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Foodies in the U.S.: Organic/Natural Foodies
January 1, 2009
For food aficionados, food offers much more than nourishment. It offers a framework
through which they can build relationships, make new friends, explore the world and
even examine which behaviors are ethical. They use food to define who they are in
greater society. The term foodie, which first appeared in the early 1980s, has entered
the English language to describe this new type of food lover and a surrounding new
culture of food. Foodies are distinct from gourmets in that their interests tend to be more
wide ranging. Foodies enjoy high-end gourmet food, to be sure, but they also seek out
hole-in-the-wall BBQ shacks, taco trucks and Chinatown markets. Foodies enjoy the
thrill of the hunt and being the first to catch on to new food trends, and food outlets
considered “authentic” carry the most prestige in the foodie world. As authenticity
frequently equates to a degree of separation from big food conglomerates and
corporate marketing campaigns, foodies can be an elusive target for marketers. At the
same time, foodies are a desirable demographic, as they are avid, tech-savvy
consumers who embrace all sorts of trends, not just those that are food-related, and
who introduce these trends to their communities and peers.
Through an analysis of selected lifestyle statements in Simmons Market Research
Bureau’s national consumer survey, Packaged Facts has determined that 14% of U.S.
adults—or 31 million—are foodies. Drawing on cross-tabulated Simmons data, this
report examines foodies’ demographic characteristics in depth while also discussing
foodies’ values and consumer habits. Following a thorough trend overview chapter, the
report profiles the foodie cohort known as organic/natural foodies, pinpointing their
unique characteristics across areas including demographics and attitudes, media
responsiveness, shopping habits and restaurant behavior.
Read an excerpt from this report below.
Report Methodology
The information in Foodies is based on primary and secondary research. Primary
research entails in-depth interviews with consultants and industry insiders to obtain
information on food trends and the people that drive them. Secondary research entailed
data gathering from relevant sources, including consumer and industry publications,

2. newspapers, government reports and company literature. Dozens of charts and tables
from diverse sources are included. Consumer demographics are derived from Simmons
Market Research Bureau data.
What You’ll Get in This Report
This report helps companies understand what motivates foodies and how to appeal to
them, even in difficult economic times. It makes important predictions and
recommendations regarding the future of this market. Plus, you’ll benefit from extensive
data, presented in easy-to-read and practical charts, tables and graphs.
How You’ll Benefit from This Report
If your company is involved in the grocery or restaurant industry or launches new food
products regularly, you will find this report invaluable. Because foodies also like to lead
the way in other consumer areas—from shopping to fashion, nutrition matters to “green”
pursuits—marketers of non-food products will also benefit from learning how to reach
this trend-setting demographic.
This report will help:
Marketing managers identify market opportunities and develop targeted
promotion plans for food products
Research and development professionals stay on top of competitor initiatives
and explore demand for their businesses
Advertising agencies working with clients in the foodservice industries to help
their products find an eager audience
Business development executives understand the dynamics of the market and
identify possible partnerships.
Information and research center librarians provide market researchers, brand
and product managers and other colleagues with the vital information they need
to do their jobs more effectively.
Additional Information
Market Insights: A Selection From The Report
Local Foods Moving Into Organics’ Environmental/Political Role
Local foods are not necessarily produced without pesticides or according to other
organic standards, and therefore do not offer the same perceived health benefits of

3. organics. But as organic foods lose their environmental, political and cultural luster
among the food cognoscenti, local foods are moving into the gap. And more so than any
other foodie cohort, organic/natural natural foodies are inclined to care about local
foods’ environmental advantages, with environment-related Simmons lifestyle
statements indexing higher for this cohort than for any other. Organic/natural foodies
are, for example, much more likely than U.S. adults on average to agree a lot that they
buy products that use recycled paper (index of 303), buy recycled paper products (index
of 286) and “would pay more for nvironmentally
friendly products” (index of 361). In fact, over two-fifths (42%) of organic/natural foodies
agree a lot with this last statement.
Members of this cohort also care passionately about local issues, as 37% strongly
agree that they “prefer shopping at local stores to shopping at national chains” (for an
index of 279, compared with 175 among foodies overall and 87 among non-foodies).
Environmental and political reasons for buying local foods include:
Buying local lessens the environmental impact of food production. Local foods
help protect the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the
fuel used to transport food long distances.
Buying local helps the local economy by keeping the money working in the
community. It helps support family farmers and preserves local farmland. Says
Jane Aiudi, Director of Marketing and Production Development at the food and
rural resources division of Maine’s Department of Agriculture, “The surest means
of farmland preservation is to have profitable farms” (Maine Today, March 16,
2007).
Buying local has become a backlash to “industrial” food production and
consumer disenchantment at organic foods going corporate.
Local foods are believed to use less packaging than industrial foods.
Local farmers are more likely to practice sustainable agriculture and to treat their
animals humanely. They are also more likely to pay their workers a fair wage
than farms in some distant foreign country.
Recent scares over E. coli-contaminated spinach and ground beef, and over
tainted food ingredients from China, have caused concern about the food
production chain. Local foods are believed to pose less of a disease risk, and in
case of an outbreak, the chain can be easily traced.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Executive Summary
Scope and Methodology
Scope of Report
Five Foodie Cohorts
Report Methodology
Market Overview

