Abstract
As companies introduce new “better for you” prepared foods and the government continues to view obesity as an “epidemic,” Americans have continued to gain weight. Although government estimates now indicate that the rate of obesity is no longer on the rise, health experts agree that obesity has become a serious social problem that will impact the lives of millions and cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
This has created an opportunity for forward-thinking companies to offer portioned meals and portion control products to help consumers avoid the temptation of overeating. This report is designed to assist companies that have developed or are planning to develop such products. More specifically, this report answers the following questions:
- How have average portion sizes changed over the past 20 years?
- How do consumers define “portion,” and how do they measure portions?
- In general, do Americans make an effort to limit the amount of food or type of foods they eat?
- What is the prevalence of “grazing” vs. eating three complete meals per day?
- What environments and eating situations tend to cause overeating and which discourage it?
- What drives people to monitor their diet and caloric intake?
- How strong is demand for 100-calorie packs of popular snack foods?
- What types of portioned pre-packaged meal products are displaying sales growth, and why?
- What companies and brands are succeeding in the portion control market and why?
- How are companies promoting their portion control foods and dieting systems?
- What types of foods are most popular in the U.S.?
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