Moderation and Avoidance Trends in Food and Drinks: Implications For 'Better-For-You' Offerings

Table of Contents

• CHAPTER 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • Hot topic
  • The future decoded
    • With rising obesity levels, shoppers are becoming more conscious about their food intake
    • An increasingly strong appetite for nutritional information is emerging among European and US consumers
    • Eliminating or reducing fat is the most important and frequently practiced dietary approach
    • Calories are treated as an important proxy of nutrient quality
    • The desire to reduce sugar consumption is intensifying
    • Carbohydrate concerns are generally lower on consumers' agenda
    • Consumers are becoming wary about over-consumption of salt
  • Action points
• CHAPTER 2 THE FUTURE DECODED
  • Introduction: this report analyzes two important health trends
    • Today' s consumer focuses on both the incorporation of ' good' nutrients' and moderation of ' bad' nutrients
  • TREND: With rising obesity levels, shoppers are becoming more conscious about their food intake
    • The prevalence of obesity in European and US adults and children continues to increase
    • Consumers are monitoring and adjusting what they eat and drink with greater regularity and intensity
      • Awareness of health-related problems associated with obesity means that consumers are taking more self-responsibility
      • Consumers are making conscious attempts to eat and drink more healthily
      • Consumers are trying to avoid or moderate the consumption of many so called ' bad' nutrients/ food groups
      • However, research shows far fewer consumers are actually aware of their daily nutrient and calorie consumption
    • Key takeouts and implications
  • TREND: An increasingly strong appetite for nutritional information is emerging among European and US consumers
    • There is a widespread interest in and usage of nutritional information on food packages
    • Consumers are spending more time checking labels for nutritional advice
    • Situational factors influence propensity to examine nutritional content
    • Consumers have some difficulty interpreting nutritional labels
      • US consumers have been shown to find it difficult to distinguish between portion size and serving size
    • Consumers like the idea of simplified front-of-pack information
      • But shoppers are also critical of overly simplistic information
    • Key takeouts and implications
  • INSIGHT: Eliminating or reducing fat is the most important and frequently practiced dietary approach
    • Fat intake in Europe and the US has been increasing over the last few decades
    • Consumers place most importance on fat moderation
    • Fat content is what global consumers are most likely to check labels for
      • When checking labels, fat is typically the top-of-mind nutrient consideration
    • Females and older consumers are typically more preoccupied with reducing fat consumption
    • Understanding of fats is mixed but is becoming more detailed and sophisticated
      • Consumer awareness of differing fats is relatively high
      • But actual knowledge about the types of fat that should be eliminated from one' s diet is patchy
    • Key takeouts and implications
  • INSIGHT: Calories are treated as an important proxy of nutrient quality
    • Calorie intake is increasing globally
    • Consumer concerns regarding calories are on a par - if not greater - than that shown towards actual nutrients
    • There are notable gender differences in controlling calorie intake
    • Knowledge and awareness of calories is inconsistent
    • Inaccurate self perception of diet is likely to be a contributing factor behind the patchy awareness about personal calorie intake
    • Key takeouts and implications
  • INSIGHT: The desire to reduce sugar consumption is intensifying
    • Sugar and sweeteners typically account for more than 10% of total energy consumption
    • European and US consumers are trying to cut down sugar intake
    • Low calorie sweeteners are proving increasingly popular
    • Females are more likely to focus on sugar reduction than males
    • Awareness of sugars is higher than actual understanding
      • The level of awareness of sugars and low-calorie sweeteners is relatively high in the US
      • Awareness is not reflected by a deep understanding
      • A lack of understanding may be creating a ' trust void' with consumers
    • Key takeouts and implications
  • INSIGHT: Carbohydrate concerns are generally lower on consumers' agenda
    • Carbohydrate consumption concerns are generally lower especially when compared to the Atkins fad and other nutrients
    • Female and older consumers monitor carb intake more intensively
    • The carbohydrate focus has shifted towards ' positive nutrition' as reflected by expressions like ' good carbs' and ' smart carbs'
    • Key takeouts and implications
  • INSIGHT: Consumers are becoming wary about over-consumption of salt
    • US and UK consumers are most concerned with salt/ sodium reduction
    • Females and older consumers place most importance on salt reduction
    • The growing desire to reduce processed food consumption is linked with concerns over salt intake
  • Conclusions
• CHAPTER 3 ACTION POINTS
  • Introduction
  • ACTION: Adopt a proactive stance towards health-driven product reformulation
    • There is considerable evidence to suggest better-for-you innovations are meeting consumer needs
    • Adopt a three-tiered approach to food and drink innovation which is focused on health
    • Where possible make gradual reformulation changes to allow consumer palates to adjust
    • Ensure low-fat reformulation is the primary fixture in better-for-you innovation
      • The reduction of trans fat is especially important in the US
      • Consumers are also looking to restrict saturated fat intake and this needs to be addressed through better-for-you innovation
    • Make efforts to cut salt from processed foods
    • Cut sugar content especially in morning goods and children' s product lines
      • Use sweetening ingredients that are better for consumers and widely recognized as being so
    • Ensure transparency exists regarding calorie content
    • Give better-for-you innovation an added edge by including genuinely healthy content
  • ACTION: Target older consumers, females and children with reformulated products
    • Create messages based on women' s more complex and intimate approach to communication
      • Base humor-orientated messages on shared experiences
    • Support the empowerment of women with societal marketing
      • Target female-friendly media
      • Create word of-mouth marketing campaigns targeting female connectivity
    • Target Seniors' core values with your marketing concept
    • Proactively reformulate kids' targeted products to make them healthier
