Foodies in the UK: A Sense of Self, Connection and Belonging Beyond the Passion?

Abstract

The global rise of the Foodie movement has attracted some research attention as well as critique in the food industry trend followers, but little research attention in marketing research. The present study looks at the 'Foodie' phenomenon in the UK and aims to extend how the notion has been coined in literature through a qualitative investigation of a sample of self-professed Foodies. The objective is to provide an in-depth understanding of what it means to be a Foodie at the individual and group levels, probing attitudes, motivations and self-awareness. Results indicate that the term Foodie cannot be used as an implicit definition of someone 'simply interested in food'; the capacity of the Foodie may be dependent on individual involvement and the level of importance along the five emerging themes; these being: Learning and discovery; Pleasure and enjoyment; Inspirational influences; Quality; and Experiencing food as an individual and in connection with others. Findings imply that there might be different levels of Foodies, leading to a start on developing a Foodie Typology. The study poses implications for food marketers and researchers that can assist in more effective segmentation, efficient targeting and tailored positioning, as well as opportunities for future research.

Passionate about food: exploring “foodie” segmentation by nutritional knowledge

“…They also exhibited positive preferences for buying organic and fair-trade products which could thus testify to the interplay between food culture and the sustainability of food systems (Willett et al , 2019). However, this finding contrasts with Gad Mohsen (2016) who found that foodies have no particularly strong views vis-à-vis organic and fair-trade foods.…”

“…They participate in these food-related activities not only on vacation but also in their daily lives frequently (Kline and Lee, 2015). Foodies are also described as more enthusiastic about experimenting with various types of cuisine and cultural-specific dishes, without following a recipe (Gad Mohsen, 2016). Thus, understanding the motivations of this type of consumer is especially important, given the nature of cooking and recipes as not only pieces of consumer culture but also as inheritance of larger cultural values and narratives (Brownlie et al , 2005).…”

Who Are the Superfoodies? New Healthy Luxury Food Products and Social Media Marketing Potential in Germany

“…As NHLFPs are assumed to represent a section of the greater category of superfoods, incorporating superfood consumer characteristics promises to be a good way forward. A first distinction must be made between different superfood consumer “personalities” that consumers choose in order to showcase self-identity, oftentimes tied to a larger group identity [ 28 , 41 ]. These personalities, which are all highly involved with food topics, are differentiated by Sikka [ 28 ] into “consumers” who are primarily interested in nutritional benefits and “subcultures” or “lifestyles” who consume superfoods to display self-identity [ 28 , 42 , 43 ].…”

Pencarian Informasi oleh Foodie pada Foto Makanan di Instagram

“…Pemilihan informan diambil berdasarkan karakteristik foodie yang dipaparkan oleh Mohsen (2017). Seorang foodie harus memiliki karakteristik seperti antara lain, menikmati makanan yang dikonsumsinya, bahkan menjadikan jargon "makan untuk hidup" sebagai salah satu ungkapan yang menggambarkan diri seorang foodie, tertarik untuk mempelajari makanan, terinspirasi untuk menjadi foodie karena konten media sosial atau sosok yang ahli dalam makanan atau memasak dari televisi atau majalah, serta karakteristik lainnya.…”