Fiber, Grains & Gluten: Understanding Shopper Attitudes Towards Carbohydrates Around the World
This 2018 report from HealthFocus International takes a deeper look at carbohydrates by exploring shoppers views on fiber, grains and gluten—globally, regionally and across 22 individual countries—to help companies better understand shopper concerns and attitudes, allowing them to connect more powerfully with their targets and bring market solutions faster and more profitably. Some of the many topics addressed within each report include:
Fiber & Whole Grains:
Are these driving food/beverage selection?
Do shoppers think they get enough in their diet?
Interest, paying a premium, changes in use, and labeling importance
Carbohydrates:
Good/Bad/Neutral ratings for 14 different types of carbohydrates (e.g., beans, pasta, white bread, brown rice, oatmeal, barley, quinoa, breakfast cereal, etc.)
Usage of different carbohydrate sources
Emerging grains of interest (e.g., black rice, spelt, chia, quinoa, freekeh, etc.)
Ancient grains – interest, usage, and paying more
Do shoppers think they are getting too many carbohydrates in their diet?
Low carb dieting, decreased use of carbohydrates, and labeling importance
Gluten:
Avoiding gluten, level of concern, change, labeling importance & gluten intolerance
Attitudes towards gluten-free products
- Introduction and Methodology
- Executive Overview & Summary Findings
- Sizing the Fiber & Whole Grain Markets
- The Current State of Fiber & Whole Grains
- Carbohydrate Perceptions & Actions
- Shopper Views on Gluten
- Appendix – Carbohydrate Ratings & Individual Country Snapshots
- TOPICS COVERED:
- Sizing the Fiber & Whole Grain Markets
- Global shoppers are segmented into two groups: Fiber Seekers and Whole Grain Seekers. These groups, who are particularly interested in fiber and whole grains and who actively choose foods containing these, are explored to see how they differ from other shoppers and sized within each region and country. Groups are defined as follows:
- Fiber Seekers:
- 1. They always or usually choose foods/beverages because they are high in fiber AND
- 2. They are extremely interested or interested in fiber AND
- 3. Their use of fiber has increased or remained the same over the past 2 years AND
- They are willing to pay up to 10% more for products that include fiber
- Whole Grain Seekers:
- 1. They always or usually choose foods/beverages because they contain whole grains AND
- 2. They are extremely interested or interested in whole grains AND
- 3. Their use of whole grains has increased or remained the same over the past 2 years AND
- 4. They are willing to pay up to 10% more for products that include whole grain
- The Current State of Fiber & Whole Grains
- Perceived need of fiber and whole grains: On average, do shoppers feel they get not enough, too much or about the right amount in their diet?
- How often are shoppers choosing foods/beverages because they are high in fiber or because they contain whole grains? Which markets are most active in seeking out these ingredients?
- How interested are shoppers in fiber & whole grains?
- Of those interested, how many are willing to pay up to 10% more for products that include fiber and whole grains?
- How many shoppers say adding fiber and adding whole grains has become more important in their diet over the past two years?
- Which markets are most focused on adding these?
- How does adding fiber and adding whole grains compare to other key dietary trends like reducing sugar, eating clean, natural, etc.)?
- How has usage of fiber and whole grains changed over the past two years? (increased, same, decreased or don’t use)
- Labeling: How important are “High fiber” and “Whole grain” statements on labels? Globally—how do these compare to other key labels?
- Is fiber one of the top things shoppers want information about on the front of food packages? How does it compare to other things like sugar, calories, protein, fat, etc.?
- Carbohydrate Perceptions & Actions
- Usage: How often do shoppers use various carbohydrate and grains, including:
- Rice
- Brown/Wheat/Whole grain bread
- White bread
- Pasta (excluding whole grains)
- Whole grain pasta
- Cold breakfast cereal
- Hot breakfast cereal
- Granola/cereal bars
- Ancient grains (e.g., barley, amaranth, quinoa)
- Quinoa
- Ratings (good carbohydrate/neither good nor bad/bad carbohydrate) for 14 different carbohydrates:
- Barley
- Beans
- Biscuits/cookies
- Breakfast cereal
- Brown rice
- Oatmeal
- Pasta
- Quinoa
- Rice noodles
- Sweet potatoes
- Wheat bread
- White bread
- White potatoes
- White rice
- Emerging grains: Which niche grains are shoppers most interested in using more of in their diet?
- Amaranth
- Black rice
- Chia
- Farro
- Freekeh
- Kamut
- Millet
- Quinoa
- Sorghum
- Spelt
- Teff
- Ancient grains
- How interested are shoppers in ancient grains?
- Of those interested, how many are willing to pay up to 10% more for products that include ancient grains?
- How often do shoppers use Ancient grains (e.g.,barley, amaranth, quinoa)
- Do shoppers think they are getting too many carbohydrates in their diet on average?
- Low carbohydrate:
- How many shoppers always/usually maintain a low carbohydrate diet?
- How many have decreased their use of carbohydrates in the past 2 years?
- How important are “low carbohydrate” statements on labels?
- Shopper Views on Gluten
- How many shoppers always/usually avoid gluten? Which markets are most focused on avoiding gluten?
- How concerned are shoppers about gluten?
- How important are “gluten-free” statements on labels?
- How has use of gluten-free foods changed in the past two years? (Increased, same, decreased or don’t use)
- How many shoppers are interested in gluten-free products? What are the primary drivers for interest in gluten free (e.g., general health, weight management, gluten intolerance, or they don’t know what they are but are still interested)?
- How many shoppers are concerned about gluten intolerance vs. how many are actually personally affected?
- Appendix - Carbohydrate Ratings & Individual Country Snapshots
- Individual slides for all 14 different carbohydrates rated as good/bad/neutral carbohydrates for side-by-side comparisons displaying how ratings for each vary by region & country.
- Barley
- Beans
- Biscuits/cookies
- Breakfast cereal
- Brown rice
- Oatmeal
- Pasta
- Quinoa
- Rice noodles
- Sweet potatoes
- Wheat bread
- White bread
- White potatoes
- White rice
- Individual Country Snapshots for all 22 countries providing a quick overview of shopper attitudes & options on the country level.
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