Food Nutrients and Ingredients: Attitudinal and Behavioral Trends in the Americas

Published by: Datamonitor

Published: Dec. 9, 2009

Table of Contents

Overview

Catalyst

Summary

Table of Contents

Table of figures

THE FUTURE DECODED

INTRODUCTION: The nutritional specifics are becoming more important to US and Brazilian consumers as they become more attentive to their wider health through dietary intake

TREND: Consumers in the Americas are highly conscious of dietary issues and this translates into a growing attentiveness towards, and concern about, specific ingredients

Health and nutrition is a top-of-mind consideration for US and Brazilian consumers which partially explains the high levels of satisfaction expressed about their general health and diet

There appears to be considerable room for the Americas' healthy food and beverage market to grow

A growing appetite for health information has emerged as consumers take interest in the formulation specifics

Key takeouts and implications: the deepening link between diet and wellness in the mind of consumers on North and South America is important for the ongoing popularization of 'better-for-you' food and beverages

INSIGHT: Portion and calorie control are often at the forefront of consumers' efforts to be disciplined in their dietary choices

Portion control is more commonly embraced by most US and Brazilian consumers than following a specific diet plan

Calories have become an important measurement against which consumers make food and drink decisions

Key takeouts and implications: Brazilians are more scrutinizing of their caloric intake than US consumers but this behavior is expected to become more prominent across the Americas as consumers shun strict diet plans

INSIGHT: Reducing fat intake is the most important and frequently practiced dietary approach by consumers in the Americas

US and Brazilian consumers attach high importance to the type of fat and how much fat they consume

Low or reduced fat claims exert a significant degree of influence over US and Brazilian food and beverage choice, but the proportion of products making such claims has remained stable

Key takeouts and implications: reduced fat foods are generally considered to improve the healthiness of the diet, help control weight and benefit physical wellbeing generally

INSIGHT: Consumers in the Americas are becoming wary about over-consumption of salt

Brazilians attach above average importance to reducing salt intake

Brazilians are most likely to be influenced by low or reduced salt claims, while NPD data shows considerable room for growth in low/no salt/sodium claims

Key takeouts and implications: consumers in the Americas are becoming wary about over-consumption of salt, but not to the extent that many health professionals would like

INSIGHT: Desires to reduce or modify sugar intake are intensifying in the Americas

Sugar intake has an elevated level of importance among Brazilian consumers

Low or reduced sugar claims exert a significant degree of influence over US and Brazilians' food and beverage choice and represent a relatively significant innovation theme in non-alcoholic beverages

Key takeouts and implications: the influence of sugar based claims will prove to be a spur for formulation innovation, particularly with low-calorie sweeteners gaining traction

INSIGHT: Carbohydrate concerns are generally lower on consumers' agenda

US and Brazilian consumers attach comparably less importance to reducing their carbohydrate intake and are therefore less attentive to monitoring carbs

Key takeouts and implications: consumers' focus will increasingly be about consuming the 'right carbs' rather that reducing carbohydrate intake

INSIGHT: Food additives and processed food are of high concern for the vast majority of US and Brazilian consumers who are increasingly conscious and influenced by fresh claims

Brazilians and US consumer perceive they are just as influenced by 'no additive' claims than they are attentive to such aspects of food and beverage formulation

Consistent with stated concerns about food additives, US and Brazilian consumers are making significant attempts to consume fresh food and some attempt to limit processed food consumption

Key takeouts and implications: the presence of additives in food, an issue increasingly highlighted by the media, has been shown to be of concern to consumers and exacerbates interest in natural and fresh alternatives

INSIGHT: Sensory-driven consumers intensify the need for advancements in formulation technologies that facilitate the development of healthier indulgences

Research continually demonstrates that more consumers choose food and beverages on the basis of sensory appeal than health considerations

Consumer skepticism about health and nutritional claims is another important issue for food and beverage producers

Key takeouts and implications: despite North and south American consumers making active attempts to eat more healthily, they will generally not compromise sensory benefits for nutrition benefits

INSIGHT: Concerns surrounding food and ingredient integrity have intensified consumers' focus on food sourcing while 'free-from' foods also remain a growth niche

Consumer concerns about the integrity of 'foreign' ingredients has intensified 'locavorism'

Allergen and intolerance concerns have fueled the growth of 'free-from' food an beverages

Key takeouts and implications: allergen and intolerance concerns and product locality also influence the moderation and avoidance behaviors of consumers

INSIGHT: Today's health-conscious consumers want to derive the maximum nutritional value from the food and drinks they already enjoy

Consumers are becoming more interested in hearing positive messages about food choices and food ingredients

Key takeouts and implications: contemporary dietary patterns are guided by three important themes: exclusion, moderation and enhancement

ACTION POINTS

ACTION: Adopt a proactive stance towards health-driven product reformulation to satisfy both consumer and pressure group scrutiny

Adopt a three-tiered approach to food and drink innovation which is focused on health

Focus on formulation simplification both in ingredients and product communication

Use Datamonitor's Product Launch Analytics (PLA) database to stay abreast of the most prominent product formulation trends both in and outside of your category