4. The New Culture of Food
Defining Foodie
An American Phenomenon
Foodie Character and Values
Foodie-ism Often a Key Part of Self-Identity
Foodies May Resist Foodie Classification
31.2 Million U.S. Adults Are Foodies
Figure 1-1: Foodies and Foodie Cohorts as a Percentage of U.S. Adults, 2008
(percent)
Foodiehood Peaks in Pre-Middle Age Brackets
Skew to Pacific and Northeast Regions, Downtown Areas
Educated But Not Necessarily Rich
Consumers with an Attitude
Influencers and Influenced
High Media and Advertising Awareness
Traveling to Taste
Foodies Highly Receptive to Food Marketing
Foodies as Informed Health Consumers
Foodie Eco-Consciousness
Foodie Opportunities in All Dayparts
Figure 1-2: Relative Importance of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Among Foodies,
2008 (index)
Eating In: No Time to Scrimp
Food Shopping Skews to Fresh Formats
The Cheaper Side of Whole Foods
Food and Beverage Purchasing Patterns
The Resurgence of Farmers’ Markets
Organic v. Local
Foodies Push Fast Food in Healthier Directions
Foodies Embrace Social Aspects of Food
Foodies and the Economic Downturn
Chapter 2: Market Overview
Introduction
The New Culture of Food
Defining Foodie
An American Phenomenon
Foodie Character and Values
Foodie-ism Often a Key Part of Self-Identity
Foodies May Resist Foodie Classification
31.2 Million U.S. Adults Are Foodies
Five Foodie Cohorts
10% of Adults Are Foreign/Spicy Foodies
9% Are Restaurant Foodies
7% Are Foodie Cooks
Figure 2-1: Foodies and Foodie Cohorts as a Percentage of U.S. Adults, 2008
(percent)

5. 5% Are Gourmet Foodies
Figure 2-2: Foodies and Foodie Cohorts by Number of U.S. Adults, 2008 (in
thousands)
4% Are Organic/Natural Foodies
Figure 2-3: Foodie Cohorts as a Percentage of All Foodies, 2008
Overlap Between Foodie Cohorts
Table 2-1: Overlap Between Foodie Cohorts, 2008 (percent)
Foodies and the Mapping of Food Trends
Foodie Demographics
Foodiehood Peaks in Pre-Middle Age Brackets
Figure 2-4: Age Distribution Among Foodies, 2008 (index)
A Female Skew
Figure 2-5: Foodie Gender Breakout, 2008 (percent)
Hispanics Index at 128 as Foodies
Figure 2-6: Foodie Ethnic/Racial Demographics, 2008 (index)
U.S. Racial/Ethnic Trends
Skew to Pacific and Northeast Regions, Downtown Areas
Figure 2-7: Foodie Patterns by Region of Residence, 2008 (index)
Figure 2-8: Foodie Patterns by Type of Residence, 2008 (index)
Educated But Not Necessarily Rich
Foodies and the Economic Downturn
Figure 2-9: U.S. Grocery Industry Sales Growth, 2001-2007 (percent)
Will Foodies Cut Back?
Table 2-2: Foodie Demographics, 2008 (percentages, number and index for U.S.
adults)
Foodie Psychographics and Consumer Traits
Consumers with an Attitude
Enthralled with the New
Figure 2-10: Foodie Attitudes About Experimentation, 2008 (index)
An Adventuresome Self-Image
Figure 2-11: Foodie Self-Image About Adventure, 2008 (index)
Foodies Wear Prada
Figure 2-12: Foodie Attitudes About Fashion, 2008 (index)
Influencers and Influenced
Figure 2-13: Foodie Attitudes About Trendsetting, 2008 (index)
Figure 2-14: Foodies Attitudes About Outside Opinions and Validation, 2008
(index)
High Media and Advertising Awareness
Foodies Gravitate to the Web, Blogs
Figure 2-15: Popular Foodie Blogs
Figure 2-16: Foodie Computer Attitudes and Usage Levels, 2008 (index)
Bricks-and-Mortar Patterns Reflect High-Style, High-Tech Tastes
Foodies Are Active as Direct Shoppers
Foodies Highly Receptive to Food Marketing
Impulse Spending Over Coupon Cutting
Figure 2-17: Foodie Attitudes About Spending, 2008 (index)

