Trends In Protein Intake: Attitudes And Behaviors

Published by: Datamonitor

Published: Feb. 12, 2009 - 27 Pages

Table of Contents

Overview

Catalyst

Summary

Table of Contents

Table of figures

Table of tables

THE FUTURE DECODED

INTRODUCTION: Protein is an important dietary component but is often less prioritized relative to other nutritional details

There is an increasing focus on protein quality and its broadening role in facilitating optimal health

TREND: Vegetarianism and broader health concerns have driven the market for protein alternatives such as soy and a shift in meat consumption

Vegetarians do not form a significant proportion of society, though geographic variations are pronounced

Meat reducers seek to lower their meat consumption to help lead a healthier lifestyle

Soy is a protein-based meat alternative suitable for vegetarians, and its market value is expanding rapidly

Consumer skepticism, particularly surrounding sensory sacrifice, is a core inhibitor to the growth of soy markets

Key takeouts and implications: protein alternatives, especially soy, potentially present profitable opportunities as consumers look for high quality protein sources beyond meat

INSIGHT: Consumers place a lower priority on monitoring protein details relative to other nutritional details but it is an important consideration nonetheless

Research indicates that protein is lower on consumers' 'nutritional radar' than other food properties

Females are more likely to monitor protein consumption than males

Age based variances in the propensity to monitor protein intake are minimal

Protein over-consumption and unhealthy lower quality proteins create potential health problems

Consumer confidence can be shaken by food health scares, such as the melamine milk crisis in China

Key takeouts and implications: consumers' attentiveness towards protein consumption is relatively low

INSIGHT: Satiety enhancing products, for which protein has a potentially important role, are attracting interest among health conscious consumers

The link between protein, satiety and calorie intake is a message that should resonate with consumers

Research has shown that consuming high quality protein sources can lead to wellness-related benefits

The gravitation towards satiety enhancing products has thus far been insignificant

Satiety enhancing formulations have particular relevance for breakfast routines

Consumers are somewhat skeptical about products being able to provide higher levels of satiety

Young adults and females are doing the most to increase their consumption of satiety enhancing products

Key takeouts and implications: there is a gap in the market for protein-based formulations to play a pivotal role in breakfast consumption

INSIGHT: Different demographics and lifestyle groups consume vastly different levels of protein

Protein is even more essential for older consumers but many are struggling to intake the required amounts

Physically active individuals are more likely to monitor their protein intake

Key takeouts and implications: protein is important for differing consumer groups for varying reasons

INSIGHT: Protein focused products are growing, but innovation is still relatively sparse

Offering 'convenient health' is a compelling innovation platform

Myriad functional drinks, snack-bars and similar products are delivering convenient health

Products claiming to be high in protein are very US-centric

Products which tout satiety benefits are slowly emerging in the market

Soy launch numbers have remained consistent in the high protein market in the past few years

Functional beverages can be fortified with whey protein to give consumers a healthy boost

The amino acid and peptide components that make up proteins are also of growing interest

Key takeouts and implications: protein in convenience drinks provides consumers with health-boosting opportunities

ACTION POINTS

ACTION: Use protein based formulations to target the breakfast occasion and to offer 'performance nutrition' and 'weight management' benefits to consumers

Incorporate genuine high quality protein into formulations in recognition that the nutritional specifics matter to health conscious consumers

Use protein and fiber rich formulations to capitalize on consumers' increasing desire for 'appetite control' and 'weight management' benefits

Link protein-rich formulations with 'performance nutrition'

Promote protein as 'the next big thing' in breakfast choices

Capitalize on other functional trends by emphasizing the broad benefits of protein

ACTION: Capitalize on the 'healthy halo' surrounding soy and whey protein

Encourage first-time consumption by taking active steps to remove negative stigmas regarding soy's taste

Be aware that attempts to 'downplay' the presence of soy may serve to confuse consumers

Continue to develop compounds which create soy goods that are both nutritious and great-tasting

Pursue opportunities for more expansive distribution of soy and whey-based products

Develop protein alternatives for allergy sufferers

APPENDIX

Supplementary data

Definitions

Methodology

Further reading and references

Ask the analyst

Datamonitor consulting

Disclaimer

List of Tables

Table 1: Vegetarian inhabitants in western Europe, Australia and the US (millions and % of population), by country, 2007

