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MP15470

MAPS DIET AND FAT FREE FOODS APRIL 2000

Overview

This report covers: Dietary factors, carbohydrates, calorific values, food expenditure, reduced-fat products, reduced sugar products, low calorie foods, diet, losing weight, heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, menstrual cramp, behavioural patterns, dental decay, food labelling, food Standards Agency, diet foods, low fat foods, ready meals, frozen foods, dairy products, desserts, confectionery, crisps, biscuits, cakes, cereals, sauces, condiments, spreads, meat products, meat substitutes, oven chips, salty snacks, squashes, carbonated drinks, frozen chips, salad cream

Companies covered include: Unigate, H J Heinz, Mars, Northern Foods, Unilever, Bestfoods, Jacob Bakery, Tesco, J Sainsbury, ASDA, Safeway, Nestlé, Findus, United Biscuits, Go Ahead, Marks & Spencer, Benecol, Iceland, Holland and Barrett, St Ivel

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

While some fat and carbohydrate is essential to the diet, this report looks at the way in which the food industry has reacted to, and perhaps provoked, a slow but sure increase in demand for reduced-fat and reduced-sugar foods.

Although expenditure has been increasing in recent years, it still accounts for a relatively small percentage of overall expenditure on food. Despite an increased awareness of the link between diet and health, an NOP survey commissioned for this report found a surprisingly low degree of penetration for reduced-fat food, with the one exception of dairy products. This implies considerable potential for further growth in the sector.

Changing lifestyles have resulted in increased demand for ready meals and other processed foods, but this is no longer at the expense of quality and is as true of reduced-fat and reduced-sugar variants as it is of standard foods. With a more adventurous palate, the health-conscious consumer wants the same extensive choice of healthy food in the same convenient format that he or she has come to expect in standard versions.

Unfortunately, it is often the fat content of food that gives it a pleasing taste and texture, and a main factor behind a reluctance to choose a reduced-fat or reduced-sugar variant, rather than the standard version, is that the flavour and consistency often simply do not match up to expectation. Manufacturers are, therefore, putting considerable research into developing reduced-fat, reduced-sugar and calorie-counted products that do not compromise on taste.

Exclusive consumer research was commissioned to ascertain the incidence of purchase of the categories of reduced-fat and reduced-sugar foods including ready meals, frozen foods, dairy products, desserts, confectionery, cakes and biscuits, and sauces and condiments. Findings conclude that those in the lower socio-economic groups are the least likely to pay heed to their diet, yet are the ones most at risk.

It is also evident that healthy food is often comparatively expensive, a prime example being that of the cholesterol-lowering range of Benecol products. It would seem that there remains further opportunity to emphasise the established link between health and a daily diet, despite a sizeable proportion of people who feel the issue is already afforded too much importance.

Recent years have seen a number of health scares, which have left the consumer concerned about food ingredients and processing — the dramatic increase in the popularity of organic produce is testament to the fact that more and more people are becoming wary of practices such as genetically modifying food.

Food retailing in the UK is fiercely competitive and there is limited potential to increase total food sales substantially, except through value-added products. The value of the market for reduced-fat, reduced-sugar and calorie-counted food is expected to grow at a slightly higher rate than the food market as a whole.

Text © 2000MAPS

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Last updated by Paul Tucker 22nd August 2001