Men in the Kitchen: A Consumer Segment To Consider.

Marketers in a number of industries are noting the changing role that men are playing in today’s shopping environment. But well before men started getting more interested in fashion and other retail categories formerly the purview of women, they were making waves in the kitchen by cooking more meals. During the late 1990s, there was a gradual movement toward more meals being cooked by men; however, just a couple of years ago, men finally began to understand what women have known all along: Cooking is a daily task – and one best left to the professionals; hence the rise in the use of restaurant meals.

Everyone’s goal appears to be to reduce the preparation of meals inside the home. Still, The NPD Group finds nearly half of all young males between the ages of 18 and 24 (married or living with someone else) will prepare at least one of the next 10 suppers made at home. But as males age, the data shows they are less likely to be involved in preparing meals in the home.

Men’s relationship to cooking in the home is very intriguing. While each generation of young males might approach cooking differently with regard to the dishes they prepare, the gadgets they use, or the beverages they concoct, their numbers alone will always keep this an important market for the food industry.

By Harry Balzer, NPD Foodworld vice president
http://www.npdfoodworld.com/