Millennial grocery shoppers exhibit different behaviors than previous generations. They are more likely to shop at a variety of store types for different items and rely less on brand loyalty. They also share grocery shopping duties between both sexes. Millennials tend to shop based on specific recipes rather than stocking up. They use smartphones and apps heavily for recipe research and shopping assistance. Registered dietitians can help millennial shoppers by staying up to date on food trends, emphasizing convenience and health, and using social media and apps in counseling.

1. PRACTICE APPLICATIONS
Topics of Professional Interest
Understanding Millennial Grocery Shoppers’
Behavior and the Role of the Registered
Dietitian Nutritionist
T
ODAY’S CONSUMERS, PARTICULARLY
millennials—defined by many
demographers as individuals
born after 1980 and before
2000—are more likely to engage
in recipe-based shopping rather than
stockpiling food for the freezer or
pantry, according to the Food Market-
ing Institute’s (FMI’s) 2014 US Grocery
Shopper Trends Report, which features
survey data collected from 2,116 US
shoppers between the ages of 18 and
74 years.1
This annual report, which in-
cludes analysis of US Census and US
Department of Agriculture data sets
on consumer spending, health, and
eating, also revealed millennials’ pro-
pensity to share shopping duties
among both sexes and to rely less on
a primary store for food shopping.
Millennials account for an annual
$1.3 trillion or 21% of consumer
spending and, according to a report by
the US Chamber of Commerce Foun-
dation, this group is composed of
“vocal consumers” who tend to “influ-
ence the purchases of others” through
social media and other channels.2,3
This
article provides an overview of new
market research on millennial grocery
shopping behaviors and trends and
provides insight on how registered
dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) can guide
these consumers in developing
healthy-meal-planning skills.
MILLENNIALS ARE CHANNEL
SURFERS
Millennial grocery shoppers are less
likely to engage in the “one stop shop”
experience and are more willing than
previous generations to purchase gro-
ceries at a diverse cross section of re-
tailers—traditional grocery chains, big
box retailers, membership clubs, spe-
cialty stores, local independent grocers,
and even convenience stores.4,5
Ac-
cording to Christina Miller, MS, RD, a
member of the Food and Culinary
Professionals dietetic practice group
(DPG) and a Meijer dietitian and
healthy living advisor for East and Mid-
Michigan, RDNs should be aware that
customer loyalty has evolved, particu-
larly for millennials.
The 2012 report Trouble in Aisle 5,
which surveyed more than 2,000 adult
grocery shoppers, revealed the that
millennials purchase only 41% of their
food at traditional grocery stores,
compared to 50% of baby boomers,
defined as that part of the population
born between 1946 (near the end of
World War II) and 1964.5
In the report,
researchers noted the following:
“Driven by the millennials, consumers
are becoming less brand-loyal, [and]
they are more willing to shop across
channels and are less aligned with
traditional grocers.”5
This kind of
treasure-hunt behavior shows millen-
nials are generally less likely to rely on
a primary store for food shopping, and
are amendable to seeking out food
items they are interested in—namely
organic, natural, ethnic, and specialty
items—in an array of retail settings. In a
column titled “How ‘Millennials’ Are
Changing Food as We Know It” pub-
lished on Forbes.com, the writer pro-
vides a capsule review of the Aisle 5
report and notes that millennials are
“more aligned with the ‘food move-
ment,’” which includes, among other
things, a desire for locally grown food
and organic food and a willingness to
“pay for fresh and healthy food” and to
“go to great lengths to find it.”4
Although millennials are more
willing to channel surf when shopping
for groceries, this doesn’t generally
include online shopping. According to
the Trouble in Aisle 5 report, 80% of
this group is shopping for “fresh prod-
ucts” in traditional grocery stores, and
purchasing everyday essentials via on-
line vendors or mass merchants.4,5
“More people are purchasing
pantry staples and large items like
paper towels, diapers, and detergent
online, but when it comes to produce
they still want to see it, touch it, and
smell it before buying,” said Karen
Buch, RDN, LDN, Supermarket/Retail
subgroup chair for the Food and
Culinary Professionals DPG, and di-
rector of lifestyle initiatives for Weis
Markets Inc, a supermarket chain
based in Pennsylvania. “People want
to be sure they are buying something
fresh. When it comes to prepared
foods, seeing visual displays during
the shopping experience often leads
to impulse purchases. It’s hard to
replicate that online.”
