Abstract
The sacred food market includes products that are certified kosher, Halal, or ethical (e.g. vegetarian, organic, fair trade, natural). This report focuses on consumer attitudes and behavior concerning sacred food.
In this report you will learn that religion and religious traditions are not the major drivers of the sacred food industry. Rather, consumer concerns about the integrity of the food supply and the quality of the food they buy inspire the majority of sacred food purchases.
This report provides a discussion on consumers' religious, spiritual, ethical, and moral beliefs, as well as analysis and recommendations on the following topics:
- The size of the sacred food market and its potential for growth
- Food safety and security
- Convenience
- The extent of consumers' knowledge about sacred and religious food
- Consumers who follow religion-based food traditions, both at home and away from home
- The extent to which they are loyal to these plans
- Where consumers shop for sacred foods
Table of Contents
- Scope and Themes
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Executive Summary
- Market size
- Kosher and halal product introductions
- Ethical foods get line extensions
- Religious affiliation not a major driver--only 5% give up food for faith
- Safety and convenience are bigger drivers
- Sacred food is an aspect of religious, ethical, and moral life ways
- Food, faith, and ethics
- Knowledge of food traditions
- Knowledge does not translate into interest
- Insights and Opportunities
- Sacred and ethical foods as "shortcuts"
- How to reach these consumers:
- Kosher and ethical food for "safety"
- How to reach these consumers:
- The halal food market
- How to reach these consumers:
- The ethical food market
- How to get the message across:
- The Market
- Market size
- Figure 1: Sales of sacred food in the U.S., 2007
- Kosher
- Figure 2: U.S. new product launches, kosher and halal foods, 2002-07
- Figure 3: New launches of kosher food products in the U.S., by type of food, 2007
- Kosher, but not religious
- Halal
- Halal, but not religious
- Ethical foods
- Figure 4: New U.S. product launches of ethical foods, 2002-07
- Foods for charitable causes
- Kindness to the environment
- Kindness to animals and humans
- The value of "Brand Halal" can build quickly due to the success of "Brand
Kosher"
- Figure 5: "Global minus U.S." new product launches, kosher and halal foods, 2002-07
- Market Drivers
- Religious affiliation
- Figure 6: Respondents' religion, by age, November 2007
- Sacred = safety
- Sacred = convenience
- Figure 7: Incidence of avoiding various protein-based foods, by age, April 2007
- Sacred food is an element of religious, ethical, and moral life paths
- Food, Ethics, and Faith
- Figure 8: Spiritually based opinions, November 2007
- Figure 9: Spiritually based opinions, by race/Hispanic origin, November 2007
- Figure 10: Spiritually based opinions, cross tabulated with religion of respondent, November 2007
- Ethical food attributes
- Figure 11: Ethical food attributes, by age, November 2007
- Knowledge of Faith-Based Food Traditions
- Figure 12: Knowledge of faith-based food traiditons, by age, November 2007
- Interest in practicing specific food traditions
- Figure 13: Interest in practicing specific food traditions, by race/Hispanic origin, November 2007
- Giving Up Food for Religious Reasons
- Figure 14: Giving up food for religious reasons, by faith, November 2007
- Religion and food restrictions
- Figure 15: Type of food restrictions practiced, November 2007
- Care in following food restrictions
- Figure 16: Strictness in following food restrictions at home and away from home, November 2007
- Figure 17: Shopping for faith-based foods, November 2007
- Appendix: Definitions, Abbreviations, and Terms
- Definitions, abbreviations, and terms
- Figure 18: Major religions and their food restrictions, November 2007
- Religion in America
- Figure 19: Self-described religious identification of U.S. adult population: 1990 and 2001
- Kosher food
- Halal food
- Abbreviations
- Terms
- Appendix: Supplemental Consumer Data
- Religion
- Figure 20: Respondents' religion, by income, November 2007
- Figure 21: Respondents' religion, by race/Hispanic origin, November 2007
- Food, ethics, and faith
- Figure 22: Spiritually based opinions, by age, November 2007
- Knowledge of faith-based traditions
- Figure 23: Knowledge of faith-based food traiditons, by income, November 2007
- Figure 24: Knowledge of faith-based food traiditons, by race/Hispanic origin, November 2007
- Appendix: Trade Associations
