It is not just income or family composition that say something about consumers’ purchasing behavior: people’s relationship with food also significantly determines their purchasing behavior. Deloitte shows five profiles.

Five personalities

Basic demographic characteristics such as income, age and family size have a big impact on what and how much goes into the shopping cart during the weekly supermarket visit. But the relationship people have with food also plays a role. These relationships can vary greatly: from the person who sees food as a means to a healthier life to shoppers who want to save as much as possible on their budget.

Deloitte has set out to research “food personalities.” A study based on survey responses from 228,000 adults in 12 countries shows that personality, regardless of demographic characteristics, does indeed have predictive power over what people buy and how much they spend on it.

The study identifies five eating personalities: frugal, health-conscious, convenient, foodies, or environmentally conscious. Each of them may have different personalities, but most respondents (95%) said they have a main personality when it comes to eating.