January 20/ Chicago/The NPD Group -- Pressure to improve the healthfulness of kids meals and restaurant fare in general along with the influence of the growing Asian, Hispanic, Boomer, and Millennial population groups are among the factors that will shape the restaurant industry in 2012 and beyond, according to The NPD Group. Overall, NPD’s foodservice market research forecast of U.S. commercial foodservice traffic projects consumer demand for restaurant-prepared meals/snacks to rise slightly above 2011 levels.
Kids meals have been the focus of legislative and health advocacy activities over the past few years, and that focus is expected to continue throughout 2012. The continuing pressure on restaurant operators to improve the healthfulness of kids meals combined with increasing health consciousness among moms has resulted in children, younger than 13, eating more better-for-you foods like fruit, non-fried chicken, chicken wraps, cereal; and less of the not-so-good-for-you foods, like French fries, dessert items/frozen sweets, regular size burgers, and fried chicken, according to NPD’s CREST service, which continually tracks consumer usage of restaurants. In general, healthy and lighter foods are faring better than many foods and beverages consumers have learned should be controlled in their diets.