U.S. Satisfaction Level with Packaged Foods Hits High

Falling grocery prices are fueling rising U.S. consumer satisfaction with packaged grocery food products, rising 9.2% from the previous year and clocking in at its highest level since 2012, according to new data released Tuesday in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)’s ACSI Nondurable Products Report 2016.

“Higher customer satisfaction for packaged food reflects the decreasing cost consumers see in eating at home,” said Claes Fornell, the organization’s founder and chairman, in a statement.

The ACSI ranks customer satisfaction with companies on a scale of 0 to 100 from interviews with U.S. customers on 300 companies in 43 industries and 10 economic sectors. The food manufacturing sector’s ACSI score for 2016 was marked at 83, up from 76 in 2015. The organization’s grocery food category includes a packaged food products, from baked goods to frozen foods.

“This is the highest level of customer satisfaction with food manufacturing since 2012, and the longest streak of food deflation in fifty years,” the report said.

Of the large American food companies surveyed, Dole came in first for customer satisfaction with an ACSI ranking of 86. General Mills came in second with a score of 84, tying with chocolate makers Hershey, Nestle, and Mars.

The report noted that smaller companies, including store brands and minor brands, registered the biggest gain with a combined score of 83. PepsiCo’s Quaker Oats division and Kraft Heinz match the industry’s average ACSI satisfaction ranking of 83, while Tyson and Kellogg fell below the average food industry score.

ConAgra was the only company tracked by the organization that did not improve its score this year, which tied with Campbell Soup at an ACSI score of 80 for last place.

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