"What's Cookin'?: A Study of Trends in American Eating Behavior," is a look over a 15-year period at the changes which have occurred in American's eating behavior. This includes what is eaten, how it's prepared, when it's eaten, with whom, how often, in what form, and where.
The study is the first of its kind for Minneapolis based Pillsbury, says Judy Mottaz, marketing research assistant manager for U.S. Foods at Pillsbury and project director for the study.
"What sets it apart from similar studies we've done in the past is that it cuts across all Pillsbury brand products and foods. It's also unique in that we have tracked actual eating behavior through a diary panel. This helps show what people are actually eating, not what they say they're eating or doing in terms of eating behavior." People say they're cutting down on sugar, salt and fat, for example, but the diaries from the study don't always show this.
15-year analysis
Pillsbury's analysis of American eating behavior was completed with the assistance of SRI International and Creative Research Associates, Inc. The company used data from a menu census - food diaries - collected at three points during the past 15 years. Each census had a sample of approximately 1,000 households for a total sample size of 3,000. Data collection was done by Market Research Corporation of America.
Analysis of the eating patterns led Pillsbury to the discovery of five distinct clusters or groups of consumers who share similar eating behavior. These five groups were coined "The Chase & Grabbits," "The Functional Feeders," "The Down Home Stokers," "The Careful Cooks," and "The Happy Cookers."
After all the quantitative data had been analyzed and compared, focus groups were conducted "to fill in our knowledge of what these people are like," says Mottaz, enabling the company to draw profiles of each group. "We knew what these people ate but we knew much less about them as people. We wanted to know the who, what, where and why; who they were eating this food with, where they were consuming it, and why they were eating the foods they ate."
Focus groups
In late 1987, a total of 10 focus groups - approximately 100 people - were conducted, two groups for each of the five clusters. The participants were representative of the five segments, having been screened and selected in a telephone interview. The focus groups were conducted in the areas of the U.S. which best represented the particular cluster. For example, the health-conscious "Careful Cookers" tend to be older Americans living on the West Coast, so focus groups were conducted in Los Angeles. The traditional, regional food-eaters called the "Down Home Stokers" are found heavily in the south so focus groups were conducted in Atlanta.
With qualitative and quantitative data in hand, Pillsbury packaged its information in the "What's Cookin'" booklet which was released at the 33rd Pillsbury BAKE-OFF. The following describes characteristics of the five groups.
The Chase & Grabbits. This group experienced the biggest increase over the 15-year period, 136%. It currently represents 26% of the total sample.
These are young urbanities. If single, they live alone or with one or more roommates. If married, they're childless and both spouses are employed.
Having good incomes, one way they enjoy it is by eating out a lot. When it comes to food, they're adventurous, willing to try new and exotic foods. They don't spend time preparing food because work and leisure keep them very involved and thus, even microwave popcorn may suffice as a meal. Fast?food hamburgers and sandwiches, frozen dinners and carry out or frozen pizzas are common Chase & Grabbit fare. They're not interested in more convenient food just more convenience. Says one Chase & Grabbit, "Someday all you'll have to do is take a pill and it'll give you everything you need."
Functional Feeders. Currently 18% of the total sample, this group shows a 28% decrease in the 15 years since 1971-72. Functional Feeders are over 45 years-old and live in larger households in the MidAtlantic or East North-Central states.
Many of the women in this group are employed outside the home, but they choose to do so for reasons of self-fulfillment rather than economic necessity. Because of busy schedules, they seek out convenience foods but use them as ingredients or side dishes rather than the meal itself. They're not particularly adventurous about food, opting instead for a convenient way to prepare the kind of traditional meals they themselves grew up with. Typical Functional Feeders fare include: Canned soups, macaroni and cheese, frozen pancakes and waffles, store-bought cookies and instant potatoes.
Down Home Stokers. This group is tightly bound to their traditional regional foods. They could be Midwesterners for whom a main meal is meat and potatoes; Southerners with fried chicken and vegetables, or New Englanders with their traditional clam bakes. Currently 21% of the total sample, this group showed a 34% decline in 15 years.
Largely blue-collar workers with modest educations and incomes, Down Home Stokers are not adventurous eaters, perhaps because they're very involved in preserving their own ethnicity and so take less time to explore the differences other foods offer. They follow "nutrition trends" in a broad sense, but take little action on them, opting instead to stick with the foods of their past. Typical Down Home Stoker regional preferences are: Homemade fried chicken; fresh-baked breads (such as cornbread served with chicken or fish, rolls with steak, and biscuits with sausage); vegetables prepared with bacon or other salty meat, and fried eggs.
Careful Cooks. A steadily growing group, the Careful Cooks have grown by 122% during the 15 year period. During 1971-72, this group comprised 9% of the population; today it accounts for 20%. Characterized as retired and living on the West Coast, this group is generally well-educated and have high incomes.
While the Careful Cooks want to enjoy food, they don't want to at the expense of their health. Once consumers of red meat, they've given it up in exchange for foods like chicken, fish, salads, fresh fruits and vegetables, yogurt, skim milk, and wheat bread. Adventurous, too, they like to try foods of other cuisines but in accordance with their doctor's dietary guidelines. 
Happy Cookers. The last group, the Happy Cookers, are those who say they can "read a cookbook like a novel." To them, cooking and baking are a source of pride and personal satisfaction. Their numbers, however, are dwindling. While once 23% of the survey population, the Happy Cookers are now 15% of the group, and have dropped 35% in 15 years.
The people in this group fall into two categories - younger mothers and older nurturers. They feed their families well, providing three full meals daily, most made from scratch. Typical Happy Cookers' foods include: Homemade pies, cakes, cookies and fruit crisps; homemade meat dishes; homemade casseroles, and fresh fish and fresh vegetables. Happy Cookers experiment with foods common to them by adding spices to dishes or creating new meals with ingredients on hand.
Categories overlap
The categories for cooks are not cut and dried, Pillsbury points out, because many people may fall into more than one category depending on the day of the week. For example, the weekend cook may be a Happy Cooker who converts to a Chase & Grabbit during the week.
Nevertheless, does the traditional cook seem to be going out of style? Pillsbury's Jim Delaney, director, market research, Light Meals/Snacks, and Mottaz think not.
Still in style
"While the traditional family meal is occurring less frequently, it is certainly not extinct or entirely out of style," says Delaney. "The survey does show that all rules are off for some segments of the population. The most traditional are the Happy Cookers who are making a strong effort to maintain the traditional sit-down dinner."
"Other segments of the population are sitting down together for meals as well but not the traditional meal we might think of," adds Mottaz. "For example, convenience foods play a much more prominent role even at the sit-down meal for the Functional Feeders. Instead of peeling their own potatoes for casseroles or other dishes, they're using canned potatoes. Convenience is the common theme, what more people are looking for."
Mottaz strongly believes the traditional family meal won't become extinct, at least for some segments.
"The traditional family meal where people are sitting down together, whether it's a childless couple a couple and their kids, or a single mother and her children, will remain in many homes. In the focus groups, we found that time spent together at a meal was a very important part of keeping the family together for some people. This was especially true of the Happy Cookers segment."
Planning purposes
The study's findings, says Delaney, confirms what the company had thought about eating behavior, convenience foods, and about a segment of the population which is very concerned about nutrition. The study will be conducted again in two to three years for tracking purposes, but in the meantime, Pillsbury will use it for planning purposes.
"The study is helping us lay down a base in terms of finding out what actual eating behavior is. It will allow us to look at each of the major brands we market, determine what type of people who are using these brands and how they're using them, and how we can reach these people better," says Delaney.