For those millennials who do the
bulk of their grocery shopping online,
including produce and other perish-
ables, Miller said her advice is the same
for shopping in a brick-and-mortar
grocer. “Encourage them to make lists,
look for produce that is in season, and
to not overlook healthy staples such as
low-sodium canned and frozen vege-
tables,” said Miller. “Practice placing
orders online during a client session,
and help demystify the experience for
them.”
MILLENNIAL MALES SHARE THE
SHOPPING ROLE
The diversification of the grocery
shopping experience is not limited to
simply where millennials do their
marketing, but who is making those
purchases, with men now accounting
for more than 40% of those who “claim
substantial responsibility for the
household’s grocery shopping.”1
This article was written by Tony
Peregrin, editor and writer for a
Chicago-based medical association
and freelance writer in Chicago, IL.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2015.03.022
Available online 20 April 2015
1380 JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS ª 2015 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

2. To appeal to male consumers, su-
permarkets have invested in more
intuitive floor plans and creative
signage to varying degrees of success.
In 2012, for example, an Upper West
Side grocer in New York, NY, created a
“Man Aisle” section of the store after
seeing a report on ESPN about how
men today are shopping more for their
families than in the past. The idea
behind the man aisle, according to the
store chief executive officer, was con-
venience, something that millennials
have come to expect as part of their
shopping experience.6-8
“In this fast-paced world, shoppers,
especially men, want convenience—
although health and convenience do
not always go hand-in-hand,” said Julie
McMillin, RD, LD, director of health and
wellness at Hy-Vee, Inc— an Iowa-
based supermarket chain. “The RDN’s
role is to show shoppers, especially
millennials, how to make quick, easy,
and healthy choices. If a shopper is
gravitating toward a convenience food
item [for example], make sure they are
adding a vegetable to the meal or skim
milk. And remind shoppers to stick to
the parameters of the store and look
for fresh items, like vegetables and
fruit.”
“RDNs need to be sensitive to the
fact that anyone in a household can be
doing the grocery shopping,” said
Miller. “While that gatekeeper has
traditionally been thought of as the
woman of the household—and in the
food industry, admittedly, we still
often call our customer ‘she’ and
‘her’—the fact is, more and more men
are staying at home and filling the
roles of at-home dads. Showing both
male and female shoppers how to do
all of this quickly so that the shopper
. can make healthy decisions is
important.” RDNs can help shoppers
determine the health keys available at
their stores, according to Miller, by
explaining the nutritional rating sys-
tems that are popular in several
grocery store chains. These shelf or
tag-based systems, developed by not-
for-profits, private institutions, com-
panies, and government agencies, rate
food products and relay the nutri-
tional value of food in a simplified
manner. “These shortcuts make it very
easy for consumers to make healthy
choices without contemplating
lengthy labels and ingredient lists,”
added Miller.
“Ultimately, [RDNs] counseling
millennial consumers should avoid
making assumptions regarding roles
associated with meal planning, shop-
ping, and cooking. With more than 40%
of men now claiming to be responsible
for household grocery shopping, the
stereotypes of the past simply do not
apply today,” said Buch. “Many house-
holds, for reasons of practicality and to
save money, feature blended roles
and responsibilities. Practice interview
techniques that are free of [sex] bias
and use open-ended questions when
helping clients make healthy choices.”
According to said Adrien Paczosa, RD,
LD, CEDRD, the 2014-2015 chair for the
Behavioral Health and Nutrition DPG,
RDNs shouldn’t focus on sex when it
comes to advising clients. “Help clients
develop behavioral patterns that they
will get excited about,” explained Pac-
zosa. “Rule number one when meeting
with millennials is to answer the
question, ‘What is in it for me?’ This is
what truly drives a lot of millennials
and others. Why should I approach the
task of shopping or food preparation in
a particular way? You have to provide
them with an answer and emphasize
what is in it for them.”
