U.S. Baby Boomers Seek Healthy Beverages, New Fonterra Data Shows

Baby boomers who are most willing to make dietary changes for good health are especially drawn to healthy beverages, according to new consumer data from dairy ingredients supplier Fonterra (Auckland, New Zealand). The company released new data collected from interviews with 600 healthy Americans aged 50 to 75. This group represents the 57.2 million baby boomers in the United States, the firm says.

Beverages are one of the foods most consumed by “Active Seekers,” which Fonterra classifies as baby boomers who are very knowledgeable about nutrition and who take a highly active role in engaging in healthy practices and physical activity. These consumers show strong interest in water or flavored-water beverages and fruit-flavored drinks and juices, followed by yogurt drinks and smoothies.

The Fonterra data classifies baby boomers into three groups: the aforementioned “Active Seekers,” which represent only 16% of the baby boomer population; “Health Seekers,” the 22% of baby boomers who are willing to make some dietary changes in exchange for health benefits, as long as foods are tasty; and “Open-Minded Moderates,” or the 20% of baby boomers who are mainstream and somewhat health conscious but who don’t follow a strict health regimen. The rest of the baby boomer population may suffer from health issues but choose to ignore them.

Among the health concerns baby boomers say they are suffering from are weight management (30%), heart health (29%), joint health (22%), digestive health (17%), and low energy (16%).

Also, interestingly, the survey indicates that 40% of baby boomers in the United States are more likely to take supplements compared to 31% of global baby boomers. In terms of dairy, Fonterra’s research shows that 59% of “Active Seekers” in the United States are looking for higher-protein products, versus 49% globally; and 51% of “Health Seekers” are looking for higher-protein products versus 42% globally.