About the market:

According to the Department of Health the levels of obesity in the UK are at epidemic levels with 1,000 people a day passing the obesity threshold. In November 2004, the government published the ‘Public Health White Paper’ which was followed by a host of initiatives launched to try to address the obesity epidemic in the UK and control their growing waistlines.

When Mintel last reviewed the market in February 2004, the UK was still in the grip of low-carb dietary regimes with as many as 3 million consumers involved to a varying degree with the Atkins Diet. Despite its initial ups, the Atkins Diet – and low-carb regimes as a whole – suffered as the dieting landscape evolved. The consumer’s drive to conform has played a major part in this. As the low-carb phenomenon peaked and then faded, the consumer herding instinct drove them on to the next up-and-coming dietary habit – GI.

Recognising what dietary trends are merely passing and which are a long-term feature of the food landscape is key to success in this market. In order for the dieting market to continue to grow, it must dovetail with the increased interest in the quality of food and develop in line with the UK’s stronger affinity with food.