RECIPE-BASED SHOPPING
Millennials generally purchase items
based around a specific meal, rather
than stocking the pantry with items
that can be used in the future, accord-
ing to the FMI 2014 report, with a
quarter of all meals consumed by
twentysomethings featuring items
purchased the same day.1
“I like this
trend,” said McMillin. “As an RD, this is
our dream—if they are going to shop
the day of the meal for a specific recipe,
then they have the opportunity to
purchase fresh produce every day.”
What is the role of the RDN when
it comes to educating recipe-based
shoppers? “It has been my experience
that many millennials enjoy watching
food shows and cooking with trendy,
new food items, and it’s very important
for RDNs be aware of what is being
featured on [these food shows] and
what is being talking about in the
media—and a good example of such a
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS
September 2015 Volume 115 Number 9 JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS 1381

3. trend is quinoa,” explained McMillin.
“For quinoa, [RDNs] were all ahead of
that before it became a craze. Make an
effort to know what foods are trending,
how to use them, and how to work
them into recipes.” While quinoa may
be more of a meal-planning staple for
some rather than an exotic, new food
trend at this point, other ancient
grains—including Iroquois white corn,
Einkorn wheat, Duborskian rice,
Kamut, and barley—are being touted as
the new “quinoa” and are becoming
popular with both foodies and chefs.9
Kale, the current queen of greens,
is another example of a food item
a recipe-based shopper might plan a
meal around.10
“We do see kale as a
popular trend now,” said McMillin.
“We know it’s bitter, so we have to
educate millennials on how to prepare
it so that it tastes good. We want them
to continue to eat kale, not try it once
and then give up.”
While the immediacy of recipe-
based shopping has its allure, having
a well-stocked pantry is essential to
healthy meal planning because it al-
lows individuals the opportunity to
cook at home rather than ordering in
or eating out. “We need to continue
to teach millennials and others how
to stock a basic pantry,” advised
Miller. “Whole-grain pasta, rice and
beans, and canned or frozen vegeta-
bles are all basics that I like to have
on hand and are items you can use to
pump up the nutrition of your meal,
if you don’t have time to shop for a
specific meal.”
USING APPS AND SOCIAL MEDIA
A survey of 1,500 US shoppers con-
ducted for Supermarket News by
Allrecipes.com revealed that millen-
nials use smartphones to research rec-
ipes more than previous generations,
and that these shoppers tend to rely on
mobile devices for dinner ideas while
shopping in the supermarket.11
Traditionally this information was
culled via a Google search, but today
shoppers are also turning to food apps
for grocery store deals and nutrition
basics.
“The millennial shopper in particular
is using technology to help them
grocery shop, and if [RDNs] want to
understand this consumer, they
should be willing to use these apps
themselves so they can guide [them]
from experience,” explained Buch. A
variety of apps allow users to scan a
barcode and review product highlights
(positive and negative), according to
Buch, while apps such as ShopWell
score foods based on variables like age,
sex, and health goals. Other apps are
more specialized and offer guidelines
for gluten-free products and in-
gredients, provide information for
tracking carbohydrate intake, or offer
suggestions for finding local, in-season
food. The Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics’ (Academy’s) Food & Nutrition
Magazine features a regular app review
section that can help RDNs stay on top
of current apps popular with millen-
nials and other shoppers.
Instant access to information via
apps and social media is a veritable
birthright of millennials, largely
considered to be history’s first “always
connected” generation.6,12
All genera-
tions use social media, but millennials
have a natural tendency to share ex-
periences using these tools, and they
tend to prefer brands with a well-
developed social and media pres-
ence.13,14
Paczosa said fostering
behavior change via social media can
be as simple as remembering the fact
that “millennials tend to be proud of
their accomplishments and if they cook
a healthy meal, they will post a picture
of it,” and for RDNs to be supportive of
these actions.
“RDNs need to be in this space in
order to direct people toward credible
influences in the social media world,”
said Buch. “The golden rule for getting
information through social media is if
it sounds too good to be true, it prob-
ably is,” added Miller. “If you’re on
Twitter or Facebook, highlight your
educational background for consumers
using your RDN credential, and remind
social media users that not every
[supposed nutrition expert] is well-
educated in the areas of food and
nutrition,” said Miller. Paczosa said
having a social media presence also
likely builds trust for millennial clients
by giving them a way to get to know
you before the initial meeting. “Don’t
be too flashy.but do make an attempt
to stay up on what is trending,” said
Paczosa, when asked how to sustain
the attention of millennials on social
media. “Be optimistic and positive—try
not to sound negative on social media.