Listen to customer conversation to help with product formulation decision making

ACTION: Actively communicate a commitment to 'better' product formulation

Responsibly utilize wider public health campaigns to promote products and act as a catalyst for innovation

Set tangible goals to demonstrate your commitment to public health through better nutrition

Adopt a more holistic approach thereby ensuring that 'free-from' foods stand up to scrutiny in other aspects of formulation

Use leading/flagship brands to add additional weight behind reformulation efforts

Retailers should actively use private label ranges to demonstrate their commitment to meeting consumers' nutritional concerns with healthier products

Develop 'better-for-you' products that facilitate a more compelling positive health or sensory message

Stay abreast of the new information tools empowering consumers to make informed judgments about the nutritional profile of products

ACTION: Develop a broad range of enhanced food and beverage products offering antidotes to the myriad health problems facing consumers

Provide positive nutrition based products for specific demographic groups

APPENDIX

Methodology

Further reading and references

Ask the analyst

Datamonitor consulting

Disclaimer

List of Figures

Figure 1: US and Brazilian consumers consider diet and nutrition to be highly important to their wellbeing

Figure 2: To capitalize on the growing interest in health and wellbeing, industry players must consider a wide array of lifestyle issues to truly be 'in-touch' with consumers

Figure 3: Improving health has become more important to US and Brazilian consumers in recent years and this is generally reflected by the high prevalence of conscious attempts made to eat healthily

Figure 4: Most consumers shift between periods of healthy and indulgent consumption in a 'debits-credits' approach to eating and drinking

Figure 5: Orthorexia Nervosa is a condition that reflects the 'food stress' that results from the intense interest in healthy eating

Figure 6: In what can be termed as an 'optimistic bias', US and Brazilian consumers are generally satisfied with both their general health and the nutritional quality of their diet

Figure 7: A significantly higher proportion of Brazilian consumers than average are actively buying products designed to improve their health

Figure 8: While US and Brazilian consumers are generally interested in reading or hearing about the relationship between food and health, many also feel that food and health information is confusing and conflicting

Figure 9: US consumers differ from the global average in that their stated interest in food label information is slightly lower than the frequency with which they use such information

Figure 10: Portion control is more commonly embraced by consumers in the Americas than following a specific diet plan

Figure 11: Brazilians are particularly attentive to the portion size of meals and snacks they consume

Figure 12: Calorie intake in the US is higher than elsewhere in the world

Figure 13: Over three quarters of US consumers deem calorie control to be an important dietary approach

Figure 14: Low or reduced calorie claims have a high perceived influence on the food and beverage choices of Brazilian consumers

Figure 15: Low/no calorie food launches have accounted for less than 10% of all food products launched in North America over the last five years

Figure 16: Low/no calorie food launches have been slightly less popular in South & Central America than North America over the last five years

Figure 17: Low/no calorie non-alcoholic beverages have become more prominent in North America recent years, accounting for over a quarter of all product launches

Figure 18: Low/no calorie non-alcoholic beverages in South and Central America account for a small proportion of launches

Figure 19: Fat content is an important information component Americans use the Nutrition Facts panel for

Figure 20: In what represents an evolution in nutritional awareness, there is not a marked difference in US and Brazilian' stated attentiveness to the amount fat consumed and the types consumed

Figure 21: A notably higher than average proportion of Brazilians perceive that 'low' or 'reduced' fat claims highly influences their food and beverage choices

Figure 22: The proportion of new food products in North America making low fat claims has remained steady since 2005

Figure 23: The proportion of new food products in South & Central America making low fat claims is rising

Figure 24: Low/no fat product claims in newly introduced non-alcoholic beverages in North America are infrequent

Figure 25: Low/no fat product claims in newly introduced non-alcoholic beverages are rare but slowly rising in South & Central America

Figure 26: A substantial 70% of American consumers perceive reducing salt intake to be an important dietary approach

Figure 27: Brazilian consumers are the most attentive to the amount of salt/sodium they consume

Figure 28: Brazilians are more likely than US consumers to be influenced by 'low' or 'reduced' salt claims

Figure 29: Low/no salt/sodium claims account only 4% of all food products launched in North America

Figure 30: Low or no salt claims only make up 2% of food launches in South & Central America

Figure 31: Low/no salt/sodium claims are rare in North American non-alcoholic beverages product launches

Figure 32: Low salt claims remain unpopular in South & Central American non-alcoholic drink launches

Figure 33: US consumers get a greater share of their energy from sugar & sweetener consumption than Brazilians

Figure 34: Attitudinally, the majority of US consumers deem sugar intake to be an important dietary approach

Figure 35: Brazilians are very attentive to sugar consumption when compared to both US consumers and the wider global sentiment

Figure 36: Reducing sugar intake is important to many Brazilian consumers

Figure 37: A peak in North American low/no sugar food product launches occurred in 2007

Figure 38: No/low sugar claims have been steadily rising in South & Central America food launches, reaching a peak in 2008

Figure 39: Around a quarter of newly introduced non-alcoholic beverages in North America makes a low/no sugar claim

