More than eight in ten consumers feel it is important to improve their health through diet, the Datamonitor report found. while a third of UK consumers say that they have chosen more natural and organic food and drinks over standard variants over the past year. The UK organic market continues to escalate as consumers continue embrace healthier eating. Worth £1.7bn, the market is set to grow a further five per cent in 2007.
There is growing evidence too that consumers are increasingly attracted to locally grown foods. Fresher food is one draw and so is helping the environment but of concern to the wider produce industry is the fact the concept of food miles is gaining traction. , “It isn’t too far fetched to speculate that we might see carbon ratings on packaged foods & beverages to encourage energy conservation and fight global warming,” said the Datamonitor report. “These ratings could express the carbon released into the atmosphere to grow, package and transport goods to market.”
The beauty-from-within trend is also gathering strong momentum as supplementing diets to enhance looks becomes more popular. But there is also potential for fresh-produce campaigns to tap into this as a promotional tool.
UK consumer spend on diet products will break the £5bn barrier in 2007, making the UK one of the biggest diet markets in Europe.
A growing number of diet food and drinks are hitting supermarket aisles, and satiety is the new diet buzzword that could have a big impact on the food and beverage market in 2007 and beyond. It means “feeling of fullness” and the disappearance of appetite experienced after consuming a large meal. Food and beverage manufacturers are just starting to launch new satiety-enhancing foods and drinks to keep consumers from snacking their way into obesity. Such as the US LightFull Satiety Smoothie which is high in fiber and protein, yet has only 70 calories per 11 fl. oz. serving. And in Europe, Danone’s Shape Lasting Satisfaction Yogurt which features a formulation of fibre and protein to help the consumer feel more satisfied for longer.
But the same bad habits will persist, Datamonitor warns. Despite breakfast being the most important meal of the day, UK consumers are still prone to skipping breakfast on a regular basis. For those who have breakfast, it is increasingly characterised by speed and informality; and is becoming something consumers do in between other important things.
“It remains to be seen if satiety-enhancing foods and drinks to keep consumers from snacking their way into obesity will win the day,” concludeded Datamonitor. “Once again, British consumers will be Europe’s biggest snackers in 2007 and the UK, along with Germany also has the dubious distinction of having the highest proportion of seriously overweight consumers in Europe.”
