Post-pandemic consumer cooking fatigue sets in

The romance consumers cultivated during COVID-19 with scratch cooking isn’t dead, but it is beginning to fade.

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Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime.com;

The romance consumers cultivated during COVID-19 with scratch cooking isn’t dead, but it is beginning to fade.

“The most important thing to know about meal making between 2020 and 2021 is that cooking fatigue is real,” Jonna Parker, Principal, Fresh Center of Excellence, IRI, said during Fresh Conversations: Trends in Meal Making.

Confidence in cooking grows, fatigue sets in

Consumer confidence in at home cooking skills grew during COVID-19. This trend has continued into 2021, according to IRI data from August 2021. Four out of five meals eaten each week are currently made in the home, compared to just 48% in 2019.

Not surprisingly, the biggest consumer behavioral changes have been seen during breakfast and lunch. During COVID-19, many people who used to pick up breakfast and lunch while at work, or kids who used to eat these meals at school, now eat at home. 

However, cooking fatigue is setting in. Consumers are tired of the tedium of making and eating the same meals every week. 

“We got so used to the time and energy savings of home cooking, that even though we’re starting to go back to school and work, we’re not immediately turning that dollar back to foodservice,” Parker explained.

“All of this disruption has led to a change in what we’ve eaten.”

Shoppers look for convenience

Retailers can capitalize on consumer demand for convenience and new ideas by teaching shoppers how to use ingredients and promote more occasions to help the creation of easy home-cooked meals.

“As we continue to have people engage with food at home, but maybe a little fatigued, the concept of using new promotional vehicles and new ways to create meals using the components you have as a grocer is a really exciting trend,” said Parker.

Digital recipes tied to social media, flexible meal solutions to go for curbside or delivery and shoppable recipes offer retail an easy way to offer consumers convenience.

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