Figure 40: Low/no sugar non alcoholic beverages have grown from just 1% of launches in 2004, to 12% in 2009 in South & Central America

Figure 41: Sugar-free gum in North America is outgrowing regular gum buy a significant margin and this is expected to continue going forward

Figure 42: Sugar-free chewing gum is forecast to continue to be more popular than regular gum in South & Central America

Figure 43: In North America, diet cola has retained a more consistent value than standard cola

Figure 44: Standard cola is growing more strongly than diet cola in South & Central America

Figure 45: Over half of US consumers consider reducing carbohydrate intake to be an important dietary approach

Figure 46: US consumers are equally attentive to both the amount and types of carbohydrates they consume while this is far less apparent among Brazilians

Figure 47: The glycemic index is not highly utilized by US consumers in what is a reflection of low awareness and consumers' dietary priorities focusing on other food components and dietary issues

Figure 48: Brazilians are highly influenced by low carbohydrate claims compared to US consumers

Figure 49: Low/no carbohydrate food product launches in North America peaked in 2005, at the height of the low-carb dietary fad

Figure 50: Low/no carbohydrate food product launches in South & Central America have been rare

Figure 51: Low/no carbohydrate non-alcoholic beverages have been falling in North America since they peaked in 2005

Figure 52: Low/no carbohydrate non-alcoholic beverages have been almost non-existent in South & Central America

Figure 53: Food additives are a particularly sensitive issue for Brazilian consumers

Figure 54: Consistent with their stated attentiveness to food additives, Brazilians made more concerted efforts to choose additive free food and beverages in 2008 than US consumers

Figure 55: The healthy halo of freshness (and desire to increase fruit and vegetable intake) is reflected by the stated desire of US consumers and Brazilians to consume as much fresh food as possible

Figure 56: The healthy halo of freshness is also reflected by the very high perceived influence fresh claims have on US and Brazilian consumers' food and beverage choices

Figure 57: Around one in six new food products introduced in North America are making no additive claims

Figure 58: No additive claims are becoming more popular in new food launches in South & Central America

Figure 59: 2008 was a record year for additive free non-alcoholic beverage product claims in North America

Figure 60: Additive free non-alcoholic beverage product claims are still fairly uncommon in South & Central America

Figure 61: Taste has the greatest influence of consumers' purchasing decisions in the US

Figure 62: Sensory benefits are more important in directing US and Brazilians' dietary choices than health

Figure 63: A significant proportion of Americans believe that healthy food and beverages can actually be tasty and enjoyable

Figure 64: Considerable skepticism is apparent among US and Brazilian consumers regarding the stated health and nutrition benefits of food and beverage products

Figure 65: There is ambivalence among Americans about whether enough efforts are made to ensure safe provision of food and beverage products at the grocery store

Figure 66: Trust in foreign products and ingredients is low among Americans

Figure 67: Brazilians place substantial importance on knowing where their groceries are sourced from

Figure 68: Origin and production methods influence Brazilians more than other US consumers

Figure 69: Food and beverage allergy or intolerance concerns are apparent for around 40% of US consumers

Figure 70: Marked differences characterize food allergens and intolerances although a large segment of consumers do not recognize this

Figure 71: Food intolerances are of higher concern to Brazilians than US consumers

Figure 72: Allergen free claims are deemed particularly influential in what Brazilians eat and drink

Figure 73: Food and beverage formulations need to cater for the more positive nutritional messages consumers are tying to embrace, particularly via growing functional food consumption

Figure 74: A continuum of healthy eating has emerged based on principles of dietary exclusion, moderation and enhancement

Figure 75: Private labels can benefit by adapting to consumer needs for healthy and indulgent products

Figure 76: Consumers shift between periods of healthy and indulgent consumption needs to be catered for with a three-tiered approach to food and drink innovation

Figure 77: The new Haagen-Dazs 'five' brand reflects a focus on formulation simplification both in ingredients and communication

Figure 78: The top 10 claims/tags of newly introduced products food and non-alcoholic beverages in the Americas highlights the differing formulations required to satisfy consumers' broad dietary habits

Figure 79: Unilever is seeking to engage and educate consumers about important nutritional component-based information via the Big Fat Truth campaign

Figure 80: Brands that have been relaunched with healthier formulations include Alpha Bits, EarthGrains and Kit Kat

Figure 81: These consumer needs offer opportunities for targeted food and beverage solutions

Abstract

• A snapshot of the importance that consumers in the Americas attach to diet and nutrition, and its impact on food buying habits such as label usage
• Analysis of the major food components such as fats, and regional consumers' efforts to exclude, moderate or enhance such elements in their diets
• Covers other pertinent food issues impacting the propensity to consume such as consumer trust, product origin, and food allergens/intolerances
• Covers food and non-alcoholic beverages. Analysis focuses on US, Brazilian and, to a lesser extent, Canadian consumers

• Understand consumer attitudes and bevaviors regarding the most pertinent macronutrients to help inform product formulation and communication tactics
• Gain deep insight into the changing dietary behaviors of consumers in these highly important and diverse regions
• Access data from two waves of primary research to increase the likelihood of being 'on-trend' with NPD and marketing plans in the Americas region

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