Food Nutrients and Ingredients: Attitudinal and Behavioral Trends in Asia Pacific

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 Asia Pacific consumers as they become more attentive to their wider health through dietary intake

TREND: Asia Pacific consumers 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 Asia Pacific consumers which partially explains the high levels of satisfaction expressed about their general health and diet

There appears to be considerable room for the healthy food and beverage market in Asia Pacific 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 Asia Pacific consumers is important for the ongoing popularization of 'better-for-you' food and beverages

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

Asia Pacific consumers are divided in their propensity to embrace a more disciplined diet

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

Key takeouts and implications: it still only a minority of Asia-Pacific consumers who are scrutinizing their caloric intake but this behavior is expected to become more prominent as consumers shun strict diet plans

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

Asia Pacific consumers attach high importance to cutting fat intake and this is somewhat reflected by their attentiveness to this dietary issue

Low or reduced fat claims exert a significant degree of influence over Asia Pacific consumers' food and beverage choice, but the proportion of products making such claims is declining

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: Asia Pacific consumers are becoming wary about over-consumption of salt, albeit with variations by country

Indian, Chinese and South Korean consumers all attach above average importance to reducing salt intake

Among the countries covered in the research, South Koreans 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: Asia Pacific consumers 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 across Asia

Sugar intake is a particularly important issue for Indian, Chinese and South Korean consumers

Low or reduced sugar claims exert a significant degree of influence over Asia Pacific consumers' 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 Asia Pacific consumers' agendas

Most Asia Pacific 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 than reducing carbohydrate intake

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

Asia Pacific consumers generally perceive they are more influenced by 'no additive' claims than they are attentive to additives

Consistent with stated concerns about food additives, Asia Pacific 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, is an issue of concern to consumers and exacerbates rising 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 Asia Pacific 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 consumers making active attempts to eat healthier, they will generally not compromise sensory benefits for nutrition benefits

INSIGHT: Concerns surrounding food and ingredient integrity have intensified Asia Pacific 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 fuelled the growth of 'free-from' food and 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 Asia Pacific 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

Capitalize on strategic alliances to build credibility around health reformulation efforts

Retailers should address nutritional deficiencies in its private label ranges and actively 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

APPENDIX

Methodology

Further reading and references

Ask the analyst

Datamonitor consulting

Disclaimer

List of Figures

Figure 1: Asia-Pacific 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 Asia Pacific consumers in recent years and this is generally reflected by the 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 an 'optimistic bias', Asia Pacific consumers are generally satisfied with both their general health and the nutritional quality of their diet

Figure 7: While the overwhelming majority of Asia Pacific consumers express interest in food and beverages that improve their health, far fewer are actively buying such products

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

Figure 9: Asia Pacific consumers' stated interest in food label information is higher than the frequency with which they use such information

Figure 10: With the exception of India and China, portion control is more commonly embraced by Asia Pacific consumers than following a specific diet plan

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

Figure 12: Calorie intake in Asia Pacific is not as high as in Western Europe and the US

Figure 13: Low or reduced calorie claims have the highest perceived influence on the food and beverage choices of Indian and South Korean consumers

Figure 14: Low/no calorie food launches have accounted for less than 4% of all food products launched in Asia Pacific over the last five years

Figure 15: Although low/no calorie non-alcoholic beverages have become more prominent in recent years, they still account for no more than 8% of all product launches in the Asia Pacific region

Figure 16: In what represents an evolution in nutritional awareness, there is not a marked difference in Asia-Pacific consumers' stated attentiveness to the amount fat consumed and the types consumed

Figure 17: At least one-quarter of consumers in Asia Pacific perceive that 'low' or 'reduced' fat claims highly influence their food and beverage choices

Figure 18: The number of new food products in the Asia Pacific region making low fat claims is declining, but is consistent as a proportion of total food launches

Figure 19: Low/no fat product claims in newly introduced non-alcoholic beverages in Asia Pacific are rare

Figure 20: Indian, Chinese and South Korean consumers are the most attentive to the amount of salt/sodium they consume

Figure 21: South Korean consumers are most likely to be influenced by low or reduced salt claims which perhaps explains recent efforts made by restaurants to reduce the salt content in its menu items

Figure 22: Low/no salt/sodium claims account for just 1% of all food products launched in Asia Pacific

