fish, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables," he said. "You want smaller portions, you're beginning to get diabetes, you're worried about the content of the restaurant meal. These people in their 50s are driving many of the mega-trends that the industry is now experiencing."

In an interview following his speech, Foot described this age group as a "growth market" and said they want quality and service.

"They're willing to pay for it," he said. Some of these boomers in their mid- to late 50s are also grandparents.

"And they're beginning to take kids to fast-food restaurants," he said. "So you need an environment that's not too noisy for people in their 50s whose hearing is gradually going."

In terms of health-conscious offerings, he noted that most fast-food outlets have salads and fish on their menus.

But those who addressed the conference weren't just fixated on boomers. Foot said the children of people in that age group are now in their teens and 20s — another growth market for restaurateurs.

"They want noise and action, and they're acting like typical teenagers."

Teens choose fair trade, local produce

Graham said these youthful consumers are also concerned about the environment, and are interested in locally grown produce and fair-trade purchases.

Elizabeth Sloan, former editor-in-chief of McCall's magazine and a consultant who has a PhD in food technology and nutrition, flew in from San Diego for the conference, and offered an American perspective on food trends.

"Restaurants really need to totally rebalance their beverage offerings," she said. "Look at North America and look what's happening with the carbonated soft drinks going down, and now the diet drinks are falling off.

"These kids are into water … energy beverages and sports beverages, if they can afford them. So it's going to be a different ballgame out there in a lot of these areas."

The health concerns related to food intake are increasingly relevant for youngsters because of weight problems and adult onset diabetes in kids, she said.

Foot noted that children are "somewhat less important" for the restaurant industry in Canada than in the U.S.

"They have two children per family and we only have one-and-a-half," he said. "In Canada, the aging boomers in their 40s and 50s are a much bigger player in the market than they are south of the border."