Time-starved, health-conscious Americans are a market opportunity for all-natural prepackaged meal helpers

A convergence of trends presents a huge opportunity for organic convenience foods.

Americans are cooking at home more often. According to a 2012 Harris poll, 71 percent of consumers cooked at home more than they did in 2011 in order to save money.

But it’s not just about money ‒ it’s also about health.

Americans, and parents in particular, are reacting to the news about the obesity epidemic in our country with more home-cooked meals using fresh ingredients.

According to a recent top ten food trends report by the Institute of Food Technologists, three-quarters of adults (74 percent) believe that “home-made” or “house-made” foods are healthier; and nine out of ten (87 percent) think “fresh” foods are healthier.

Our EcoPulse™ 2013 survey found that Americans want REAL food, particularly foods with natural or organic content. But we’re still time-strapped.

In fact, while 52 percent of American meal preparers said they made last night’s meal from scratch, almost one-quarter (22 percent) used pre-packaged foods requiring little additional preparation.

According to the IFT food trends report, Millennials are particularly more likely to use these “meal helpers” (27 percent).

There’s a huge opportunity for “all-natural” (no artificial flavors/preservatives) and organic pre-packaged meal helpers that can help increasingly health-conscious, time-starved Americans quickly cook healthy meals at home that they can feel good about.