6. Foodies as Informed Health Consumers
Foodie Eco-Consciousness
Figure 2-18: Environmental Attitudes of Foodies, 2008 (index)
Vegetarians, the Food Chain, and the Environment
Traveling to Taste
Table 2-3: Selected Psychographics: Adults Overall vs. Foodies, 2008 (percent
of U.S. adults overall and percent and index for foodie adults)
Table 2-4: Personal Computer Use Patterns: Adults Overall vs. Foodies, 2008
(percent of U.S. adults overall and percent and index for foodie adults)
Table 2-5: Retail Shopping Patterns: Adults Overall vs. Foodies, 2008 (percent of
U.S. adults overall and percent and index for foodie adults)
Table 2-6: Internet, Mail, or Phone Order Shopping Patterns: Adults Overall vs.
Foodies, 2008 (percent of U.S. adults overall and percent and index for foodie
adults)
Table 2-7: Food Retail Shopping & Spending Patterns: Adults Overall vs.
Foodies, 2008 (percent of U.S. adults overall and percent and index for foodie
adults)
Foodies and the Food Industry
Foodie Opportunities in All Dayparts
Figure 2-19: Relative Importance of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Among
Foodies, 2008 (index)
Eating In: No Time to Scrimp
Food Shopping Skews to Fresh Formats
The Cheaper Side of Whole Foods
Food and Beverage Purchasing Patterns
Malls Make a Play for Gourmets
The Resurgence of Farmers’ Markets
Figure 2-20: Number of Operating Farmers Markets, 1994-2008
Rise of Local Food Movement
An Organic Plateau?
Figure 2-21: U.S. Organic Food Sales, 2005-2008 (in millions of dollars)
Foodies and Foodservice Chains
Foodies Push Fast Food in Healthier Directions
Foodies Embrace Social Aspects of Food
Communal Dining
Supper Clubs
Table 2-8: Household Use of Packaged Foods by Type of Product: Adults Overall
vs. Foodies, 2008 (percent of U.S. adults overall and percent and index for foodie
adults)
Table 2-9: Household Use of Beverage Products by Type: Adults Overall vs.
Foodies, 2008 (percent of U.S. adults overall and percent and index for foodie
adults)
Table 2-10: Household Purchasing Patterns for Packaged Foods for Selected
Brands: Adults Overall vs. Foodies, 2008 (percent of U.S. adults overall and
percent and index for foodie adults)

7. Table 2-11: Household Use of Non-Alcoholic Beverage Products for Selected
Brands: Adults Overall vs. Foodies, 2008 (percent of U.S. adults overall and
percent and index for foodie adults)
Table 2-12: Use of Selected Alcoholic Beverage Brands: Adults Overall vs.
Foodies, 2008 (percent of U.S. adults overall and percent and index for foodie
adults)
Table 2-13: Use of Family Restaurant and Fast Food Chains: Adults Overall vs.
Foodies, 2008 (percent of U.S. adults overall and percent and index for foodie
adults)
Foodie Kids
Household Expenditures on Kids’ Food
Table 2-14: Aggregate Annual Family Expenditures on Food for 3- to 11-Year-
Olds by Age Group, 2007 (number and dollars)
A New Foodie Generation
Organic Baby Food on a Healthy Track
Nurturing Foodie Kids and Teens
Trends for Kids
Trends for Teens
Chapter 3: Organic/Natural Foodies
Organic/Natural Foodie Demographics
Market Definition
Figure 3-1: Overlap Between Organic/Natural Foodies and Other Foodie
Cohorts, 2008 (percent)
Younger and Female
Figure 3-2: Indexes by Age Bracket: Organic/Natural Foodies vs. Foodies
Overall, 2008
Hispanic, Blacks Prominent Among Organic/Natural Foodies
Organic/Natural Foodies Clustered in Metropolitan Markets
Education and Income Demographics
Figure 3-3: Indexes by Highest Level of Educational Attainment: Organic/Natural
Foodies vs. Foodies Overall, 2008
Employment Picture Mixed
Families with Children
Table 3-1: Organic/Natural Foodie Demographics, 2008 (percentages, number
and index for U.S. adults)
Organic/Natural Foodie Psychographics and Consumer Traits
Willing to Pay for Quality
Figure 3-4: Indexes for Spending Psychographics: Organic/Natural Foodies vs.
Foodies Overall, 2008
Fans of Self-Care, Medical Alternatives
Figure 3-5: Indexes for Health Psychographics: Organic/Natural Foodies vs.
Foodies Overall, 2008
In Tune with Internet and Print Media
Followers of Fashion
Figure 3-6: Indexes for Shopping and Peer Influence Psychographics:
Organic/Natural Foodies vs. Foodies Overall, 2008

