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Kids Are Well Aware Which Foods Are Healthy, Finds Technomic

2009-08-05

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Restaurant News Resource Despite not always eating what's good for them, kids know healthy foods from those that aren't. A new study by foodservice consultant Technomic and kid-focused brand marketing agency C3 finds that nearly nine out of ten kids surveyed say that fresh vegetables and fresh whole fruits are healthy. Other foods named healthy by kids included salad (78 percent), steamed vegetables (76 percent) and eggs (72 percent). At least half said that fish, cheese, chicken and peanut butter are healthy as well.

'Kids now are health savvy, and the nutritional education they've received will impact their choices as consumers,' says Darren Tristano, EVP at Technomic. 'Health halo attributes related to natural, organic, local and sustainable foods could present an opportunity in the coming years for restaurants that recognize this growing awareness on the part of young consumers.'

The findings are part of the new Kids & Moms Consumer Trend Report (Family Attitudes and Motivations in Foodservice) designed to help restaurant operators and suppliers understand dining behavior, attitudes and preferences of moms and their children. The report was developed using data gathered in a May 2009 survey of 1,500 moms and 1,200 kids ages 6 to 12. Other interesting findings include:

• Salads are now among the leading entrée items on kids' menus at the Top 250 full-service restaurants. They chiefly appeal to kids at the higher end of the kids' menu age range.

• Older kids ages 10 to 12 have different meal preferences than smaller children. When given the opportunity to 'build a meal,' older kids are far more likely than younger ones to choose steak, seafood and salads. Children age 9 and under prefer chicken fingers, pizza and French fries.

• Aside from the growth of healthy side-item options, much of the development around healthier fare is in kids' beverage selections and in increasing the number of items described as organic or natural.

• Fast-casual and family-style restaurants overall were perceived by moms to be less kid-friendly than quick-service restaurants. In the quick-service segment, Chick-fil-A and McDonald's rated excellent along most kid-related attributes. Fuddrucker's was the only fast-casual brand to be considered kid-friendly by about half of moms (48 percent). Applebee's was recognized as the most kid-friendly restaurant in the family-style format.

• For moms, the key elements in the brand decision across all restaurant segments were consistent food quality, restaurant cleanliness, value and consistently good service.

The Kids & Moms Consumer Trend Report (Family Attitudes and Motivations in Foodservice) includes analysis of kids' menus for the Top 250 Chain and Emerging Chain restaurants, derived from Technomic's proprietary MenuMonitor database and primary and secondary industry data. The report also examines kids' marketing programs and looks at current and upcoming trends in kids' dining. Appendices break down data by consumer and restaurant segments.

'Especially in the current marketplace, it is more important than ever to know your target audience,' says Randy Jordan, C3 President. 'By understanding today's kids and families and what motivates their dining-out decisions and how that has changed over the last several years, restaurants and foodservice operators can adapt and develop strategies that satisfy their motivations.'

To find out more about other industry reports from Technomic, please visit www.foodpubs.com.

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