JULY 2024
Better For Who?The Evolution of Diets
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
More than half of Americans say they have followed a diet in the last year.
This focus on health has spurred a growing demand for nutritious, balanced meal options that not only cater to specific dietary preferences but also support overall wellness goals.
The motivations for this vary by individual, but have broad affect on the CPG industry, challenging brands and retailers to meet ever-evolving consumer demand.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT | JULY 2024
Source: SPINS
Adding ingredients in
Individualized nutrition
Takingingredientsout
Supporting people & planet
Other personal factors
Supports
fitness/
training
plan
Allergy
friendly
Shopping at
Natural
retailers
FDAguidelines
Lower sugar, sodium, calories
Weight loss drugs
Clean/simple
ingredients
Home
cooking
Functionalfoods
Social
impact
Whole foods
Naturallypositioned products
Cutting out dairy or carbs
Keto Diets
Natural/organic
ingredients
Locally
grown
Plant based
Sustainable
Disease prevention foods
Plant with solid fill
Question Mark with solid fill
Question Mark with solid fill
Question Mark with solid fill
Question Mark with solid fill
Question Mark with solid fill
Taking
out
people &
Other
personal
FDA
guidelines
drugs
Functional
Thought with solid fill
Whole
foods
Naturally
positioned
FOOD FOR THOUGHT | JULY 2024
Diets are subjective, yet pervasive and have evolved over the years
Atkins
Lean Cuisine
Nutrisystem
SlimFast
Special K
Weight Watchers
Zone Perfect
Add:
Pro/Prebiotics
Fiber
Protein
Remove:
Sugar
Calories
Sodium
Organic
Non-GMO
Allergen Free
Plant Based
Allergen Free
Keto
Paleo
Tend to have a weight loss focus, can transform into branded grocery products
FAD DIETS
<2000s
Often connected to values, such as environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and human welfare values
CLEAN EATING
2010s
More customized approach to health and wellness focused on individual needs
ADDING & REDUCING
2020s
Source: https://foodinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IFIC-2023-Food-Health-Report.pdf
: SPINS Natural Channel, SPINS Conventional Channel (powered by Circana)data 52 Weeks Ending 05.19.24
Source: IFIC 2023 Health Report
How Consumers Define Healthy
FOOD FOR THOUGHT | JULY 2024
What drives consumers to conform to one concept of healthy dieting vs. another?
Health is broadly identified as a key reason that consumers partake in diets as individuals increasingly prioritize well-being and longevity in their lifestyle choices. Whether driven by a desire to manage weight, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, or simply to feel more energetic, dietary choices play a crucial role in achieving these health objectives.
A recent survey highlighted that consumers define health primarily through attributes such as freshness, low sugar, and high protein.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT | JULY 2024
Health Perception: Homemade is Healthier
Ready-to-Eat Household Benefits: Prepackaged meals provide ease, speed, and clear labeling for avoidant ingredients & nutritional benefits
Homemade/ Ingredient Household Benefits: Visibility into the quantity of ingredients used, may contain fewer preservatives or artificial ingredients
Insight/Recommendation: Packaged entr e brands may be able to win by cueing homemade/small batch perceptions (eg Kevin s is growing in a declining set by cueing home-cooked flavors and textures)
Source: SPINS Natural Channel, SPINS Conventional Channel (powered by Circana)data 52 Weeks Ending 05.19.24
Department: VMS, Grocery, Refrigerated, Frozen
Ingredient categories are growing (eg Produce, RF & Frozen Meat & Seafood), while prepared entrees are declining vs YA
Produce & meat category is growing while entrees are declining vs YA
The top declining RF entr e subcat is RF lunch kits, though certain brands are still driving high growth within the declining set.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT | JULY 2024
“Better for Me”meanshaving options and isn t “One size fitsall
Growth across majority of Diets with the
Top 3 outpacing Channel Growth of +1%
Keto driving the most growth in Food Categories
Top growing Better-for-You categories in Keto unsurprisingly ingredient-household based.
Homemade Marinara Pasta Sauce
Strong Bones, growing the fastest in the Food categories
Natural + Specialty & Wellness Positioned
Fruits & Vegetables
Soup
Pasta & Pizza Sauce
Source: SPINS Natural Channel, SPINS Conventional Channel (powered by Circana)data 52 Weeks Ending 05.19.24
Department: VMS, Grocery, Refrigerated, Frozen
FOOD FOR THOUGHT | JULY 2024
Meet The Consumer: Avoiders
Though diets may eliminate many of the bad-for-you ingredients, consumers may be opting for smaller steps towards a healthier lifestyle by reducing select individual avoiders.
Cooking from scratch may be a way to control consumption of these unhealthy ingredients.
What is clear, is less-is-more when it comes to these ingredients. In aggregate, we re seeing consumers shift spending towards products that have lower sodium, sugar, saturated fat and calories.
Source: SPINS Natural Channel, SPINS Conventional Channel (powered by Circana)data 52 Weeks Ending 05.19.24
Department: VMS, Grocery, Refrigerated, Frozen
Reducing the Bad-for-You is another enticing method to be healthy
FOOD FOR THOUGHT | JULY 2024
How are diet trends shifting among differently positioned products?
