The latest findings by Roy Morgan Research indicate that 45% of the population—or 8.1m Australian—drink some kind of wine every month—down from 50% in 2007.
Of these, almost 1.3m consume cask wine, suggesting a substantial decline from the 2.3m who drank it back in 2007.
Considering that a South Australian invented the wine cask, it seems fitting that wine drinkers from the state are more likely than those from other areas to enjoy their box wine: 18% of South Australian drink cask wine each month, just ahead of Queensland (just under 18%), while 17% of each of Tasmanians and Western Australians follow suit.
The ratio between male and female drinkers is quite even for bottled wine, but a noticeably higher proportion of men drink cask wine compared to women (18% against 14%).
So what distinguishes a cask-wine drinker from the vast bottled-wine quaffing majority?
For starters, cask wine is especially popular among older Australians. People aged over 65 are almost 60% more likely to go for the box than the average wine drinker.
At the opposite end of the age spectrum, 18-24 year-olds are also more likely to drink it, compared to 25-34 year-olds.
Affordability should boost its appeal to both these groups: while many in the younger generation are still studying or in the early stages of their careers—with salaries to match—the 65+ bracket includes many retirees living on pensions.
Indeed, affordability appears to be one of cask wine’s biggest selling points, with 26% of wine-drinkers from the cash-strapped FG socio-economic quintile and 24% of those from the budget-bound E quintile opting for cask wine, compared with just 8% of people from the most affluent AB quintile.
“Since South Australian winemaker Thomas Angove invented cask wine packaging in 1965, the ‘plastic bladder in a cardboard box’ has become a worldwide phenomenon. However, it seems cask wine’s glory days could be over, as there has been a substantial decline in the number of Aussies drinking it over the last few years,” said Andrew Price of Roy Morgan Research.
“Whether this downward trend is simply a symptom of the more widespread decrease in wine-drinking in Australia, or the result of competition from a myriad of cheap bottled wines now available, is hard to know.
“What is certain, however, is that winemakers who produce a cask range need to have a detailed knowledge of the demographics, attitudes and habits of their target market so they can tailor their communications accordingly and expand their customer base as a result.”
First-time parents most likely to buy packaged baby foods
Around 1.5m Australians have babies, of which one in five parents have bought baby food over the last month, new retail data, again from Roy Morgan Research, shows.
Australia’s youngest parents are more likely to buy baby food: 26% of parents aged 24 and under buy baby food each month, compared with 22% of 25-34 year-olds, and just 19% of those 35 and over.
Of course, younger parents are less likely to already have other children. Consequently, first-born babies are the most likely to be dining from a tin, jar or pouch, with 25% of their parents buying baby food in an average four weeks.
Roy Morgan’s Norman Morris said: “There are of course correlations between how old parents are and whether they’re on baby number one, two, three or more.
“However our on-going national single-source survey allows us to dig deeper into the total pool of parents, avoiding over-generalisations that can end up misidentifying or misunderstanding the target markets.
“People having their first child at 40 will often make very different parenting and purchasing choices those having their baby at 20—or those having their third at 40.
“With many Australians deferring baby-making until later in life, the very idea of an ‘average parent’ is changing and fragmenting.
“Manufacturers and retailers of baby products, from food and milk formula to clothes and furniture, as well as childcare providers, large employers and government agencies, need to make sure they fully understand and keep track of parenting trends.”
Regulator calls for submissions to amend allergen labelling practice
The antipodean food regulator has called on the industry and the public to give their opinions on a proposal to remove mandatory allergen labelling requirements for certain foods and ingredients.
Steve McCutcheon, chief executive of Fsanz, said the proposal involved removing the requirement by law for certain products to list where processing results in negligible amounts of protein being left in the final product.
The cases under consideration are exempt from allergen labelling requirements in some parts of the world including Europe, said McCutcheon.
“In some cases processing means products are essentially stripped of allergenic proteins, making them safe for consumers who have an allergy to that protein,” he said.
Various glucose syrups made from wheat starch, fully refined soy oil, soy derivatives (tocopherols and phytosterols) and distilled alcohol from wheat or whey are under consideration.
“Fsanz conducted a thorough safety assessment on the proposal which included consulting with allergy specialists and industry,” McCutcheon added.
All FSANZ decisions on standards are notified to ministers responsible for food regulation. The ministers can then decide to adopt, amend or reject standards; otherwise they can ask for a review.
Submissions will close on September 23.