Protein by the Numbers

The Consumer-Driven Redefinition of Quality in Food Culture

Consumers are driving change in food culture

Consumers increasingly aspire to higher-quality food experiences they simply did not grow up with. For today’s consumers, food is now a cultural product to discover, share, make and trade. This reconnection with food and its origins is encouraging a new level of participation.


Yesterday’s Meaning	Today’s Meaning
USDA Prime	Chef as arbiter of taste
Fancy	Open production
Select	Imperfectly perfect
Signature	Pride in craftsmanship
Grade A	Reconnecting with food and its origins
Imported	Demand for transparency in production
Anything du jour

How should brands express quality in their food and beverage offerings?

Here are some of the key consumer-driven demand factors we see in play in today’s marketplace:

High-quality, simple ingredients - optimized for taste.

It’s all about the experience to the consumer versus solving a need state.

Be a source of inspiration.

Share the stories behind the great foods and beverages you sell to enhance the experience. Talk about the values, ideas, practices, preparations, techniques, actors and everything else that makes sense of the world of foods and beverages...and shapes the meaning of your brand.

Consumers look for quality in their food and beverage offerings

Higher quality is about the integrity of your brand.

Talk about the brand’s values, which include full transparency in the supply chain; talk about the higher product quality and how you can achieve those things and communicate them effectively to consumers.

Create a sensory experience.

The lived experience of what quality looks, smells, tastes and feels like.

Quality movement drivers: consumers are adopting new food routines that focus on health and wellness, transparency and global discovery, reflecting a desire for expanded variety. Over half of consumers (53%) break from normal eating routines at least once a week: 38% break for higher quality and 43% break for variety. For the most in-depth, thought-provoking insights into how consumers are driving change in food culture, attend a Hartman A.C.T. Food Culture symposium.