I have a college-educated guess about where food trends are likely to head in the next decade. I think restaurants and new-product manufacturers should be watching college campuses. To the point that if I wanted to develop a new product or concept, I’d survey college students and student-dining chefs and managers.
I think this for several reasons. First and obviously, college students, with their eating preferences, are entering adulthood, will soon start families and will influence the eating habits of their kids. So, what do these collegians like? Go to a campus-dining facility and you’ll find out like never before. College dining used to be considered institutional feeding, and your two choices, as someone told me, were either “take it or leave it.” But not anymore. Some colleges are a culinary showcase of what restaurants better wake up to. The sophistication is unparalleled.
Just a few things to watch out for among college students I observe from Mintel’s Consumer Attitudes Towards Natural and Organic Food and Beverages- U.S., March 2010. While 65% of survey respondents claim to be very or somewhat interested in natural or organic products, 74% of 18-24-year-olds say they are. And, among 18-24-year-olds who are interested in natural or organic products, 42% are also either very or somewhat interested in products that are vegetarian. This group is also very interested in environmental issues and locally grown. These are good places for innovators to start.
Now, back to the college campus. So, environmentalism, locally grown and organic matter. Well, it so happens that some colleges offer degrees in areas that touch on these. Some operate farms or have alliances with farms. They can grow products to match the preferences, and some do. Academia and the real world meet in the cafeteria. It will make a lasting impression on students.
And I want to give a shout out to the unsung heroes of college and university dining. That would be the contract management companies that run many of the facilities. They are the ones raising the bar. Applause to Aramark, Compass Group’s Chartwells and Sodexo.
I’ve thought much about these issues since writing the article “Back to School” for Sizzle magazine’s fall issue. Check it out under My Articles on the right side of the screen.
Jody Shee
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