NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time
in the history of the HUNTER Annual Food News Study, a
social media-led story broke through as the most memorable story of
the year, with news of the Fast Food Chicken Sandwich Throwdown
On Twitter ranking as 2019's No. 1 food news story.
What's not new is the presence of fast food in the number one spot.
From 2010 to 2019, nearly half of the top food news stories were
related to fast food. Throughout the past decade, food safety,
social policy and menu evolutions consistently made for memorable
headlines, underscoring the impact fast food establishments have in
food and contemporary culture.
"Americans are hungry for food news. Nearly half believe that
food and nutrition stories are more important than other types of
news stories," said Heddy DeMaria, Chief Insights Officer of
HUNTER. "Our annual study not only helps to identify which stories
are capturing the most attention but also measures their impact and
influence on consumers' awareness, attitudes, behaviors and
advocacy."
Since 2003, HUNTER, one of the country's leading food and
beverage public relations and marketing communications agencies,
has commissioned the only annual longitudinal study of its kind to
identify the top food news stories according to the opinions of
Americans. The study, now in its 17th year, examines not
only what food news is important to consumers today, but how that
is changing over time. HUNTER, in partnership with Libran Research
& Consulting, surveyed 1,003 American adults and asked
respondents to select the most recalled news stories of the past 12
months. The data is reviewed overall and by key demographics,
including the age cohorts of Millennials/Gen Zs, Gen Xers and Baby
Boomers/Matures.
In August 2019, Popeyes announced
the launch of its first-ever fried chicken sandwich, sparking a
social media frenzy among fast food enthusiasts. Across the
country, people scrambled to get their hands on the newest
drive-thru sensation and then took to Twitter to share their
experience. Fellow fast food chains joined the conversation,
prompting an all-out virtual food fight that culminated in a
chicken sandwich shortage at Popeyes. The Louisiana-based chicken chain took advantage
of the national attention by announcing a forthcoming restock,
keeping the brand top of mind with consumers and media alike.
A Video of a Woman Licking Blue Bell Ice Cream Goes Viral
occupies 2019's No. 2 spot. The video has been viewed more
than 13 million times since its posting in June 2019 and ranked among the highest (26
percent) in terms of shareability. The viral video garnered
national news attention, sparking conversations about food safety
and consumer product tampering laws.
Food Safety (40 percent) and Food Nutrition/Health (24 percent)
continue to be ranked as the most important and second most
important food news topics to Americans of all ages. The Keto
Diet Gains in Popularity came in as the No. 3 food news
story of the year, with nearly one third of respondents selecting
that topic as most memorable, followed closely by the No. 4
food news story of the year, Thousands of Pounds of Chicken
Recalled due to possible contamination and labeling
concerns.
Despite only 10 percent of respondents selecting sustainability
as the most important food news topic, three of this year's
top 10 most memorable stories were related to the topic. On
the heels of Plastic Straw Bans being the lead story in 2018, straw
news continued to drive conversation this year with The Downside
of Ditching Plastic Straws ranking No. 5. Coming in
at No. 8 is Ban to End Sales of Plastic Water Bottles
Gains Momentum. As plastic bag and straw bans continue to take
hold throughout the U.S., in August
2019, San Francisco
International Airport boldly rolled out a ban to end the sale of
plastic water bottles at its convenience stores, restaurants and
vending machines. In May 2019,
Maine became the first state to
ban food containers made of polystyrene, commonly known as
Styrofoam, prohibiting businesses from selling or distributing
disposable food containers made of the synthetic material. The
Styrofoam Food Container Ban is this year's No. 9
story.
Also included in the top 10 food news stories of 2019:
- The Impact of Tariffs on Food Items captured the No.
6 spot on this year's list. In 2019, escalated trade war
disputes drove the Trump administration to impose retaliatory
tariffs on a range of goods imported from both China and the European Union, including
popular food and beverage staples. Economists predict that stores
will be unable or unwilling to absorb the full margin of imposed
taxes, leaving American consumers no choice but to pay more for
these goods.
- Prolonged wet weather and historic flooding left fields across
parts of Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska submerged. Lingering high water
delayed planting for growers across America's Heartland, which
resulted in Farmers Facing Big Losses and Poor Crops After
Devastating Flooding, the No. 7 food news story on the
list. These crop losses – which may lead to feed and forage
shortages for livestock – are expected to have a broad impact
nationally and even globally.
- Move over beer, as non-alcoholic seltzer has risen in sales
year after year, hard seltzer has now skyrocketed in tandem. The
Rise of Hard Seltzer, the No. 10 story is proving to be
no passing fad and has been referred to as 'biggest disruption' in
the beverage category this year. It has experienced market growth
of 200% so far this year, according to Nielsen data, and analysts
predict hard seltzer could be a $2.5 billion industry by 2021.
