Supermarket Stress

Phil: So first up, along that line, Deloitte has just produced a new survey. And I love this survey or report, not a survey, sorry. It really talks about how stress of shopping has jumped due to inflation. In fact, what they're saying and showing is that 53% of us are concerned over rising food prices. 

Phil: They break it down to a lot of different categories, a lot of different demographics of consumers. But bottom line is 84% of us consider health and wellness when purchasing fresh food. Three in four of actively seeking more personalized nutrition. Now, that's up 13 percentage points, which is great over last year. And 55% of consumers say they're willing to pay a premium for the right foods because they contribute to their health and wellness. Now, that last stat, that 55%, to be honest with you, I think that in today's environment with food inflation, that's probably a little higher. I think people always answer these surveys based on what they'd like people to think that they're gonna do, versus what they actually do. But still all indications from this Deloitte survey is very positive. 

Sally: Yes. And you know, I agree with you. I think that when, you know, when people are asked, they really want to be mindful of what they eat, and they want to buy those healthier foods and those foods that are better for the environment. But when it all comes down to it, it's price. It's what they can afford. And so I think once again, you know, we've said it many times, it's really important to get our retail dietician involved and our retailers involved in helping our shoppers find a way to buy affordable, healthy food. We can talk about what's in season and how to use that. We can also talk about a great point that was brought up in this study that, frozen foods have seen double the price inflation even though they started at a lower price point than fresh foods, that consumers are starting to notice that that is going up more. So directing them towards those fresh fruits and vegetables and what is affordable right now and what they can make with it. 

Phil: Yeah, I think that's important. They also found that 15% of us are now reducing our online shopping to avoid paying related fees. I think that that's conservative. I think that I'm seeing a lot more people move away from online to avoid, you know, it's not only the delivery fee, but then you're forced to tip. Then you've gotta, you know, do all this other stuff and you're not really able to look around in the store itself for what those bargains are. Again, as it relates to health, 78% of people are saying the right foods can help keep me healthy and prevent me from suffering certain health problems. And, you know, when we see those surveys, to your point about retail dietitians, the problem is that a lot of people just don't know what to do. They don't know what to eat. And sometimes in that retail environment, they're embarrassed. 

Phil: They're afraid, you know, they just don't know what to do. So, you know, this Deloitte study is definitely worth everybody taking a look at it. It's one of the best studies that I've seen on this whole "food as medicine" concept that's out there. So, you know, every retailer who's watching get ahold of this study. It's online, there's no cost to it, and it really is gonna shape the future.