Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Products covered in this Report
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Obesity continues to edge upwards
- Sugar intake remains far too high
- Government outlines its plan to tackle childhood obesity
- Companies and brands
- Brands look to relevant ambassadors to drive links with strength
- The upward trend in L/N/R sugar NPD continues
- The rise of the humble vegetable
- Emotional empowerment replaces weight loss messages
- The consumer
- Healthy eating is becoming more widespread
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- Figure 1: How often consumers try to eat healthily, November 2015 and November 2016
- Health trumps weight management as a reason to eat healthily
- The “feel-good factor” is also a major incentive
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- Figure 2: Reasons for eating healthily, November 2016
- Sugar is top concern
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- Figure 3: Perceptions of personal intake of foods and macronutrients, November 2016
- A balanced diet is the holy grail of healthy eating
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- Figure 4: Uptake of and interest in selected health-related eating habits, November 2016
- High demand for superfoods continues
- Powerful influence of social media on healthy eating trends
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- Figure 5: Attitudes towards healthy eating, November 2016
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- In the crowded ‘superfood’ space, innovation has to deliver on all-round healthiness
- The facts
- The implications
- The natural and health-boosting credentials of plant proteins makes these a winning formula for NPD
- The facts
- The implications
- Companies that are able to quickly react to health trends on social media have a distinct advantage
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Obesity continues to edge upwards
- Sugar intake remains far too high
- Government outlines its plan to tackle childhood obesity
- Mixed messages on carbohydrates and fat
Market Drivers
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- Obesity continues to edge upwards…
- …putting mounting pressure on the already stretched NHS
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- Figure 6: Trends in body mass index (BMI), England, 1996-2015
- Childhood obesity still creeping up
- Despite a reduction among children, sugar intake remains far too high
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- Figure 7: Average daily intake of (non-milk extrinsic) sugars as a proportion of total food energy, by age group, with recommendations shown, 2012-14
- Government outlines its plan to tackle childhood obesity…
- …but is criticised as watered down and not tough enough
- New Change4Life app targets parents’ health concerns
- The five-a-day target is not coming to fruition
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- Figure 8: Average daily intake of fruit and vegetables and proportion of people achieving five-a-day, 2012-14
- …with cost a barrier
- Carbohydrates and fat are the subjects of a high-profile health debate
- Carbs in the firing line in controversial report
- Updated Eatwell Guide includes more fruit, veg and starchy carbohydrates
- Sainsbury’s aims to boost vegetable consumption
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- The upward trend in L/N/R sugar NPD continues
- The rise of the humble vegetable
- Emotional empowerment replaces weight loss messages
- Brands look to relevant ambassadors to drive links with strength
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- The upward trend in L/N/R sugar NPD continues…
- …but L/N/R fat and slimming claims slump
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- Figure 9: Share of new product launches with slimming and minus claims in the overall UK food market, by claim, 2012-16
- Ongoing rise in high-fibre and -protein claims
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- Figure 10: Share of new product launches with plus claims in the overall UK food market, by claim, 2012-16
- Warburtons unveils four-strong range of added-protein products
- Premier Foods taps into protein
- The rise of the humble vegetable
- Making vegetables the stars of the show
- Faux carbs take off in a big way
- Vegetables moving into meat products to tap flexitarianism
- Veg appearing in sweet categories
- Products harnessing the positive associations of plants
- Mars Food rolls out ‘occasional’ and ‘everyday’ labels
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Emotional empowerment replaces weight loss messages
- Special K’s #StrengthIs campaign
- A cautionary tale from Diet Chef
- New ‘strong not skinny’ adage harnessed in advertising
- New Olympians take over from Mo in Quorn advertising
- Activia reveals new “Live InSync” tagline
- Arla aims to open up protein to everyone
- Social media star Joe Wicks backs brands
- Guilt-free messages still going strong for some brands
- Debut TV advert for Fibre One
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Healthy eating is becoming more widespread
- Health trumps weight management as a reason to eat healthily
- The “feel-good factor” is also a major incentive
- Sugar is top concern
- A balanced diet is the holy grail of healthy eating
- High demand for superfoods continues
- Powerful influence of social media on healthy eating trends
Healthy Eating Intentions
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- Healthy eating is becoming more widespread
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- Figure 11: How often consumers try to eat healthily, November 2015 and November 2016
- Healthy eating intentions peak among women, over-55s and ABs
- Consumers’ finances play a role in healthy eating habits
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- Figure 12: Consumers trying to eat healthily all/most of the time, by gender, age and socio-economic group, November 2016
Reasons for Eating Healthily
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- Health trumps weight management as a reason to eat healthily
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- Figure 13: Reasons for eating healthily, November 2016
- The “feel-good factor” is a major incentive
- The link to energy provision is a big plus for healthy eating
- Links between healthy diet and appearance also chime most among 16-24s
Perceptions of Personal Intake of Foods and Macronutrients
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- Sugar is top concern
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- Figure 14: Perceptions of personal intake of foods and macronutrients, November 2016
- A sizeable minority of adults not getting enough fruit and veg
- Concerns over a lack of ‘good’ fats and fibre
Uptake of and Interest in Selected Health-Related Eating Habits
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- A balanced diet is the holy grail of healthy eating
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- Figure 15: Uptake of and interest in selected health-related eating habits, November 2016
- Less of the ‘real thing’ preferred by many to ‘diet’ versions
- Do people need more help in achieving the right balance?
- Widespread appeal of plant proteins
- Scope for plant proteins to inject goodness to carb-heavy categories
- Demand for naturalness evolves
- Raw food
- ‘Clean eating’
Attitudes towards Healthy Eating
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- High demand for superfoods continues…
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- Figure 16: Attitudes towards healthy eating, November 2016
- ….but these ingredients are not a guaranteed win for manufacturers
- Consumers are switched onto the potential for spices to boost health
- Powerful influence of social media on healthy eating trends…
- Social media forges a role as source of information…
- …as source of inspiration…
- …and of controversy
- Social media has heralded a new wave of influencers
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- Figure 17: Selected attitudes towards healthy eating, by age, November 2016
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
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