Consumers’ relationship with diets is ever-changing. And, in a way, it should be. Society has adapted to an age where technological advances have brought new heights to the demand for convenient, half-conscious eating. Couple this with increased calorie access and availability for those with favourable socioeconomic status, and real health problems arise. Now, unprecedented priority is being placed on addressing diet-related human health issues to improve what and how we eat and build a future containing a healthy, productive population. World Nutrition Day is a time to reflect on the greatest challenges that positive nutrition faces and what can be done to overcome them.
Macro problems can’t have micro solutions
The rising concern for nutrition can be easily understood through health statistics. Globally, the number of overweight and obese individuals has been growing for more than a decade.
45% of the adult population is overweight or obese today and forecast to continue growing to affect every one out of two persons in the coming decade
Source: Euromonitor International
In addition, the prevalence of diabetes, high cholesterol, and other diseases correlated with malnutrition is on the rise. So much attention is currently being placed on saturated fat, sugar, and salt. These nutrients are primary targets for nutrition policy, consumer concern, and reformulation today.
Agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) outline consumption recommendations considering the average consumer. For sugar and saturated fat, the guide is less than 10% of total energy intake which translates to no more than 50g daily for a 2,000-calorie diet – which is what nutrition labels are often based on. For sodium, the WHO recommends less than 2g daily. However, in 2023, global average consumption of saturated fat, sugar, and salt combined from retail alone was 84g daily per capita. This was an increase from 2022, and future consumption is expected to grow at about 2% annually. Nations have already responded with legislation that provides consumer education on packages and limits promotional activities. And while efforts have also been made by packaged food and beverage manufacturers, like the 98% sodium reduction achieved by fruit snack manufacturers’ new products in Asia Pacific, there remain opportunities to further transform products and enable consumer access to nutritionally sound choices.
The ideal diet is a dollar, minute, and dash of flavour away
Beyond specific macro- and micronutrients, another challenge to fulfilling nutritional priorities remains the way we live our lives. Gone are the times when preparing an elaborate meal for dinner was the nightly norm. And the idea of customised “diets” that allow greater ownership of the health journey is replacing traditional concepts. Aside from religious and clinical reasons, people diet simply to feel better.
While most consumers say they know what is good for them, one in two still rate their dietary habits as neutral and even unhealthy – with key factors cost, time, and preference standing in the way of the ideal diet
Source: Euromonitor International
In 2023, 40% of consumers stated that they like to eat nutritious but cheap foods, in Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Health and Nutrition Survey (fielded February 2023). Following the peak of the cost-of-living crisis, positive nutritional choices are suffering given their often higher price points. Furthermore, the value of home-made still connotes higher nutritional value, but consumers’ busier lives now make it seem like a time sink to have to withdraw from other life priorities. People feel cortisol addiction, or an obsession with constantly being on the go, and are constantly juggling between needs and wants, resorting to eating choices that are most convenient, flavourful, or simple. However, the final determiner for navigating rushed eating moments and choices should really be intuitive eating practices (ie listening to one’s cues and acting on the body’s needs). All in all, fast-paced and costlier lifestyles are the new reality that must be considered while creating better nutrition standards. Oh, and never forget taste!
How to advance nutritional priorities
Whether food producers are ready or not, nutrition policies to restrict concerning ingredient consumption (eg artificial colourants like Red Dye 40) are forthcoming and growing. Since 2019, Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey has tracked an increasing number of consumers saying they’ll be healthier in the future; 51% now feel positively about the future of their health, underpinning the demand for better-for-you foods. Players can and should get ahead of the future of nutrition by aligning with world health leading guidance and benchmarking progress with actionable data and insights.
Ways to continue propelling the future of positive nutrition include:
- Assess recipe appeal and plan to get ahead of legislation.
- Promote cost-friendlier nutritional varieties on- or near-par with traditional ones.
- Position better-for-you options as convenient to appeal to today’s demand for quick fuel.
- Emphasise nutritional quality and guide consumers to nutritionally sound choices on pack.
Learn more about how to drive growth of positive nutrition in the food and beverage industry in our report, World Market for Health and Wellness.