Table of Contents
Executive Summary
-
- Market factors
- Food prices decreasing in RoI
- Obesity rates set to continue
- More than half consider their diets as ‘healthy’
- Irish consumers call for an unhealthy food tax
- Who’s innovating?
- The consumer
- Over a third of Irish consumers describe themselves as ‘average build’
-
- Figure 1: How consumers describe their current body type/weight, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Sugar remains top concern in food and drink
-
- Figure 2: Ingredients in food and drink products consumers are concerned about, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Doctors seen as being a good source for healthy eating advice
-
- Figure 3: Channels consumers have used to get advice on for healthy eating, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Nutrition is important for Irish consumers
-
- Figure 4: Agreement with statements related to nutrition, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Eight in 10 think there is conflicting information on healthy eating
-
- Figure 5: Agreement with statements related to healthy eating, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Clean eating perceived as being ‘good for you’
-
- Figure 6: Qualities associated with select diets, NI and RoI, November 2019
The Market – What You Need to Know
-
- Food prices on the rise in the UK but dropping in RoI
- Obesity rates forecast to reach record-breaking highs
- Six in 10 consumers consider their diet as ‘healthy’
- Irish consumers call for an unhealthy food tax
Market Drivers
-
- Food prices rising in the UK, falling in RoI
-
- Figure 7: Consumer Price Index for food and drink (excluding alcoholic beverages), UK, May 2017-Nov 2019
- Figure 8: Consumer Price Index for food, RoI, May 2017-Nov 2019
-
- Figure 9: How consumers rate their current financial situation, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Obesity levels rising in the UK
-
- Figure 10: Overweight and obesity levels in adults aged 16+, NI, 2010/11-2017/18
- Figure 11: Overweight and obesity levels in adults aged 15+, RoI, 2015/16 and 2016/17
- Over half of Irish consumers think their diet is healthy
-
- Figure 12: How consumers rate their eating habits and diet, NI and RoI, November 2019
-
- Figure 13: Consumers who said their eating habits and diet were ‘somewhat healthy’, by social class, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Canada launches updated food guidelines plate which the UK/ Ireland could follow
-
- Figure 14: Canada’s Official Food Guide Plate, Canada, 2019
- Figure 15: Department of Health Eatwell Guide, UK, 2016
-
- Figure 16: Department of Health Food Pyramid, RoI, 2016
- Irish consumers call for an unhealthy food tax
-
- Figure 17: Consumer agreement with the statement ‘I think there should be a tax on all unhealthy foods (eg high fat, high salt)’, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Children’s diets and marketing
-
- Figure 18: New food and drinks products launched positioned for children (aged 5-12), by average sugar, fat and sodium content (grams/ml per 100g/ml)
Who’s Innovating? - What You Need to Know
-
- Increase NPD in reduced sugar claims – low fat claims slow
- Innovation tapping into the ‘clean eating’ trend
- Technology intertwines with health
Who’s Innovating?
-
- Low/no/reduced fat continues to see stronger product activity
-
- Figure 19: Food and drink product launches claiming to be low/ no/ reduced fat, sugar and salt, UK and Ireland, 2015-19
- Yogurts and prepared meals key categories for low fat products
-
- Figure 20: Food and drink product launches claiming to be low/ no/ reduced fat, sugar and salt, UK and Ireland, 2015-19
- Increase in reduced sugar launches
-
- Figure 21: Food and drink product launches claiming to be low/ reduced sugar or sugar free, UK and Ireland, 2015-19
- Figure 22: Consumer response to the question ‘April 2018 saw a levy applied to some fizzy drinks with high levels of sugar. Since then, how has it affected you when buying soft drinks?’, NI and RoI, September 2018
- Salt reduction claims decline between 2017-19
-
- Figure 23: Food and drink product launches claiming to be low/ reduced sugar or sugar free, UK and Ireland, 2015-19
- Clean labelling continues to gather momentum
-
- Figure 24: Food and drink product launches with natural/ clean label claims, UK and Ireland, 2015-19
- Using apps to track diet and eat ‘clean’
- Highlighting the suspect ingredients
- Wearable tech could monitor intake
- Gut health set to see more developments in 2020
-
- Figure 25: Food and drink product launches with digestive health and probiotic claims, UK and Ireland, 2015-19
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
-
- Over a third of Irish consumers describe themselves as ‘average build’
- Sugar remains top concern in food and drink
- A doctor is the most used healthy eating advice source
