How Frozen food wholesalers can retain their health-conscious customers.

Consumers nowadays are becoming increasingly conscious about the ingredients that go into their food. More and more people are opting for cleaner and healthier options due to this increased awareness about food quality and the hazards of fast food.  The health-conscious consumer is an emerging phenomenon and satisfying this sort of customer is a challenge for businesses in the digital age where information travels fast.

Provide alternatives

To keep up with the trends in demand frozen food wholesalers are now focusing on providing healthier alternatives to their customers. Commercially speaking, it is a lot more profitable to offer healthy food but also provide a balanced menu that attracts a variety of customers. It is important to provide a balance more so than providing only healthy food alternatives. A recent survey shows that about 85% of British consumers are looking for healthier alternatives that can improve their diet, but they are not interested in switching completely to organic food. This means that there is greater demand for a balanced diet that allows people to 'treat’ themselves occasionally.  Customers love when you take the regular menu and add exciting spin on the dishes such as mentioning that they are ‘low fat’, ‘good fats’ and contain ‘no added sugar’.

Menu transparency

Nowadays people love reading the calorie charts at the back of their products because it creates a sense of transparency regarding what they consume. Calorie labeling is likely to become mandatory in the near future due to how this trend has been received by the general public in the past year or two.  A study shows that 79% of customers feel better about eating out when they are aware of their calorie intake. Due to this increased awareness customers are demanding the calories in their food and drinks to be mentioned in the menus alongside ingredients and prices.

Portion Sizes

In order to combat an excess-eating habit, the first thing you must do is reduce your portion size. It is commercially beneficial to reduce portion sizes as well because you can reduce the amount of food you’re wasting and cut down on costs. Consumers are likely to order twice if they are offered relatively smaller portions. Offering the customers these smaller portions at a more affordable price point will further ensure that customers do not feel cheated and appreciate being served smaller portions due to its mutual benefits. An effective trick that many frozen food suppliers seem to be using alongside reducing portion sizes is using tableware in smaller sizes to create the illusion of a larger portion.

Veganism

Veganism is all the rage nowadays. Again, it is one of the consequences of increased awareness about food consumption and the unethical practices of the food industry. Adopting a vegan diet has many ethical and health benefits which is why more and more people are inclined towards implementing a vegan diet around the month of January. ‘Veganuary’ is a common term, now being used for the monthly vegan challenge people take as a part of their new year’s resolution. In the past decade, there has been a  360% increase in the vegan diet being implemented. In 2017 about 51% of chefs started using vegan recipes and options.

What can we learn?

The most important thing to take away from this article is how to retain your customers by simply giving them more choices. Providing healthier alternatives on your menu shows that you value the ever-changing needs and demands of your customers. It also shows that your business is dynamic and in tune with the trends.