From my experience with millennials,
particularily when giving lectures,
Tips for Working with the
Millennial Generation:
Millennials tend to shop across a
broad spectrum of retailers
including farmers’ markets, big
box stores, and specialty stores.
RDNs should be prepared to
educate these clients with healthy
guidelines for grocery shopping in
a variety of settings.
Workelife balance is important
to millennials, so healthy foods
that are quick and convenient
are important. Recognizing that
convenience is key, particularly
while shopping and preparing
food, will aid RDNs in helping
these patients reach their health
goals.
Millennials seek out products
that emphasize health benefits.
This group tends to be nutrition-
savvy, and RDNs should be aware
of new food trends and the real-
istic health benefits they may
provide.
Millennial shoppers share grocery
shopping duties between both
sexes. RDNs should be sensitive to
the fact that various members of
a millennial household may be
shopping and preparing food, and
they should develop guidelines
that appeal to all members of the
household.
Millennials engage in recipe-based
shopping. RDNs can encourage
this group to remember to stock
the pantry with healthy essentials
to avoid ordering in or dining out
at a restaurant in case recipe plans
fall through.
Smartphone grocery shopping
apps help consumers save
money and engage shoppers
with personalized promotions
based on past purchases. Some
of these apps also score food
products based on variables such
as age, sex, and health goals.
RDNs should stay current on
newly released food shopping
apps—and their claims and
functionality—to successfully
guide their clients through the
supermarket aisles.
Millennials crave an experience
with their food—often an “Insta-
grammable” experience that can
be shared across social media
platforms. Nutritional claims, rec-
ipes, and food trends are part of
the social media experience for
millennials, and RDNs should be
active on Facebook, Twitter, Insta-
gram, and other social media
channels to better relate to their
patients.
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1382 JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS September 2015 Volume 115 Number 9

4. when they find out I am a dietitian
they think, ‘Oh, you’re going to put us
on a diet.’ So, be sure to position
yourself in a positive, supportive way
if you want to reach out to these
individuals.”
The Academy has developed a series
titled #SocialPro to help guide RDNs
through the social media landscape,
including how to get started on Twitter
and tips for creating a professional
Facebook page.15
Millennials may have enhanced
access to general nutrition data and
food trends, but this knowledge can
sometimes lull these consumers into
“selectively healthy” eating and
shopping behaviors.16
According to a
column in the Progressive Grocer,
“selectively healthy eating behavior
and skepticism toward health claims
tend to negate a true paradigm shift.
About 20% of millennials are inter-
ested in better nutrition and better
health, and act upon it, but for the
rest, it’s more about feeling like
they’re making slightly better
choices.”16
“We can be apprehensive
about teaching the basics—especially
to those who seem nutrition-savvy,
but it has been my experience that
you may find a knowledge deficit
there,” explained Miller. “The [RDN]
should use guidelines like MyPlate
to show them how to put together
a really healthy meal. And remind
consumers that it is a combination
of foods that work in synergy that
keep us healthy and satisfy our
palette.”
RDNS CAN TAKE THE LEAD IN
HELPING MILLENNIALS BECOME
SAVVY SHOPPERS
Helping millennials and others make
smart choices in the supermarket
aisles starts with an awareness of
how they approach food. We know
this generation is digital and more
apt to sharing food-planning and
preparation experiences via social
media, so it is important to integrate
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and
others in your communication with
these clients. We also know that
this generation—brought up watch-
ing food-related television networks
and shows and other food-related
programming—is more savvy when it
comes to culinary trends, but that
doesn’t necessarily translate to a
knowledge of nutrition basics, so
RDNs must take the lead in helping
this generation achieve its goals;
stay current on the hot, new food
items; and be prepared to answer
questions on claims related to these
trends.
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DISCLOSURES
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
FUNDING/SUPPORT
No funding was provided for this article.
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