In a report entitled ‘Obesity, Dieting, Exercise And The Future Of Food And Drink — Understanding consumer attitudes and behaviours’, independent market analyst Datamonitor explores the contradiction between consumers’ attempts to eat more healthy foods and the rising obesity levels.
Datamonitor’s survey of European and US consumers reveals approximately 65% of Europeans and Americans made active attempts to eat more healthily in 2005 to 2006.
Rather than focusing purely on the elimination of ‘bad’ nutrients from their diets, consumers are also embracing the concept of ‘positive nutrition’ — focusing on the inherently good content within food and drinks.
Indeed, while consumers do not underestimate the importance of cutting down on fat, sugar and salt, they also believe a healthy diet involves eating fresh food and drink (90%) and eating from a diverse range of foods (66%).
Although consumers want to eat healthily, they do not want to sacrifice taste and pleasure. This attitude, in part, is driven by the widespread belief that healthy food tastes inferior. This is especially relevan, as consumers are eating out of home with greater regularity — a time when the desire to eat healthily is most likely to be compromised.
Datamonitor’s Productscan tracking reveals dietary products and healthy alternatives are witnessing the largest growth in the food and drink market, in terms of new product releases.
In particular, products in 100-calorie-pack formats are becoming increasingly popular, allowing shoppers to enjoy great taste without having to worry about the consequences of bad nutrient consumption.
Simultaneously, indulgence-based products continue to be popular in the food and beverage market, as manufacturers recognise that the inability to compromise between health and enjoyment means eating and drinking is becoming more occasion orientated.
For further information, contact Denis Mason.
Datamonitor