Market research studies affirm that busy, “on-the-go” consumers place a premium on convenience packaging and highly favor self-heating. Regardless of the eating occasion—snacks or meals throughout the day—consumers do not want to spend a lot of time preparing their food. Integrating HeatGenie into leading branded prepared foods and beverages will make them accessible and relevant to the on-the-go generation.

According to the NPD Group’s National Eating Trends survey (2010):

• In 1965, consumers spent an average of 2.5 hours preparing meals and several more hours shopping for the week’s food.  Today, the average meal is prepared in 12 minutes, and shoppers are making shorter, more frequent trips to purchase their food
• 72 million US adults say convenience is most important in foods they eat.

Convenience is Top Motivator

According to The NPD Group’s 21st Annual Eating Patterns in America, Americans are motivated by convenience first.  NPD asked more than 50,000 meal preparers why they prepared the dish they made for supper? The top answers are shown in the chart.