Attitudes towards Healthy Eating - UK - February 2019

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Products covered in this Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
65% of UK adults are overweight or obese
Figure 1: Trends in body mass index (BMI), England, 1997-2017
Soft Drinks Sugar Levy comes into effect
Majority of sweet food categories fail to meet the sugar reduction targets
Improved disposable incomes could offer a boost to healthy eating
Companies and brands
L/N/R sugar claims gain ground rapidly over 2014-16
High/added-protein claims continue to grow
The consumer
Six in 10 adults try to eat healthily most or all of the time
Figure 2: How often consumers try to eat healthily, 2016-18
Friends and family are the main source of advice on healthy eating
Figure 3: Sources used for advice on healthy eating, November 2018
Scratch cooking is seen as interlinked with eating healthily
Gut health is valued by many
Figure 4: Attitudes towards healthy eating, November 2018
Five-a-day is the most widely adopted healthy eating behaviour
Figure 5: Uptake of selected healthy eating behaviours, November 2018
Calorie-controlled diet is the most widely associated with weight management
Figure 6: Qualities associated with diets – Correspondence analysis, November 2018
What we think
ISSUES AND INSIGHTS
Focus on gut health should help to boost people’s nutritional intake
The facts
The implications
In-store guidance is key to encouraging healthy eating
The facts
The implications
More straightforward and tangible messages needed for public health campaigns
The facts
The implications
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
65% of UK adults are overweight or obese
Soft Drinks Sugar Levy comes into effect
Majority of sweet food categories fail to meet the sugar reduction targets
Improved disposable incomes could offer a boost to healthy eating
MARKET DRIVERS
65% of UK adults are overweight or obese
Figure 7: Trends in body mass index (BMI), England, 1997-2017
Severe obesity among Year 6 children at its highest ever
Obesity the second-biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking, says Cancer Research
War on sugar continues
UK ‘Sugar Tax’ leads to 11% reduction in soft drinks’ sugar content
Majority of sweet food categories fail to meet the 2018 sugar reduction targets
Figure 8: Change in sugar content per 100g by manufacturers and retailers in selected sweet food product categories, 2016-18
Calls grow for more decisive action to force companies to act on health
Consumer expectations add to the pressure on manufacturers
Children’s sugar consumption found to still be too high
New Change4Life campaign urges parents to swap to less sugary foods
Figure 9: Change4Life Facebook advert advocating food swap, 2018
Change4Life new labelling could boost brands promoted as ‘good choices’
Scientific studies raise doubts over artificial sweeteners’ benefits
‘No compelling evidence’ that sweeteners help with weight loss
University study finds artificial sweeteners to be ‘toxic’ to gut microbes
Food industry falls short of 2017 salt reduction targets
EFSA rules make it difficult for some products to make a low-salt claim
PHE and DHSC task food industry with 20% calorie reduction by 2024
New research highlights the importance of fibre
Less than a third of adults reach the five-a-day targets
Government proposes crackdown on ‘junk food’ promotions
Traffic light labelling gains momentum
Nutritionists issue portion control guidelines to tackle overeating
Improved disposable incomes could offer a boost to healthy eating
Figure 10: CPI vs average weekly earnings, January 2013-October 2018
COMPANIES AND BRANDS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
L/N/R sugar claims gain ground rapidly over 2014-16
High/added-protein claims continue to grow
LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
L/N/R sugar claims gain ground rapidly over 2014-18
Figure 11: Share of new product launches with slimming and minus claims in the UK food market, by claim, 2014-18
Cereal/snack/energy bars lead on L/N/R sugar launches in 2018
Protein ball brand targets the breakfast occasion
Nestlé makes five-a-day claim and features on-trend ingredients
Figure 12: Examples of cereal/snack/energy bars with multiple health claims, 2018
Yogurt, breakfast cereals and sweet spreads step up L/N/R sugar activity
Yogurt brands take various approaches to cutting sugar
Further activity in no-added-sugar non-dairy yogurts
Figure 13: Examples of L/N/R sugar yogurt launches, 2018
Activity in L/N/R sugar breakfast cereals centres mainly on no-added-sugar claims
Weetabix reformulates Weetabix Minis with reduced sugar and added Vitamin B2
Figure 14: Examples of L/N/R sugar breakfast cereals, 2018
Sweet spreads brands explore various sugar alternatives
Leading and smaller brands explore L/N/R sugar and high-protein sweet spreads
Figure 15: Examples of L/N/R sugar sweet spreads, 2018
High/added-protein claims continue to grow
Figure 16: Share of new product launches with plus claims in the UK food market, by claim, 2014-18
Snack bars lead on high-protein launches, but meat substitutes gain the most share
Figure 17: Examples of high/added-protein meat substitute products with on-trend ingredients, 2018
Further activity in pulse/legume-based pastas with protein and fibre claims
Figure 18: Examples of pulse/legume pastas with high-protein and high-fibre claims, 2018
Plant-based protein ketchup arrives in the UK
Figure 19: In the Buff Protein Ketchups, 2018
Fermented foods prove a hotbed of activity in 2018
Kefir enters the mainstream
Figure 20: Examples of kefir products, 2018
Miso gains momentum
