Consumers Plan To Eat Right, Next Year
By George Anderson
It’s too early for New Year’s resolutions, but a new study conducted for the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) on the SupermarketGuru web site, says consumers plan on eating
healthier and cooking more of their own meals at home in 2004.
Study respondents said they planned to eat more low-fat (49 percent), low-carbohydrate (40 percent) and fat-free (27 percent) foods. Twenty-eight percent said a food’s nutritional
value was the primary factor in the consumer’s decision to purchase an item for dinner.
Shoppers are also very brand-aware. Eighty percent said it is very or somewhat important in buying a food product. According to a GMA press release, “When asked in which categories
consumers would only purchase a brand that is known and trusted, the top three food categories were sodas (47 percent), canned soup (44 percent) and breakfast cereals (40 percent).”
Moderator’s Comment: What will have the greatest impact on food consumption in the years ahead?
As the GMA press release said, low-carb is here to stay.
One example, the natural foods manufacturer, Hain Celestial, announced yesterday it was launching a line of low-carb products under the brand name Carb
Fit. [George
Anderson – Moderator]