May Meeting Washington DC Section  Institute of Food Technologists

DR JOHN LORD
HAUB SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
ST. JOSEPH'S UNIVERSITY
PHILADELPHIA, PA

AND

IFT SCIENTIFIC LECTURER

REACTING TO A CHANGING CONSUMER: THE FOOD INDUSTRY JUMPS ON THE MEAL SOLUTIONS BAND WAGON

THIS PROGRAM CONCLUDES THE YEAR AND IS THE ONE THAT HONORS OUR SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS.

JOHN LORD

IFT Scientific Lecturer

Presents

REACTING TO A CHANGING CONSUMER: THE FOOD INDUSTRY
JUMPS ON THE MEAL SOLUTIONS BANDWAGON

Time is the currency of the 90's and will continue to be a key industry driver as we enter the new millennium. As the role of women in the workforce continues to expand and as household structure and behavior continue to evolve in our time-compressed society, consumers are increasingly looking to "outsource" home meal preparation and purchase whole meals or meal components instead of ingredients. The food industry has been evolving to meet these emerging consumer needs adopting what are termed "meal solutions." The term meal solutions initially was synonymous with prepared meals offered by supermarkets to compete with Boston Markets and other prepared meal retailers. However, the definition has expanded to incorporate different means of providing solutions to consumer meal "problems," particularly at the dinner hour, offered in a variety of forms by operators at different levels in the food supply chain. We will highlight the drivers of the meal solutions phenomenon, the approaches available to retailers, wholesalers and processors, and the challenges, including packaging and food safety issues, which must be overcome to meet the demands of an increasingly demanding food consumer.

John Lord is professor of food marketing and associate dean for graduate education in the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph's University. John received his B.S. degree in food marketing from Saint Joseph's College, his MBA from Drexel University, and a Ph.D. in business administration from Temple University. His teaching and research interests center on new food product development, food business strategies and the changing eating patterns of the American consumer. He has consulted for the U.S. agency for International Development in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa, on developing opportunities for Guinean fruit in the U.S., and for other food companies. Recently, he has worked with Celentano on their "Real Meals" prepared foods initiative. He has taught professionals from countries around the world about new food product development and meal solutions in the U.S. as part of the international education programs at Saint Joseph's. Results of his research have been published in the Journal of Advertising Research and the Journal of Nutrition Education. Dr. Lord is on the editorial board of BRANDPACKAGING magazine, and publishes periodically in DELIBUSINESS. He is a frequent speaker to food industry audiences in the Mid-Atlantic States.

An avid baseball enthusiast, John manages an American Legion baseball team and is player-manager of an over-40 baseball team.

Last Modified: April 15, 2000