8. Figure 3-7: Indexes for Clothing and Fashion Psychographics: Organic/Natural
Foodies vs. Foodies Overall, 2008
Eating for Health
Figure 3-8: Indexes for Diet and Nutrition Psychographics: Organic/Natural
Foodies vs. Foodies Overall, 2008
Retail Shopping Patterns
Figure 3-9: Indexes for Average Weekly Grocery Shopping Expenditures:
Organic/Natural Foodies vs. Foodies Overall, 2008
Favored Food and Beverage Products
Restaurant Usage Patterns
Table 3-2: Selected General Psychographics: Foodies Overall vs.
Organic/Natural Foodies, 2008 (percent and index for foodies overall vs.
organic/natural foodies)
Table 3-3: Selected Food- and Nutrition-Related Psychographics: Foodies
Overall vs. Organic/Natural Foodies, 2008 (percent and index for foodies overall
vs. organic/natural foodies)
Table 3-4: Personal Computer Use Patterns: Foodies Overall vs. Organic/Natural
Foodies, 2008 (percent and index for foodies overall vs. organic/natural foodies)
Table 3-5: Retail Shopping Patterns: Foodies Overall vs. Organic/Natural
Foodies, 2008 (percent and index for foodies overall vs. organic/natural foodies)
Table 3-6: Internet, Mail, or Phone Order Shopping Patterns: Foodies Overall vs.
Organic/Natural Foodies, 2008 (percent and index for foodies overall vs.
organic/natural foodies)
Table 3-7: Food Retail Shopping & Spending Patterns: Foodies Overall vs.
Organic/Natural Foodies, 2008 (percent and index for foodies overall vs.
organic/natural foodies)
Table 3-8: Household Use of Packaged Foods by Type of Product: Foodies
Overall vs. Organic/Natural Foodies, 2008 (percent and index for foodies overall
vs. organic/natural foodies)
Table 3-9: Household Use of Beverage Products by Type: Foodies Overall vs.
Organic/Natural Foodies, 2008 (percent and index for foodies overall vs.
organic/natural foodies)
Table 3-10: Household Purchasing Patterns for Selected Food and Beverage
Brands: Foodies Overall vs. Organic/Natural Foodies, 2008 (percent and index
for foodies overall vs. organic/natural foodies)
Table 3-11: Use of Family Restaurant & Fast Food Chains: Foodies Overall vs.
Organic/Natural Foodies, 2008 (percent and index for foodies overall vs.
organic/natural foodies)
The Natural/Organic Food Landscape
Organic Food Sales Post Double-Digit Growth
Table 3-12: U.S. Organic Food Sales, 2005-2008 (in millions of dollars)
Organics Grow to 15% of New Product Introductions
Table 3-13: Number and Percent of U.S. Food and Beverage Product
Introductions Tagged as Organic or Natural,1998-2008
Table 3-14: Number of U.S. Food and Beverage Product Introductions Tagged
as Organic: By Product Classification, 1998 vs. 2008

9. 30% of Consumers Buy Organic Produce
Figure 3-10: Percent of Adults Who Shop for Organic Products: By Product
Category, 2008
82% of Grocers Sell Natural/Organic Food
Background of Organic and Natural Foods in Retail Stores
Figure 3-11: Organic Products Purchased by Store Chain, 2008 (percent)
The Backlash Against Mainstreamed Organic
Local Foods Moving Into Organics’ Environmental/Political Role
“Green” Benefits of Locavorism Called into Question
The Perils of Packaged Food “Nutritionism”
The Fair Trade Seal
Community Supported Agriculture Programs
Lazy Locavores
Future Prospects for Organic Market Growth
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