These findings are part of a new survey that examines millennial food, health and grocery shopping preferences, which was conducted independently by YouGov on behalf of the retailer. The national online survey sampled 1,006 adults between the ages of 22 and 37 in the U.S.

Another trend that emerged is more informed purchasing decisions. A majority of millennials want to know wher their food comes from and how it is sourced. Transparency in food sourcing is important to more than 65% of millennials, particularly for fresh meat and seafood. More than half of millennials will pay more for products that have adopted animal welfare standards and prefer to buy those responsibly sourced.

Food labelling and ingredient transparency are also key factors in millennials’ choices: Compared to five years ago, nearly 70% of millennials read labels more closely. More than 60% are more concerned about additives and growth hormones. Ultimately, half of millennials buy more organic products than they did five years ago.

“We’re always striving to better understand our customers’ passions when it comes to food,” said Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Whole Foods Market’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Millennials don’t settle for just any food in their shopping carts, and neither do we. The stories of how food is produced and grown matter to them – and to us. That is why we ban more than a hundred ingredients in the food we sell. Going beyond the USDA requirements, we prohibit antibiotics and added hormones for all meats in our meat department, and we only sell sustainable wild-caught or Responsibly Farmed seafood. Our standards drive the work we do and if products don’t meet our standards, we don’t sell.”

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