- Nutrition is important for Irish consumers
- Diet more important than exercise
- Clean eating perceived as being ‘good for you’
Body Type and Weight
-
- RoI consumers more likely to see themselves as ‘average build’
-
- Figure 26: How consumers describe their current body type/weight, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Fewer consumers classifying themselves as overweight/obese compared to 2016
-
- Figure 27: How consumers describe their current body type/weight, NI and RoI, August 2016-November 2019
- Younger consumers more likely to view their build as average
-
- Figure 28: Consumers who describe themselves as ‘average build’, by age, NI an RoI, November 2019
- Figure 29: Consumers who describe themselves as ‘overweight’, by age, NI an RoI, November 2019
Concerns in Food and Drink
-
- Sugar is the biggest concern in food and drink
-
- Figure 30: Ingredients in food and drink products consumers are concerned about, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Sugar is an important concern for older consumers
-
- Figure 31: Consumers who are concerned about sugar in food and drink products, by age, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Fat content remains a concern
-
- Figure 32: Consumers who are concerned about saturated fat and overall fat content in food and drink products, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Calories and carbs are a concern for full-timers
-
- Figure 33: Consumers who are concerned about sugar in food and drink products, by age, NI and RoI, November 2019
Health Advice Channels
-
- Irish consumers use the doctor for healthy eating advice
-
- Figure 34: Channels consumers have used to get advice on for healthy eating, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Men more inclined to see a doctor
-
- Figure 35: Consumers who sought health advice from a doctor, by gender, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Online forums are the second most popular health advice channel
-
- Figure 36: Consumers who sought health advice from an online forum (Eg UK Health Forum), by residence, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Younger consumers seek out fitness professionals for advice
-
- Figure 37: Consumers who sought health advice from a fitness professional (eg personal trainer), by age, NI and RoI, November 2019
Attitudes towards Nutrition
-
- Nutrition is confusing to half of Irish consumers
-
- Figure 38: Agreement with statements related to nutrition, NI and RoI, November 2019
-
- Figure 39: Proposed Nutri-Score system, Europe, 2019
- Nutrition is more important to affluent consumers
-
- Figure 40: Consumer agreement with the statement ‘I am more concerned with the nutritional benefits of food than the calorie content’, by social class, NI and RoI, November 2019
-
- Figure 41: Consumer agreement with the statement ‘I would pay more for highly nutritious food’, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Gut health positioning shows potential
-
- Figure 42: Consumer agreement with the statement ‘I actively take steps to look after my gut health’, by age, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Figure 43: New products launched in food and non-alcoholic drinks with gut health* claims, UK and Ireland, 2015-19
Attitudes towards Healthy Eating
-
- Too much conflicting information on what constitutes a healthy diet
-
- Figure 44: Agreement with statements related to healthy eating, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Nine in 10 over-55s know what a healthy diet is
-
- Figure 45: Consumer agreement with the statement ‘I think I have a good idea of what a healthy diet is’ by age, NI and RoI, November 2019
-
- Figure 46: Percentage of population obese and overweight, RoI, 2019
- Full-time consumers more likely to not have time to meal prep
-
- Figure 47: Consumer disagreement with the statement ‘I prepare healthy meals every day’, by work status, NI and RoI, November 2019
Qualities Associated with Diets
-
- Plant-based diets viewed as ‘green’ and ‘trendy’
-
- Figure 48: Associations with plant-based (ie vegan) diets, NI and RoI, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Clean eating associated with being ‘good for you’
-
- Figure 49: Associations with ‘clean eating’ (ie unprocessed, natural foods, no additives or preservatives), NI and RoI, November 2019
- Gluten-free diets perceived as expensive
-
- Figure 50: Associations with gluten-free diets, NI and RoI, November 2019
- Calorie-controlled ideal for weight management
-
- Figure 51: Associations with calorie-controlled diets, NI and RoI, November 2019
- High protein diet seen as energy boosting
-
- Figure 52: Associations with high protein diets, NI and RoI, November 2019
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
-
- Data sources
- Generational cohort definitions
- Abbreviations
Back to top