This post may contain affiliate links which means I will get a commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for details.
While younger generations chase the next viral food craze, many Boomers are raising eyebrows and closing their wallets. For a group that grew up cooking from scratch, today’s premium priced shortcuts and novelty eats can seem wildly overpriced.
To them, what’s being marketed as convenient or gourmet often looks like just another way to upsell basic food. They’re skeptical of packaging over value, and taste over trend. And in the era of rising costs, these views are getting louder.
Avocado Everything
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we'll send the recipe straight to your inbox!
From toast to smoothies to overpriced dips, avocado has become a millennial favorite. But Boomers often see it as bland, mushy, and overhyped for the cost. They argue that paying more for smashed avocado on bread makes no financial sense. To them, it’s a glorified fruit riding a wellness wave.
Charcuterie Boards
What looks like a fancy meat and cheese platter to some feels like a grocery store picnic to Boomers. They often balk at the prices charged for what they see as snackable leftovers. Throwing it on a wooden board doesn’t justify the markup. Most say they could make the same thing at home for less.
Designer Bottled Water
Infused waters, electrolyte blends, and glass bottled spring brands are flooding shelves. Boomers, raised on tap water, don’t understand why anyone would pay extra for what they see as glorified hydration. Unless it’s sparkling or imported, they say water should be cheap, clean, and simple.
Oat Milk and Nut Milk Alternatives
These dairy substitutes are booming, but many Boomers aren’t buying in, literally. They often question why anyone would pay more than regular milk for something made from nuts or grains. They see it as a niche trend pushed more by lifestyle branding than real necessity.
Rainbow Colored Everything
Multi-hued bagels, smoothies, and pasta may look fun online, but Boomers don’t see the appeal in paying more for food dyed to look artificial. To them, taste should trump Instagram aesthetics. They often dismiss these as gimmicks targeting a screen-obsessed generation.
Pre-Cut and Pre-Packaged Produce
Baby carrots, chopped onions, and sliced apples are marketed as convenient, but the price hikes make Boomers pause. Many say the few seconds saved in the kitchen aren’t worth the premium. They’d rather buy whole produce and prep it themselves than pay for packaging and labor.
Related Post: Dear Self: It’s Okay To Cook What Feels Right Today
Gold Flaked Desserts
From donuts dusted in gold to milkshakes with edible glitter, flashy desserts are everywhere. Boomers find this trend especially ridiculous, arguing that adding precious metals doesn’t improve flavor or nutrition. It’s a status symbol, not a treat, and they’d rather skip the showy markup.
Related Post: 13 Farmers Markets In The Pacific Northwest Where Food Feels Like Art
Plant Based Meats
Boomers aren’t anti-vegetable, but many question the appeal of meatless meat. To them, it’s often pricey, overly processed, and tastes nothing like the real thing. They say if you want to eat plants, just eat plants; there’s no need to mimic burgers with lab-made ingredients.
Related Post: 12 Cafes That Let You Stay All Day Without Buying More Than One Coffee
DIY Meal Kits
While millennials may love the portioned convenience of kits like HelloFresh, Boomers see them as expensive and wasteful. With decades of experience cooking full meals from scratch, they don’t need instructions or small packs of pre-cut veggies. They’d rather shop smart and cook smarter.
Related Post: 14 Farmers Markets Where You’ll Spend More Than You Planned And Love It
Coffee Drinks with All the Extras
Fancy lattes topped with foam art and flavored syrups leave Boomers shaking their heads. Spending more on one drink than a full breakfast doesn’t sit right. For them, coffee should be strong, hot, and affordable, not turned into a dessert in a paper cup.
Related Post: 11 Restaurants Where the Food Is Forgettable But The Story Isn’t
To Boomers, food trends often feel like flash over substance, marked up and overhyped. Their critiques aren’t just about price, they reflect a deeper belief in value and simplicity. And as food inflation rises, more people are starting to agree with them.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
10 Reasons Baby Boomers Had The Best Food Era
In the tapestry of culinary history, the Baby Boomer generation occupies a distinctive and flavorful chapter. Born between 1946 and 1964, this cohort witnessed a transformative period in food culture, marked by innovation, convenience, and a burgeoning sense of community around the dinner table.
Read it here: 10 Reasons Baby Boomers Had The Best Food Era
How to Save $100+ Every Month at the Grocery Store
From planning your meals to avoiding sneaky upcharges in the snack aisle, here’s a realistic guide to trimming your food budget without adding stress to your week.
Read it here: Things Moms Waste Money On (and Don’t Even Know It)
Is Walmart+ Still Worth It in 2025? The Truth After 3 Years
Is the new Walmart Plus worth the annual fee or is it just another failed version of Amazon Prime? I spent my own money trying this service out for 12 months and counting. I have a lot to say about the benefits and drawbacks in this Walmart+ honest review.
Read it here: Is Walmart+ Worth It? Honest Review 3 Years Later!
You’ll love these related posts:
- 13 Cafes In The Rockies That Are Worth The Road Trip
- 11 Summer Desserts That Won’t Melt Before You Get A Bite
- 12 Picnic Foods That Travel Well And A Few That Definitely Don’t
- 10 Farmers Markets In The South Where You’ll Find Shocking Ingredients
- 13 Bodegas In America That Prove You Don’t Need A Fancy Supermarket