Table 2: Meat-reducers (millions) in western Europe, the US and Australia, by country, 2002-12

Table 3: Market value of soy dairy products in Europe, the US, Russia and Brazil ($ millions), by country, 2002-12

Table 4: Market value of soy dairy products in the Asia Pacific region ($ millions), by country, 2002-12

Table 5: Market value of soy milk in Europe, the US, Russia and Brazil ($ millions), by country, 2002-12

Table 6: Market value of soy milk in the Asia Pacific region ($ millions), by country, 2002-12

Table 7: Market value of soy drinks in Europe, the US, Russia and Brazil ($ millions), by country, 2002-12

Table 8: Market value of soy drinks in the Asia Pacific region ($ millions), by country, 2002-12

Table 9: Market value of soy desserts in Europe, the US, Russia and Brazil ($ millions), by country, 2002-12

Table 10: Market value of soy desserts in the Asia Pacific region ($ millions), by country, 2002-12

Table 11: Market value of soya oil in Europe, the US, Russia and Brazil ($ millions), by country, 2002-12

Table 12: Market value of soya oil in the Asia Pacific region ($ millions), by country, 2002-12

Table 13: The sensory attributes of various whey/milk/ soy compounds, as rated on the 'hedonic scale'

Table 14: Consumer survey: attention given towards the amount and types of protein in one's diet, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, by country

Table 15: Consumer survey: the importance that individuals attach to diet and nutrition in creating a feeling of wellbeing or wellness, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, by country and gender, 2008

Table 16: Consumer survey: the influence of health in directing food and beverage choices, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, by country and gender, by country, 2008

Table 17: Consumer survey: attention given towards the amount and types of protein in one's diet, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, by gender

Table 18: Consumer survey: proportion of US consumers checking the nutrition facts panel for protein information, by age and gender

Table 19: Consumer survey: the amount of attention given to the number of calories consumed on a day-to-day basis, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, 2008

Table 20: Consumer survey: the propensity to chose food and beverages providing higher levels of satiety to help reduce hunger, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US

Table 21: Consumer survey: trust in food and beverage products claiming to provide higher levels of satiety, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, by country

Table 22: Consumer survey: trust in food and beverage products claiming to provide higher levels of satiety and help reduce feelings of hunger after eating, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, by gender and country

Table 23: Consumer survey: the propensity to chose food and beverages providing higher levels of satiety, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, by gender and country

Table 24: Consumer survey: the importance that consumer place on exercising or physical fitness, in 15 markets across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, by country

Table 25: Average per capita time spent doing exercise and physical activity per day (minutes), Europe, US and Asia Pacific, by country, 2002-12

Table 26: Average per capita time spent exercising per day (minutes), by gender, in Europe, US and Asia Pacific, by country, 2002-12

Table 27: Consumer survey: the importance consumers place on supplementing their diet with dietary supplements, in western Europe and the US, by country, 2006

Table 28: Consumer survey: the extent to which consumers have used dietary supplements over the past six months, in 15 countries in Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, by country

Table 29: Consumer survey: the propensity to chose food and beverages which are both convenient and healthy, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, by country

Table 30: Consumer survey: the propensity to chose food and beverages which are both convenient and healthy, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, by country and gender

Table 31: Percentage of high-protein food and beverage product launches, by country, 2002-08

Table 32: Innvative product launches as a percentage of total high-protein product launches, 2002-08

Table 33: So-based product launches as a percentage of total high-protein product launches, 2002-08

Table 34: Market value of functional drinks in Europe, the US, Russia and Brazil ($ millions), by country, 2002-12

Table 35: Market value of functional drinks in the Asia Pacific region ($ millions), by country, 2002-12

Table 36: Table of definitions

List of Figures

Figure 1: Protein consumption remains a complicated issue for consumers

Figure 2: In western Europe, vegetarians are most prevalent in Germany, Great Britain and Italy when expressed as a percentage of total population

Figure 3: Australian consumers, as a percentage of the population, are the most proactive in trying to reduce their meat intake

Figure 4: Consumers who are conscious about health are more likely to spend more on soy products

Figure 5: Around half of US consumers are aware of soy protein's health associations although far fewer are actively consuming products touting soy credentials

Figure 6: US consumers favor dinnertime as their preferred occasion for soy consumption

