Research* for a new Market Assessment report – Diet Foods – from market intelligence providers Key Note reveals that 43.4% of consumers had recently been, intended to be or were currently on a diet**. According to the survey results, 27.5% of the sample were on a diet or had been on one in the previous 12 months, and 15.9% said that they planned to go on a diet soon.
Ongoing health surveys by the Government have illustrated the rise in the proportion of men and women classified as overweight or obese. The issue of obesity has also led many food manufacturers to take action to produce and promote healthier food variants with lower fat contents – particularly those targeted at children.
Whilst 89.2% of survey sample believed that it was more important to have a balanced diet of healthy ‘ordinary’ foods than to buy low-calorie, low-carbohydrate or low-fat options, 62.4% claimed that they tended to buy low-fat or reduced-sugar versions. This suggests that these products are regarded by some consumers as ‘healthy ordinary foods’, with low-calorie or low-carbohydrate products regarded as slimming foods. Key Note estimates that the total combined market for low-fat, reduced-sugar and/or low-carbohydrate diet foods and drinks was worth around £3.64bn in 2005/2006.
Target Group Index research identifies that whilst membership of slimming clubs has been in general decline in recent years, membership in 2005 was identified as the highest since 2000. This increase was largely as a result of a near doubling of the figure among men in 2005, though women are still more than twice as likely to be slimming club members. Key Note’s survey findings confirm this, with only 6.6% of the sample saying that they were members of health or slimming clubs (such as Weight Watchers), but 20.4% claimed to be members of gymnasia.
An overall 16% of the sample claimed to be on a diet at the time they were interviewed, with almost twice the percentage of women (21.1%) compared with men (10.6%) agreeing with this statement. The incidence of dieting peaked in the 55 to 64 age group, at 26.4%, and it was shown to be high in the A and C1 social grades (17.5% and 17.3%, respectively), but greatest among the Ds (19.6%).
A very significant share of those interviewed believed that manufacturers should reduce the advertising of foods and drinks with high fat, salt or sugar contents, and promote healthier foods – with 75.2% agreement with this statement. Future growth in the diet foods sector will be supported by continuing government campaigns aimed at curbing the rising numbers of overweight consumers, and levels of obesity, in the population. Key Note forecasts that the low-fat and reduced-sugar foods and drinks sector will reach a total retail sales value of £4.05bn by 2011.