While certain diets (like the Strong Bones Diet) are seeing significant dollar growth that outpaces the rest of Total Food & Beverage across all positioning groups, the trends are most pronounced among Specialty/Wellness and Naturally positioned items.
More specialized diets, such as Strong Bones and AIP, see especially strong growth among Specialty products that tend to attract shoppers who have particular functional goals in mind.
Broader diets that encompass a wider range of categories, such as Heart Healthy, see the strongest growth among Natural products around which holistically minded shoppers gravitate. Conventional products see weaker diet growth, as diet-focused shoppers seek out products that are intentionally designed to fulfill their unique needs.
Specialty & Wellness
Natural
Conventional
Strong Bones Diet
Diet $ % CYA By Positioning Group, L52W
Specialty & Wellness
Natural
Conventional
AIP Diet
Natural
Conventional
Specialty & Wellness
Heart Healthy FDA Diet
Specialty & Wellness
Natural
Conventional
0%
Plant Based Whole Foods Diet
Source: SPINS Natural Channel, SPINS Conventional Channel (powered by Circana)data 52 Weeks Ending 05.19.24
Department: VMS, Grocery, Refrigerated, Frozen
FOOD FOR THOUGHT | JULY 2024
How are diet trends shifting among NPI products?
Within NPI, There Are 4 Different Brand Positioning Groups:
Natural Standard Brand PositionBrands/products that proliferate across the Natural retailer landscape. They are designed to meet the strict standards set by these retailers and demanded by the consumers that shop in these outlets.
Specialty Natural Brand PositionBrands/products marketed as artisan, international/cultural, imported/regional, or premium with qualities like a Natural Standard brand.
Naturally Perceived Brand PositionBrands/products often designed for the Conventional Channel. These are typically stand-alone brands that target shoppers looking for an entry point to health & wellness or environmentally friendly products.
Conventional Natural Brand PositionBrands/products developed by traditional CPG brands as naturally positioned versions of their conventional counterparts. These are frequently sub-brands that have added value such as being fair trade or having organic content.
Diet-friendly products tend to do best among specialized natural products, or entr e natural products that serve as a comfortable introduction for shoppers into the natural space. The lesson? Brands positioned in these ways can capitalize on their strength among diet-oriented shoppers to stimulate further growth.
+8% AIP DIET among Specialty Natural Brands
Source: SPINS Natural Channel, SPINS Conventional Channel (powered by Circana)data 52 Weeks Ending 05.19.24
Department: VMS, Grocery, Refrigerated, Frozen
among
FOOD FOR THOUGHT | JULY 2024
GLP-1 and Beyond: High Protein In Demand
Protein is having its moment in the limelight as consumers seem to be gravitating towards high protein products. Though the interest in high protein can be summed up to growing consumer interest in healthy eating, there is also another rising consumer segment: GLP-1 users.
Many on GLP-1 drugs and others like it, experience loss of appetite as a side-effect. They have to take extra care to ensure they are getting enough nutrients daily even if they don t feel like eating. In the case of protein especially, not eating enough could cause loss in muscle mass. This interest in easy-to-consume protein could cause a spike in sales in categories like Protein & Meal Replacements.
However, there is potential for other categories to take advantage of this growing protein wave. From snacks to frozen entrees, we see products in the 15 to 24g protein range gaining share. Being just tasty or convenient isn t quite enough anymore, it s important to deliver high nutrition value at the same time too.
Source: SPINS Natural Channel, SPINS Conventional Channel (powered by Circana)data 52 Weeks Ending 05.19.24
Department: VMS, Grocery, Refrigerated, Frozen
Consumers in general are gravitating towards high protein but for those on GLP-1, high protein is a must
Protein Range for Shelf Stable Chips, Pretzels & Snacks
Protein Range for Frozen Entrees
FOOD FOR THOUGHT | JULY 2024
GLP-1 and Beyond: High Protein In Demand
Brands are taking notice and formulating products with the GLP-1 consumer in mind
Nestl is introducing Vital Pursuit, a new line of foods intended to be a companion for GLP-1 weight loss medication users and consumers focused on weight management in the US.
The products are high in protein, a good source of fiber, contain essential nutrients, and they are portion-aligned to a weight loss medication user’s appetite.
Many question if the rumblings around the impact of the GLP-1 user on the F&B industry is being blown out of proportion, but it seems that conglomerates are already starting to future-proof their bottom line.
Though large conglomerates are typically slow to push new products to market, Nestle seems to have a different approach this time around. In fact, they already have plans to launch a line of frozen food meals that target GLP-1 users. In the same vein, Abbott also launched PROTALITY, a high protein shake aimed at those on a weight loss journey, including those on GLP-1 medication.
Is this a sign of what s to come in the next few years as more and more consumers begin to take GLP-1 medication? Though these medications are only available in an injectable format, imagine when they re available as a pill – would the user base grow even larger by then and will its impact become larger?
The Food For Thought Newsletter Team
Anna Fabbri
Sr Analyst, ClientInsights
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Evonne Chan
Data Analyst,
Marketing
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Zoe Colon
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Ivette del Villar
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Liz Cress
Director, BrandApplications
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Katie Eilert
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