Figure 7: Consumers in Germany have responded far more positively to soy dairy products than in any other country across Europe, the US, Russia and Brazil

Figure 8: The strongest growth potential for soy dairy products in the Asia Pacific region is in Australia

Figure 9: Sensory benefits heavily influence consumer choices which is why it is vital that industry players maintain an ongoing focus on improving the sensory credentials of soy-based formulations

Figure 10: The website for Adez, a soy-based beverage which was withdrawn from the UK market, attempts to educate consumers about the health credentials of soy-protein

Figure 11: Consumers are most attentive to fat and eating from a diverse range of foods

Figure 12: There are a number of details on food labels that consumers look for ahead of protein content

Figure 13: In most countries, particularly in Europe, the US and Australia, a high degree of polarization exists between those consumers who are attentive to protein intake and those who are carefree

Figure 14: Women are more interested in food label information than men

Figure 15: Consumers pay more attention to fat, sugar and carbohydrate intake than they do to protein

Figure 16: The importance placed on protein intake is similar across age cohorts

Figure 17: In Europe, Italian and French consumers are the most calorie conscious

Figure 18: The efforts being to eat more satiety enhancing food and beverages are well short of broader efforts being take to eat more healthily in general

Figure 19: The increased adoption of satiety enhancing food and beverages ranks low when compared to other dietary changes being made by consumers

Figure 20: Being able to increase their physical activity is the primary motivator for breakfast consumers

Figure 21: Low levels of trust in food and beverage products claiming to provide higher levels of satiety reflect skepticism shown towards food and beverage product health claims more generally

Figure 22: Satiety claims do not resonate with skeptical older consumers as much as younger ones

Figure 23: Females are embracing the satiety enhancing trend more than males in all countries

Figure 24: Younger consumers are most likely to be making attempts to increase their consumption of products offering satiety benefits

Figure 25: Physically active individuals are more likely to monitor their protein intake but weight consciousness does not have a notable impact

Figure 26: US consumers do not readily associate protein consumption with weight gain, especially when compared to fats and carbohydrates

Figure 27: Sports nutrition consumers can be divided into four groups

Figure 28: Supplements high in protein are aimed at athletes looking to bulk up using consumption

Figure 29: US consumers place the highest importance on dietary supplements as part of a healthy diet

Figure 30: Protein waters and convenience drinks provide consumers with easy ways to boost their health

Figure 31: The number of high-protein product launches has doubled in the period 2002-08

Figure 32: The number of innovative products launched in the market has declined since 2002

Figure 33: There have been a plethora of high protein products recently launched containing soy

Figure 34: Whey protein can be incorporated into a myriad of health, snack and diet foods and beverages

Figure 35: Peptide components of proteins are highly-targeted and are useful in a number of different areas

Figure 36: Communicating protein quantity and quality is increasingly important as consumers become more specific in their nutritional requirements

Figure 37: Satiety enhancing products reflect the evolution of dieting from 'weight loss' to 'weight control' and the changing direction of protein based formulations

Figure 38: Jenny Craig signed an exclusive license agreement for the worldwide rights to use the 'Volumetrics' approach in 2008

Figure 39: Consumers have different 'performance nutrition' requirements according to the extent to which they exercise

Figure 40: More personalized protein-based formulations are emerging in 'performance nutrition' as well as differing formats that will potentially enhance the appeal for Recreational and Lifestyle users

Figure 41: Several breakfast products available in the US give consumers a 'protein boost'

Figure 42: These consumer needs offer opportunities for targeted food and beverage solutions

Figure 43: Vitasoy communicates the broader health benefits associated with soy through the company website while many other products are communicating diverse benefits of protein-based formulations

Figure 44: Silk Soymilk is adopting 'persuasive marketing' tactics to induce consumer trial

Abstract

• Detailed insights and analysis documenting the drivers and inhibitors of protein consumption
• Countries covered: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, UK, US, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Brazil and Russia
• Analysis documenting the relative importance consumers place on protein consumption and how this varies by socio-demographics
• Strategic conclusions combined with actionable recommendations for all industry players

• Obtain a detailed understanding of consumer attitudes and behaviors towards increasing consumption of proteins
• Find inspiration for innovative formulations and product positioning which takes advantage of consumers' evolving preferences
• Access quantitative and qualitative insight illustrating consumer attitudes, actual consumption and best-practice marketing across the globe

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