Centennials, or Generation Z, refers to all individuals born from 1997 onwards. They are the youngest adult generation, representing a significant portion of the consumer market. Just as Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials, Centennials display distinctive characteristics in their relationship with food that are of interest to various sectors.
Generation Z or Centennials have exhibited certain behaviors that accentuate some food trends that have been developing for decades. For example, Centennials identify more with a type of "diner" that defines a category of eating. Whether vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, etc., many people in this generation seek to define themselves through these and other categories. This notion also aligns with sustainability and responsible consumption, which, although not necessarily present in every food choice, remains in the discourse of political correctness as a way to describe their eating practices.
The relationship between sustainability, food, and the environment is one of their concerns. Another major trend in contemporary eating is the medicalization of food, sometimes overlooking other important dimensions of human eating, such as the social, cultural, historical, and economic aspects. Members of this generation are concerned that the foods they consume are "healthy," but for them, healthy should no longer be at odds with flavor.
Another marked trend in this generation is their connection with the internet and the way it occupies important spaces in their daily public and private lives. This connectivity is also reflected in their food purchasing habits online, whether for grocery shopping or ordering quick food delivery, as well as for obtaining recommendations.
The trend toward individualization, which has been developing for decades, is accentuated in this generation, who enjoy the ability to "create" and order dishes and drinks that are fully customizable in ingredients and presentation. Although they identify with the discourse of healthy and sustainable food, they also display some "disordered" consumption behaviors throughout the day, according to reports. They are a generation that highly enjoys "snacking," snacks, and appetizers, which in some ways substitute the structured meals of the breakfast-lunch-dinner triad. Snacks can replace one of these meals and do not necessarily follow a defined schedule on a daily basis.
It is also known that this generation will be among the most concerned about mental health, specifically stress and anxiety, so it is likely they will incorporate practices around maintaining mental health through food.
When deciphering eating habits and relationships with food, describing an entire generation can seem crude if other variables such as socioeconomic level, gender, geographic location, and sociocultural context are not considered. However, the major trends in contemporary eating coincide in this case with characteristics observed more intensely in the generation that represents the condensation of all these received ideas, discourses, and practices.
Twitter:@lilianamtzlomel
— This article was originally published in Spanish by Liliana Martínez Lomelí. Translation generated with AI from the original text.
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