Figure 23: Low/no salt/sodium claims are practically non-existent in Asia Pacific non-alcoholic beverages

Figure 24: Asia Pacific consumers typically get 10% or more of their energy from sugar & sweetener consumption albeit with notable exceptions in China and Vietnam

Figure 25: Indian, Chinese and South Korean consumers are the most attentive to sugar consumption

Figure 26: At least one-third of consumers in all Asia-Pacific markets covered reported choosing foods to reduce their overall sugar intake more often in 2008

Figure 27: A peak in low/no sugar food product launches in Asia Pacific occurred in 2007

Figure 28: Around 10% of newly introduced non-alcoholic beverages in Asia Pacific make low/no sugar claims

Figure 29: Sugarfree gum in Asia Pacific is outgrowing regular gum by a significant margin and this is expected to continue going forward

Figure 30: The direction of growth for diet and standard carbonates in the Asia Pacific region is largely similar

Figure 31: Indian consumers are comparably more pre-occupied with carbohydrate consumption, especially compared with Japan

Figure 32: The glycemic index has the least amount of influence for Japanese shoppers

Figure 33: Indian consumers are the most influenced by low carbohydrate claims

Figure 34: Low/no carbohydrate food products in Asia Pacific only really gained any kind of momentum during the Atkins fad in 2004-05 and even then it was very limited

Figure 35: Low/no carbohydrate non-alcoholic beverages have been nearly non-existent in the last five years

Figure 36: Food additives are a particularly sensitive issue for Indian, Chinese and South Korean consumers

Figure 37: In line with stated attentiveness to food additives, Indian, Chinese and South Korean consumers made comparably more concerted efforts to choose additive free food and beverages in 2008

Figure 38: The healthy halo of freshness (and desire to increase fruit and vegetable intake) is reflected by the stated desire of Asia Pacific consumers to eat as much fresh food as possible

Figure 39: The healthy halo of freshness is also reflected by the very high perceived influence fresh claims have on Asia Pacific consumers' food and beverage choices

Figure 40: More and more new food products introduced in Asia Pacific are making no additive claims

Figure 41: 2007 was a record year for additive free non-alcoholic beverage product claims, both overall and as a percentage of total products launched

Figure 42: Sensory benefits are more important in directing Asia-Pacific consumers' dietary choices than health

Figure 43: In what is a major ongoing challenge for manufacturers, polarized opinion exists among Asia Pacific consumers about whether healthy food and beverages are actually tasty and enjoyable

Figure 44: Considerable skepticism is apparent among Asia Pacific about the stated health and nutrition benefits of food and beverage products

Figure 45: There is ambivalence and distrust among many Asia Pacific consumers about whether enough efforts are made to ensure safe provision of food and beverage products at the grocery store

Figure 46: Trust in foreign ingredients is low among most consumers in the region, particularly in Japan

Figure 47: Indian consumers make the most concerted effort to buy local, but the stated importance of this issue has increased for more than half of consumers in the region

Figure 48: Origin and production methods influence Indians more than other consumers in the region

Figure 49: Marked differences characterize food allergens and intolerances although a large segment of consumers do not recognize this

Figure 50: Japanese and Australian consumers express little concern for food intolerances, especially compared to Indian and Chinese respondents

Figure 51: Allergen free claims are deemed particularly influential in what Indian and Chinese consumers eat and drink

Figure 52: 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 53: A continuum of healthy eating has emerged based on principles of dietary exclusion, moderation and enhancement

Figure 54: 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 55: The new Haagen-Dazs 'five' brand reflects a focus on formulation simplification both in ingredients and communication

Figure 56: The top 10 claims/tags of newly introduced products food and non-alcoholic beverages in Asia-Pacific highlight the differing formulations required to satisfy consumers' broad dietary habits

Figure 57: BARLEYmax has a unique starch profile, giving it nutritional properties quite different to other grains

Figure 58: These consumer needs offer opportunities for targeted food and beverage solutions

Abstract

• A snapshot of the importance that Asia Pacific consumers 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 Asia Pacific 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 the Asia Pacific region, also benchmarked against global sentiment

• 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 this unique, multi-faceted and highly sought regional market
• Access data from two waves of primary research to increase the likelihood of being 'on-trend' with NPD and marketing plans in the Asia Pacific region

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