      • Hold yourselves to rigorous nutritional standards when developing kid-friendly products
  • ACTION: Resolve the food and beverage labeling conundrum
    • Provide information for two types of consumer usage scenarios
    • Ensure that labeling is not the only area where you offer engaging nutrition information
• CHAPTER 4 APPENDIX
  • Definitions
  • Research methodology
  • References
  • Future readings
  • How to contact experts in your industry
  • List of Tables
    • Table 1: Consumer survey: proportion of European and US consumers overall who believed it was important to reduce their levels of consumptions of certain nutrients and food types, 2006
    • Table 2: Consumer survey: frequency by which US consumers read food labels that provide nutritional information about a product
    • Table 3: Consumer survey: the extent to which European and US consumers used nutritional information on product packaging to help make food and drink choices, by country, 2006
    • Table 4: Consumer survey: understanding of nutritional panels/labels used on food packaging, by region, 2005
    • Table 5: Fat consumption expressed in grams per person per day, by country, 1981-2003
    • Table 6: Consumer survey: % of US consumers who had heard of, and were trying to reduce their consumption of, different fats, 2007
    • Table 7: Consumer survey: the degree of importance consumers place on reducing their saturated fat content, by country, 2006
    • Table 8: Consumer survey: propensity of European consumers to consume less fat, less sugar, less salt, fewer calories and less meat, by country, 2006
    • Table 9: Consumer survey: proportion of consumers who ' regularly' check labels for various contents, by content and region, 2005
    • Table 10: Consumer survey: types of nutrient information sought by US consumers, 2006
    • Table 11: Consumer survey: frequency of using fat, sugar, salt and sugar content displayed on package labels, UK, 2006
    • Table 12: Global per capita food consumption (kcal per capita per day), by region and decade, 1964-2030
    • Table 13: Dietary energy expressed in kcal per person per day, by country, 1981-2003
    • Table 14: Consumer survey: importance placed on controlling calorie intake, by country, US & Europe, 2006
    • Table 15: Consumer survey: the degree of importance consumers place on reducing their sugar intake, by country, 2006
    • Table 16: Consumer survey: US consumer awareness and consumption of sugars and low calorie sweeteners
    • Table 17: Consumer survey: the degree of importance consumers place on monitoring their carbohydrate intake, by country, 2006
    • Table 18: Consumer survey: US consumer awareness and consumption of carbohydrates, 2007
    • Table 19: Consumer survey: the degree of importance consumers place on reducing their salt intake, by country, 2006
    • Table 20: Consumer survey: the degree of importance consumers place on reducing processed food consumption, by country, 2006
    • Table 21: Definitions used in the report
  • List of Figures
    • Figure 1: Moderation and avoidance behaviors in food and drink are driven by a broad range of factors
    • Figure 2: Avoidance, moderation and positive nutrition are all trends associated with healthy eating and drinking
    • Figure 3: US adults are most likely to be overweight or obese
    • Figure 4: The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing in both Europe and the US
    • Figure 5: Changing dietary patterns in the US with an intensified focus on health are reflected by successful new products
    • Figure 6: Nearly two-thirds of European and US consumers took steps to eat more healthily in 2005-2006
    • Figure 7: European and US consumers have strong dispositions towards moderating fat, sugar and salt
    • Figure 8: US consumers are most aware of their sugar intake although general nutrient intake awareness is relatively low
    • Figure 9: Consumers are more likely to check nutritional information on the package when buying it for the first time
    • Figure 10: Key consumer expectations from good nutrition labeling highlight three core criteria that manufacturers and retailers must satisfy
    • Figure 11: Females and older consumers place more importance on reducing fat intake
    • Figure 12: US consumers are aware of many types of fat
    • Figure 13: Governmental and institutional campaigns are contributing to an increased understanding of fats
    • Figure 14: More than half of European and US consumers claimed to know the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats in 2005
    • Figure 15: Gender, age, income and education all influence the degree to which consumers focus on calorific reduction
    • Figure 16: US consumers get the highest proportion of their energy from sugar & sweetener consumption
    • Figure 17: A desire to reduce sugar intake has helped fuel demand for low calorie sweeteners
    • Figure 18: Females in Europe and the US place more importance on reducing sugar consumption
    • Figure 19: Females and older consumers are more likely to monitor carb intake
    • Figure 20: Increasing whole grain consumption is becoming an established trend in the US, but is also evident in Europe too
    • Figure 21: Notable age and gender differences are evident when it comes to the importance consumers place on managing salt intake
    • Figure 22: Italian and Spanish females have the strongest negativity towards processed food and drinks
    • Figure 23: Food outlets are responding to growing concern about trans fats
    • Figure 24: Restricted calorie products, which have transparent calorie credentials, can help consumers feel more in control
    • Figure 25: 100 calorie packs have been an important area of innovation in the US, especially for snacks
    • Figure 26: Low calorie innovation has the potential to evolve into minus calorie innovation in the future
    • Figure 27: Successful innovations illustrate the relevance of fiber and omega-3 to health conscious and health discerning consumers
    • Figure 28: Kraft' s South Beach Diet line has enjoyed considerable success in the US
    • Figure 29: A new level of innovation is occurring, with better-for-you brands offering broader benefits beyond moderated consumption of ' bad' nutrients
    • Figure 30: Marketers should ensure that products and communications are aligned with 5 core values
    • Figure 31: Healthy kids nutrition will be a key focal area of better-for-you innovation
    • Figure 32: A myriad of labeling symbols are competing for consumers' attention and, in some instances, adding to choice complexity
    • Figure 33: Labeling must be well executed, easy to understand and based on trust
    • Figure 34: Web content will be an increasingly important channel to champion better-for-you credentials
    • Figure 35: Websites allow health messages to be presented in a subtle manner
    • Figure 36: Informative advertising and community-based marketing can attract information hungry parents