In July alone, White Claw – one of two leading spiked seltzer
brands – claims it outsold Budweiser.
To summarize, the top food news stories of 2019 according to the
HUNTER 17th Annual Food
News Study are as follows:
1. Fast Food Chicken
Sandwich Throwdown on Twitter
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6. The Impact of
Tariffs on Food Items
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2. Video of Woman
Licking Blue Bell Ice Cream Goes Viral
|
7. Farmers Face Big
Losses and Poor Crops After Devastating Flooding
|
3. The Keto Diet
Gains in Popularity
|
8. Ban to End Sales
of Plastic Water Bottles Gains Momentum
|
4. Thousands of
Pounds of Chicken Recalled
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9. Styrofoam Food
Container Ban
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5. The Downside of
Ditching Plastic Straws
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10. The Rise of Hard
Seltzer
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A Decade In Review
The top food news stories of the
past decade according to the HUNTER Food News Study are as
follows:
2010 Impact
of BP Oil Spill on Seafood Industry
|
2015
Evolving Fast Food Breakfast Landscape
|
2011
Twenty-Nine Deaths Caused by Cantaloupe Listeria
Outbreak
|
2016
Chipotle Recovery After E. Coli Outbreak
|
2012 Chick
Fil-A v. Gay
|
2017
Amazon Buys Whole Foods Market
|
2013
Fighting Obesity in Children
|
2018
Plastic Straw Ban
|
2014 The
Great Western U.S. Drought
|
2019 Fast
Food Chicken Sandwich Throwdown on Twitter
|
Impact of Food News on Behavior
With Americans
claiming Food Safety and Food Nutrition/Health as the most
important food news topics covered, it's no surprise that stories
related to these topics drove the most engagement among consumers
in 2019. This is particularly true for Millennials/GenZs (61
percent) and Gen Xers (53 percent) as compared to Boomers/Matures
(34 percent). Millennials/GenZs and Gen Xers are more likely to
educate themselves on food, try new foods/flavors and share
information about food with others. As a result, they are changing
the foods they are buying.
Digital Consumption, Analog Sharing: Despite growing
popularity of digital connectivity, there is no replacing face to
face communication
While the most popular source for general
food news remains television (46 percent), Americans are
increasingly turning to websites (44 percent) and social media (40
percent) as their go-to for information. Interestingly, households
with kids are more likely to use social media, blogs and podcasts
than those without kids. Despite the growing predilection for
digital news consumption, news sharing remains largely an analog
behavior. In fact, face-to-face interaction still leads as the most
popular way to share the news of the day, with water cooler talk
outpacing social sharing by 2 to 1.
For additional information about the HUNTER 2019 Food News Study, including
detailed study results, visit
http://www.hunterpr.com/news/newswire.
ABOUT HUNTER
Founded in 1989, HUNTER is an award-winning consumer
marketing communications firm with primary offices in New York and London and a footprint across North America. Beginning
with research-driven consumer insights, HUNTER executes
strategic, integrated programs that build brand equity, increase
engagement and drive measurable business results for consumer
products and services. The 120-person firm employs a powerful blend
of marketing solutions including strategic planning, social and
digital media, talent and influencer engagement, media relations,
experiential, multicultural, and content creation and distribution
for all platforms and channels to earn consumer attention on
behalf of some of the world's best known and most beloved
brands. The agency is a member of MDC Partners Inc.
(NASDAQ: MDCA; TSX: MDZ.A).
ABOUT THE STUDY
The 17th annual Food News Study commissioned by HUNTER examined the
top food news stories of 2019 in terms of awareness, consideration,
intent and advocacy. The study also explored the top media sources
for food information – broken out by recipes, general food news and
nutrition.
HUNTER partnered with Libran Research & Consulting
for this study. Libran Research addresses business issues with
critical decision-making and impartial judgment – helping to drive
action in their clients' marketing strategies and tactics. Libran
Research surveyed 1,003 Americans ages 18 years and older via an
email invitation and online survey. The respondent sample was
balanced to the U.S. population on key demographics. Results of any
sample are subject to sampling variation. For the interviews
conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that
a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1
percentage points.
The survey was implemented Oct. 24 to
Oct. 28, 2019, covering the 12-month period from
November 2018 through October 2019.
Links:
Visit the HUNTER 2019 Food
News Study Website for Study Results:
http://www.hunterpr.com/news/newswire
Visit HUNTER website: http://hunterpr.com/
Follow HUNTER on Facebook: @HunterPR
Follow HUNTER on Twitter:@hunterpr
Follow HUNTER on Instagram: @hunterprny
CONTACT:
|
Jennifer
Mestayer
|
|
Hunter Public
Relations
|
|
jmestayer@hunterpr.com
|
|
(212)
679-6600
|
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