CINCINNATI — Grocery shoppers increasingly are opting for food and beverage items featuring high protein levels, clean ingredients and functional benefits.

That’s according to the October Consumer Digest report from 84.51°, the market research division of The Kroger Co.

Data are gathered monthly from 400 consumers who shop at Kroger stores, which include Ralphs, King Soopers, QFC, Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer and several other banners. Researchers know respondents have shopped at Kroger stores and use online platforms to talk to them, said Alex Trott, director of insights for 84.51°.

She said what people are looking for in grocery stores has changed a lot in the recent past, particularly across different age groups.

“Right now, if you look at the customers and not just by age, high protein is the No. 1 most-sought-out attribute for nutritional benefits in new products,” Trott said. “If you looked at customers 15 or 20 years ago, that was not top of mind.”

Functional benefits and clean ingredients also show up as priorities in consumer surveys of the 18-to-34 age group, she said, which is drawing attention from consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies.

“Certain ingredients people want to consume if it’s on the product ingredient lists, and that’s where you see CPGs paying attention,” Trott said. “They know they need to clean up labels and have functional benefits. You see big brands coming out with innovations.”

CPG companies are not the only sector responding to these evolving shopping trends.

“Retailers like Kroger have taken on a huge opportunity to push their vendors to be healthier, and you see that across the store in nearly every category now,” she said.

The October report also found shoppers are looking for new and innovative products, particularly in frozen foods and shelf-stable items. Trott said the categories have remained the same for the most part and are ready for accelerated innovation and repositioning to attract younger consumers.

“Those categories have to catch up a little bit more to modern times,” she said. “Frozen food and shelf-stable have always been perceived as having more ingredients and requiring more ingredients to make them frozen and shelf-stable.”

Affordability remains an issue for consumers, the report found, especially when it comes to meal kits and prepared foods. Trott said Kroger had bought a meal kit company (Home Chef in 2018), and now the items are featured in most of its stores.

“People are telling me they want to cook more food at home, pretty much across all age groups,” she said. “Labor increases the price, and consumers are telling us (meal kits) need to be more affordable.”

Along with lower prices, consumers want more take-and-go options in the grocery store, she said, adding that even though inflation has gone down, consumers remain very sensitive to grocery prices right now and want stores to focus on coupons and other special deals.

The report found shoppers expect a significant shift toward digital channels, such as digital coupon apps and cashback apps, in the next few years. Shopping habits will become more cost-conscious, the report said, including more buying in bulk and purchasing of generic brands.

Grocery planning among younger shoppers could improve since they find it more difficult than older generations, according to the report. This trend may include online shopping lists, more digital coupons and recipe suggestions linked to shopping lists, which it said could help all age groups.