Millennials like healthy and natural foods and foods from other cultures, they’re not interested in dieting or fat-free foods and they prefer shopping at natural foods and smaller-format stores.

Those are among the findings of a new study by Chicago-based CBD Marketing, which analyzed 12.5 million social media posts and other online commentary among people ages 18 to 35. The firm released the results Sept. 26 at the 2017 SupplySide West conference in Las Vegas.

Millennials prefer smaller stores like Trader Joe's and natural foods stores like Whole Foods over Walmart and multi-purpose grocery stores, according to the study. They also like alternative food distribution (e.g. meal delivery and meal services) and want to buy from environmentally-conscious manufacturers and purveyors.

"Consumer products companies are obsessed with millennials and with good reason," says CBD’s co-CEO, Lori Colman. "They are one-fourth of the population and represent $10 trillion in lifetime buying power. Millennials share their opinions and buying habits online via social media platforms and on other sites. Businesses and brands that mine this treasure trove of online data will be the ones that market their products successfully."