Internet and Social Media Widen the Generational Gap when it comes to Food Choices

A protein journalist with LisaMKeefe.com suggests, when it comes to food buying decisions, the introduction of the internet and social media has widened the gap between the generations. "The Retail Meat Counter; What consumers are buying and how is it changing?" was among the topics discussed as part of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2025 earlier this month in Saskatoon.

Lisa Keefe, a protein journalist and communicator with LisaMKeefe.com, suggests the generational differences have widened due to the rise of the internet and social media and the how younger consumers are getting their information.

Quote-Lisa Keefe-LisaMKeefe.com:

This affects the way that they feel about the world around them, about the institutions that they deal with, about the food that they eat, the cultures and the cuisines that they interact with every single day. These are younger consumers who are going to be taking these attitudes with them as they get older, so it's very important to pay attention to how their attitudes and behaviors are different from the older generations because they're going to become more and more important as they get older and have kids and have more disposable income and are shopping more.

The influence of social media, it would be hard to describe what it means. If you think back when televisions were becoming more common in people's living rooms, we're seeing a dislocation in the culture that's bigger than that actually, but it's the same sort of thing where this medium has changed the way that the consumers think, how they process ideas, whether or not they question what they're being told.

They are taking in some much more information but they're not necessarily able to parse it out and analyze it and think critically about it. So, they're getting more information but they're not getting more knowledge. Keefe observes, in response, the forward-thinking food processors and retailers have changed their product formulations and adjusted their marketing approaches.She suggests the entire supply chain would benefit if the different elements were to work together to create products from birth to plate that meet these changing consumer expectations.