What is the Evolution of Nutrition?

The concept of nutrition is evolving amongst consumers as they take a more holistic approach to health and wellness. Indeed, nutrition is no longer around maintaining a healthy waistline and avoiding “dietary evils” such as sugar and salt. Instead, consumers are seeking out products that offer genuine nutrition in the form of health-boosting benefits. This is true regardless of eating a formal meal or enjoying an informal snacking occasion for indulgence purposes. Products need to offer taste and nutrition simultaneously. This is because consumers are recognizing that all elements of health are interlinked, and nutrition is integral to this.

FMCG Gurus research of 26,000 consumers conducted in Q3 2019 across twenty-six countries shows that overall, 61% of consumers say that they have looked to improve their health over the last two years. When it comes to specific steps to improve health, consumers are more likely to say that they have “attempted to improve their diet” (40%) than they have “looked to lose weight” (35%). This shows that health is no longer associated with words and phrases such as diet and weight loss. Instead, health is associated directly with nutrition, as consumers not only look to avoid certain ingredients but to also absorb others.

Overall, consumers across the globe are not happy with their health and wellness. Weight is the area where consumers are least likely to be satisfied, with only 26% indicating some form of satisfaction. In comparison, consumers are most likely to satisfied with their bone and joint health (49%). However, the research shows that there is no area of health that most consumers are satisfied. Given that consumers are adopting a concept of holistic health and believing that all aspects of health are interlinked, it shows that more attention than ever is being given to nutrition in diets.