![\"People](\"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/introtourism2e\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/315\/2020\/04\/New-funding-for-farmers\u2019-market-program.jpg#fixme\")
Figure 4.9 Officials announce more funding for B.C. farmers' markets, which have become increasingly popular due to changing consumer tastes.[\/caption]","rendered":"Now that we’ve classified the sector\u00a0based on business type and looked at relative performance, let’s look at F&B\u00a0from another perspective: customer\u00a0type. The first way to classify customers is to divide them into two key markets: residents and visitors.<\/p>\n
The first of these, the resident group, can be further divided based on their\u00a0purpose for\u00a0visiting an F&B operator. \u00a0For one group, food or drink is the primary purpose for the visit. For example, think of a group of friends getting together at a local\u00a0restaurant to experience their signature sandwich. For another group, food and drink is the\u00a0secondary purpose, added spontaneously or as an ancillary activity.\u00a0For example, think of time-crunched\u00a0parents whisking their kids through a drive-through on their way from one after-school activity\u00a0to the next. Here the\u00a0food and beverage providers offer an\u00a0expedient way to access a meal.<\/p>\n Foodservice providers also service the visitor market, which\u00a0presents unique challenges as guests will bring with them the tastes and eating habits of their home country or region.\u00a0Most establishments\u00a0generally follow one of two directions. One is to cater completely to visitors from the day the doors\u00a0open, with an\u00a0operational and market focus on tourists. The other is to cater primarily to residents.<\/p>\n Sometimes a\u00a0local foodservice provider\u00a0can continue\u00a0to cater to the resident market over time. In other cases, often because of financial pressures, the business shifts its focus away from the\u00a0residents\u00a0to better cater to\u00a0visitors\u2019 tastes. These changes, when they do occur, generally happen over time and can lead to questions of authenticity of the local offerings (Smart,\u00a02003; Heroux,\u00a02002;\u00a0Mak, Lumbers, Eves, & Chang, 2012).<\/p>\n Take a Closer Look: The Science of Addictive Food\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n For some time, one secret recipe for success in the food sector, particularly the fast-food portion of the sector, was simple: salt, sugar, and fat — and lots of it. There is a science behind these additives and why consumers keep coming back to satisfy their cravings. To view a CBC special on the science of addictive food, watch The Science of Addictive Food<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It is clear that the food and beverage sector must remain responsive to consumers\u2019 needs and desires. This is made evident by the emergence of health-concious eating in North America over the last two decades. The influence of books such as Fast Food Nation<\/em>\u00a0(Schlosser, 2012) and documentaries such as Super Size Me<\/em>\u00a0have created mainstream awareness about what goes into our food and our bodies. As many developed nations, including\u00a0Canada, struggle with health-care concerns including hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, food operators are taking note and developing new health-conscious\u00a0menus. Programs like BC’s Informed Dining initiative are helping consumers understand their options (see the Spotlight On below).<\/p>\n Spotlight On: Informed Dining<\/strong><\/p>\n The Informed Dining program was created by Healthy Families BC to help consumers gain a better understanding of the ingredients in their food and their role in daily healthy eating habits and guidelines. For more information, visit\u00a0the Informed Dining web page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This awareness, coupled with an increasing interest and desire for more authentic\u00a0foods produced without using herbicides and pesticides, free of genetically modified ingredients, and even free of carbohydrates or gluten, has placed pressure on the sector to respond, and many have (Frash, DiPietro, & Smith, 2014). Consumers are more aware of the plight of farmers and producers from faraway places and the support for\u00a0fair trade practices. At the same time, there is\u00a0a heightened desire for more locally grown products, and a general awareness of nutrition and the quality of products that are harvested in season and closer to home.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/hzimmermann\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1371\/2020\/04\/Life-goal-5-complete.jpg\")