Figure 21: Examples of products with miso as an ingredient, 2018
Added vegetables trend continues
Gluten-free brands launch bread products with added vegetables
Figure 22: Examples of gluten-free wraps with added vegetables, 2018
Smaller brands launch vegetable yogurts
Figure 23: Examples of yogurts with vegetable flavours, 2018
Turmeric remains the spice of the moment
Savoury products
Sweet products
Figure 24: Examples of products with turmeric, 2018
START-UPS AND DISRUPTORS CASE STUDIES 
Vita Mojo
Company overview
Mintel analyst view
Product information
Media profile
Social media metrics
Figure 25: Social media metrics for Vita Mojo, February 2019
The brand’s view
Looking to the future
Sol Fuel
Company overview
Mintel analyst view
Product information
Media profile
The brand’s view
Looking to the future
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Six in 10 adults try to eat healthily most or all of the time
Friends and family are the main source of advice on healthy eating
Scratch cooking is seen as interlinked with eating healthily
Gut health is valued by many
Five-a-day is the most widely adopted healthy eating behaviour
Calorie-controlled diet is the most widely associated with weight management
HEALTHY EATING INTENTIONS
Six in 10 adults try to eat healthily most or all of the time
Figure 26: How often consumers try to eat healthily, 2016-18
Men, ABs and higher earners are the most avid healthy eaters
SOURCES USED FOR ADVICE ON HEALTHY EATING
Friends and family are the most commonly used source for advice
Under-25s are the most likely to take advice from friends/family
Figure 27: Sources used for advice on healthy eating, November 2018
More people use TV shows than go to medical professionals for advice
Doctors should use television to ensure their health advice reaches a wider audience
Cookery shows can help to spread healthy eating message
Public health campaigns are underused
Harness the power of peer recommendations to spread the message
Over a third don’t use any sources for healthy eating advice
Figure 28: Repertoire of sources used for advice on healthy eating, November 2018
In-store prompts can help to raise the visibility of healthy eating advice
Over-55s are the least likely to take advice
ATTITUDES TOWARDS HEALTHY EATING
Scratch cooking seen to be interlinked with eating healthily
Figure 29: Attitudes towards healthy eating, November 2018
Supermarkets can use various methods to encourage people to cook healthy meals
Health associations around scratch cooking pose a challenge for prepared meals
Consumer expectations oblige manufacturers to take action
On-pack labelling can help companies to signal their good health credentials
Seven in 10 see gut health as essential to overall health
Consumer views on gut health offer opportunity to boost interest in high-fibre foods
Public health campaigns seen as a good channel for education
Change4Life campaign widely recognised; snacking message not
Figure 30: Selected images from the Change4Life campaign
RESPONSES TO NUTRITIONAL LABELLING
No-added-sugar and five-a-day labels come in for particular attention
Figure 31: Heat map of areas of packaging looked at when shopping for healthy snacks, December 2018
Many pay attention to traffic light labelling
UPTAKE OF HEALTHY EATING BEHAVIOURS
Five-a-day is the most widely adopted healthy eating behaviour
National Diet and Nutrition Surveys find that many miss the five-a-day target
Figure 32: Uptake of selected healthy eating behaviours, November 2018
Recipe suggestions should help to encourage more people to eat five-a-day
Harnessing pester power would help to boost families’ vegetable consumption
Figure 33: Lidl Facebook advert for its Oaklands Fun-size vegetables range
Price promotions help to incentivise fruit and vegetable buying
A quarter of adults have reduced their weekly meat intake
Over-55s are the most likely to avoid artificial sweeteners
One in five under-35s use food/drink tracking apps
Few follow NHS-recommended regimens
QUALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH DIETS
Calorie-controlled diet is the most widely seen as good for weight management…
…but lags behind on overall health perceptions
Figure 34: Qualities associated with diets, November 2018
Companies should not focus solely on calories to appeal to consumers
Young men have particularly positive views of low-carb diets
Figure 35: Café advertising its high-protein, low-carb choices, 2019
Clean eating is widely seen as good for you…
…and scores well on perceptions as highly nutritious…
…but is also seen as expensive, particularly among the less well off
Figure 36: Qualities associated with diets – Correspondence analysis, November 2018
Methodology
Under-25s have the most favourable views of plant-based diets
Negative taste perceptions linger around plant-based diets
Few see plant-based diets as good for the environment
ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE COST OF HEALTHY FOOD
Opinions are divided on whether eating healthily is harder on a budget
Fresh fruit and vegetables are seen as expensive by some
Discounters and own-label seen as helping to make healthy eating more affordable
Consumers note food manufacturers’ actions on health
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Abbreviations
Consumer research methodology
APPENDIX – LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
Figure 37: Share of new product launches in the UK food market with an L/N/R sugar claim, by sub-category, 2014-18 (sorted by 2018)
Figure 38: Share of new product launches in the UK food market with a high/added-protein claim, by sub-category, 2014-18 (sorted by 2018)