A new norm? Moguntia culinary advisor flags wavering food habits amid COVID-19

05 May 2020 --- For many consumers amid the coronavirus pandemic, working in the home office has become a new norm with flexible workplaces taking over from conventional office workstations. This makes food a new challenge, according to Bernhard Habicht, Culinary Advisor at Moguntia Food Group, who tells FoodIngredientsFirst that “when it comes to meals, the speed and ease of convenience and comfort food is welcome.”

Before the pandemic, eating lunch with colleagues in a canteen or snack bar was the norm. However, since consumers are preparing all meals at home or ordering from a delivery service, new ways of eating are developing. “Since schools and child care services and centers are closed, multiple stresses occur in the home,” Habicht explains. Parents are increasingly working from home and, at the same time, engaging in homeschooling for their children, he adds. 

After the coronavirus crisis, the number of employees working from home will inevitably rise, as early reflections by employers indicate, Habicht flags, meaning the demand for convenience products that are quick and easy to prepare at home, will increase. 

“High-quality convenience products now taste as good as homemade food,” details Habicht. “On the other hand, due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus, the demand for convenience products in the foodservice sector such as school catering, party service and gastronomy have fallen drastically. In this area, industry is experiencing a major drop in sales.” 

Many consumers now have more time to prepare and cook meals at home, however, this time has been taken away from key workers and parents with multiple tasks to fulfill. “The menu on offer will adapt to this,” he adds. 

Many have to do without visits to restaurants, bars and cafes, and so, when the weekends come, we sometimes feel inspired to make a more significant effort in the kitchen. “However, as many have forgotten how to cook from scratch due to busy schedules, the use of ready sauces or kitchen ready products comes as no surprise,” notes Habicht. 

The convenience range is increasingly entering the home sector, he adds. “More and more, the customers will resort to the Moguntia products and use them for their culinary creations, especially when it comes to foundation products, such as stocks or base sauces that require a lot of time and preparation.”

The emergence of smaller snacks
In recent years, the trend towards smaller snacks rather than large meals has been emerging. People prefer to eat more often, but smaller portions. “That does not mean that breakfast, lunch and dinner are necessarily replaced by unhealthy snacks like chocolate bars, crisps and fast-food – the small meals are supposed to be healthy and varied,” Habicht comments. Therefore, the snack sector is definitely an important area for innovation, he claims. “Consumers are increasingly looking for tasty snacks and simple preparation that suit their busy lifestyles.”

Last week, FoodIngredientsFirst reported that legions of locked down home workers and families turning to snacking. These trends are benefiting the likes of Mondelēz International and PepsiCo, which have both seen strong growth in the snacking segment, resulting from the blurring of meal occasions. Indulgent snacks such as chips, popcorn, cheese and bakery products are particularly popular.

Moreover, and according to Habicht, in times of isolation and quarantine, people also buy more sweets. “The importance of so-called ‘nerve food’ must not be underestimated,” he adds. 

Meanwhile, takeaways are becoming less important as the option of picking up food or a coffee on the way to work has diminished. “Therefore, the business of selling snacks in bakeries, butchers and petrol stations, for example, has been almost eliminated.”

Bakeries have already reacted to this by adjusting their range, offering fewer snacks like sandwiches and pastries, and instead more bread and rolls, Habicht continues. “This change affects all the suppliers of sandwich fillings, packages and convenience beverages.” 

Convenience or comfort?
“In times of pandemic, consumers prefer to go shopping less often and in fewer shops, therefore they should be offered an extensive range of products. Due to partial or complete unemployment, many consumers are becoming more price-sensitive, so that the discount sector also regains importance in the medium-term,” he explains. 

Eating is not just about getting full. We want food to give us a sense of well-being and comfort. “A meal together with the family, a typical dish that reminds us of childhood, is a pleasure that gives us a sense of comfort in these uncertain times,” Habicht notes. 

The development towards the demand for healthy products is undeniable, according to Habicht. “It must also be said that the trend towards convenience and healthy food need not be mutually exclusive. The classic ready meal still does not have a good reputation when it comes to healthy food; however, at Moguntia, our ranges offer high-quality and healthy convenience foods.”

Eating habits, in general, have changed; more people pay attention to healthy food, have a vegetarian or vegan diet, or simply eat less meat. “Therefore, Moguntia is working more to develop solutions for products such as vegan Bolognese, béchamel sauce, or vegan burger-mixes,” he concludes. 

By Elizabeth Green