Rising obesity levels contradict consumer attempts to eat healthier

In a new report titled Obesity, Dieting, Exercise and The Future of Food and Drink – Understanding Consumer Attitudes and Behaviours, independent market analyst Datamonitor explores the contradiction between attempts to eat healthier and rising obesity levels.

“Ultimately, food choice is determined by sensory attributes such as taste and pleasure, and consumers will not sacrifice these attributes in favour of nutritional goodness”, comments consumer market analyst Michael Hughes. “Furthermore, changes in people's lifestyles mean that they find it difficult to exercise on a daily basis. As a result, shoppers are consuming more ‘bad' nutrients and are exercising less.”

Consumers are moving away from restrictive diets towards more inclusive diets

Datamonitor's survey* reveals approximately 65% of Europeans and Americans made active attempts to eat healthier in 2005-2006. Rather than focusing purely on the elimination of “bad” nutrients from their diets, consumers are also embracing the concept of “positive nutrition” – focusing on the inherently good content within food and drinks. Indeed, while consumers do not underestimate the importance of cutting down on fat, sugar and salt, they also believe a healthy diet involves eating fresh food and drink (90%) and eating from a diverse range of foods (66%).

“Although consumers are moderating what they eat and drink with greater regularity, they still want to maintain a sense of normality when dieting. Focusing on the good nutrients in food and drink makes dieting easier and less compromising,” says Hughes.

Hedonistic consumption is still more of a priority than nutritional goodness

Although shoppers are making active attempts to eat healthier, they are unwilling to sacrifice hedonistic attributes associated with food, such as taste, pleasure and enjoyment.

This attitude, in part, is driven by the widespread belief that healthy food tastes inferior. This is especially relevant, as consumers are eating out of home with greater regularity – a time when the desire to eat healthily is most likely to be compromised. Recent media coverage on the undisclosed high calorie content of certain meals in the foodservice sector could help explain the contradiction between rising obesity levels and attempts to eat healthier.

Hughes explains: “More often than not, restaurants do not disclose the nutritional content of their food and drink. This means that even if consumers do attempt to eat healthily, they are at risk of over indulging because of a lack of knowledge about food content. The reality however, is that when eating out, consumers view enjoyment as more of a priority than health”.

New product releases are indicative of the trade off between health and indulgence

Datamonitor's Productscan tracking reveals dietary products and healthy alternatives are witnessing the largest growth in the food and drink market, in terms of new product releases. In particular, products in 100-calorie pack formats are becoming increasingly popular, allowing shoppers to enjoy great taste without having to worry about the consequences of bad nutrient consumption.

Simultaneously, indulgence-based products continue to be popular in the food and beverage market, as manufacturers recognize that the inability to compromise between health and enjoyment means eating and drinking occasions are becoming more occasion orientated.

*Datamonitor interviewed a demographically representative sample of over 5000 consumers from eight countries in 2006. This included over 500 consumers from France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Over 1000 consumers were interviewed in the US.

Datamonitor's report Obesity, Dieting, Exercise and The Future of Food And Drink – Understanding consumer attitudes and behaviours, highlights the causes behind the growing levels of obesity prevalence and assesses changing attitudes towards diets, lifestyles and purchase patterns.