Reuters Business Insight: F&D manufacturers jump on the low-carb bandwagon
A new report* from Reuters Business Insight reveals that 95% of European and US food and drink manufacturers say they cannot afford to ignore the impact of low-carb dieting on the industry. Over a quarter view the development of low-carbohydrate foods as a priority, and are actively investing in the research and development of new products. “There is no doubt that the consumer’s appetite for low-carbohydrate foods is huge. With big names entering the market on a daily basis, it is important that the UK food and drink industry realises the potential of the sector,” comments Camilla Palmer, author of the report.
London, UK (PRWEB) May 30, 2004
Concern over rising obesity rates and the need to curb them has not escaped the attention of food and drinks manufacturers. A new report* from Reuters Business Insight reveals that 95% of Europe’s and US food and drink manufacturers say they cannot afford to ignore the impact of low-carb dieting on the industry. Over a quarter view the development of low-carbohydrate foods as a priority, and are actively investing in the research and development of new products. “There is no doubt that the consumer’s appetite for low-carbohydrate foods is huge. With big names entering the market on a daily basis, it is important that the UK food and drink industry realises the potential of the sector,” comments Camilla Palmer, author of the report.
European waistlines are growing bigger
Changing patterns in daily life coupled with alterations in diet have caused shifts in both the Body Mass Index (BMI) profile of European nations and the ways in which the citizens of these nations perceive themselves. Across western Europe, the trend is for people to put on weight, mimicking the development of the BMI profile in the United States. One-third of western European consumers are now overweight and by 2006 this will increase to almost half.
The European dieting market is forecast to be worth over €100bn in 2007 and it is estimated that 3 million British consumers are now actively cutting their carbohydrate intake. The potential opportunities to tap into this market are huge.
Food & drink manufacturers expect healthy profits from low-carb diets
Almost two-thirds of respondents see the burgeoning of the low-carb sector as an opportunity and over a quarter say their companies have already manufactured a product under the low-carbohydrate umbrella. The respondents thought the sectors most likely to be affected were bakery, confectionery and snack-foods, 76% of respondents believe snack foods sector would be affected by developments in low-carbohydrate food, with 73% thinking that the bakery sector would be challenged.
Sectors such as chilled and frozen foods, ambient meals, sauces and dressings, fruit juices and carbonates and beers and lagers, all of which traditionally contain carbohydrates either in variety or ingredients make-up, are also seen as likely candidates to be influenced by the low-carbohydrate trend.
The spirits and wine sectors remain relatively unaffected, however, in the eyes of the industry. Most products within these sectors contain a relatively low-carbohydrate count, meaning that any shift could come in the form of remarketing to capitalise on consumersÂ’ enthusiasm for low-carbohydrate choices.
Tesco has introduced specialist labelling for consumers wanting to check the level of carbohydrates in a variety of private label products. Safeway is also considering a similar step, with foods containing less than 10% carbohydrate being labelled as such. Sandwich retailer BenjyÂ’s now stocks a range of low-carbohydrate products including Carbolite bars.
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Notes to editors
*'Obesity, Low-Carb Diets and the Atkins Revolution: Healthy profits from big issues in food and drinks'
Reuters Business Insight interviewed over 500 food and drink professionals in the UK, Europe and United States.
For further details or to arrange an interview, please contact Helen Crouch on +44 20 7675 7902 or press@rbi-reports. com.
*'Obesity, Low-Carb Diets and the Atkins Revolution: Healthy profits from big issues in food and drinks', Reuters Business Insight Sales, David Pender, ++ 44 207 675 7486
Reuters Business Insight reports are published by Datamonitor, in association with Reuters. Reuters, the sphere logo and Reuters Business Insight are trade marks of the Reuters group of companies around the world and are used by Datamonitor under licence from Reuters.
If you have any questions or wish to arrange an interview, please call ++ 44 207 675 7902 or email press@rbi-reports. com. Apologies if this story is not of relevance to you.
Kind Regards,
Helen Crouch
Reuters Business Insight
T: +44 20 7675 7902
F: +44 20 7675 7533
