Survey reveals the demands of older eaters

Senior consumers in Canada want to have a wider range of choice when it comes to catering for their special dietary needs, according to a new report.

Research carried out by Nielsen questioned 30,000 people via the internet to establish how retailers, restaurateurs and manufactures can do a better job at giving them what they want.

For those aged over 65, the availability of food that allows them to adhere to specific diets was the main concern, with 52 per cent citing this to be an issue.

The study - which involved participants across 60 countries - found experiencing courteous customer service was another wish high on the agenda for the older demographic, with 33 per cent saying this was important to them.

Restaurant owners may also wish to consider investing in handicapped bathrooms, after nearly two-fifths of respondents (38 per cent) highlighted this as a facility that more establishments needed to offer.

Nielsen senior vice-president of consumer and shopper insights Todd Hale warned restaurateurs to ignore the wishes of the 65-plus age group at their own risk.

"While the global aging population is growing in number, their spending power is growing too, as many have more time to shop and spend than their younger counterparts," he commented.

The research also suggested many consumers in this age bracket were enjoying doing cooking and baking of their own.

In North America, pie crust mixes, cherries, canned peaches and coffee cake mixes all enjoyed healthy sales volumes.

Vermouth, scotch and dessert wine was also popular in terms of alcoholic beverages being bought by the older consumer, with all three experiencing higher sales indexes than expected between August and September 2013, when the data was collected.

"These findings serve as a wake-up call to manufacturers, retailers and other marketers that need to bolster efforts to better reach and cater to an aging demographic," Mr Hale noted.