Younger Adults Opting for Smaller Portion Sizes

CHICAGOYounger U.S. adults are reducing portion sizes in an effort to promote long-term healthy eating behavior, according to a new market report from The NPD Group.

According to the Healthy Eating Strategies by Generation" report, the top five healthy eating and healthy lifestyle strategies were consistent across generationsexercise regularly, eat well balanced meals, eat all things in moderation, limit/avoid foods with saturated fat or cholesterol or trans fats, and drink at least eight glasses of water per day.

NPD compiled a list of 30 healthy eating and lifestyle dimensions to determine which ones consumers of different generations associate with healthy eating.

Eating smaller portions ranked seventh in importance amongst Generation X consumers, ages 35 to 45, as a healthy eating characteristic, which is the highest rank for the behavior among all generational groups. For Gen Y, ages 21 to 34, eating smaller portions ranked in the eighth position, and for younger boomers, ages 46 to 54, it ranked in the 12th position as a healthy eating characteristic. Older age groups, who often tend to have smaller appetites, ranked smaller portions lowest among healthy eating strategies compared to their younger counterparts, and women, particularly overweight women, were more likely to have an eye on portion control than men.

Based on the interest in smaller portions among the younger age groups and the size of these age groups, portion control is an area of opportunity for food manufacturers," said Dori Hickey, director, product management at NPD and author of the report. As they move through their life, these generations may continue the healthy eating behaviors they adopted in their younger years, making portion-control a long-term opportunity."