Non-foodies still an important market

Almost half of all Australians have little interest in cooking or food shopping, representing a significant market for products offering ease of preparation and convenience.

Market research company Roy Morgan has developed Food Segments, a culinary-focused consumer profiling tool that divides the population into seven distinct sections based on attitudes to food, cooking, health, eating out and entertaining at home.

A glance through the TV guide seems to suggest that Australia is a nation of foodies, with wall-to-wall TV cooking shows and celebrity chefs treated like rock stars. However, as is the case with most reality television, what we choose to watch on television isn’t necessarily representative of how we live our lives.

According to Food Segments, the ‘Just Feed Me’ segment accounts for the highest proportion of Australians (23%), characterised by a complete lack of interest in cooking, eating out or grocery shopping, and the preference to simply eat what is placed in front of them. Nearly 60% of them are men.

17% of the population fall into the ‘Zappit’ category, where cooking is seen as a waste of time that would be better spent doing other things. Consequently, they opt for easy-to-prepare food or takeaway. Men and women are quite evenly represented in the Zappit community.

Completing the ‘non-foodie’ sector of the population are the ‘Take-it-Aways’ (9%), a group heavily skewed towards men that doesn’t understand why anyone would cook when they can pick up the phone and place an order.

And the remaining 51% of the population?

Food is, however, higher on the agenda for the remaining 51% of the population.

Characterised by their love of cooking and enjoyment of grocery shopping, people in the family-oriented ‘House Proud’ segment (22%) are interested in food for both its taste and nutritious qualities. They’re also the segment most likely to be complimented on their cooking.

‘Trendsetters’ (9%) are all about new foods, new flavours and new culinary experiences, while ‘Entertainers’ (8%) are especially fond of food’s social aspects, whether they’re throwing a fabulous dinner party or eating out at a fine restaurant. ‘Old-fashioned Cooks’ (12%) love a traditional home-cooked meal but are not big on variety, tending to buy the same foods and brands week in, week out.

Andrew Price, General Manager – Consumer Products, Roy Morgan Research, said the research confirms that not everybody is an aspiring Masterchef, and that there are significant sectors of the population who are in the market for food and products which can cut their kitchen time down to a minimum.