2012 is only a few days old but already the dieting and detoxing craze has begun. Despite our firm resolutions (no more sugar/dairy/carbs etc) some new research from Mintel reveals that even with all the willpower in the world, dieting still baffles Brits.
According to the findings, just six in 10 UK consumers say that they know what they should and shouldn’t eat to lose weight – and women seem to have more of a clue than men. Over one in 10 say they want to lose weight but don’t know how.
Alex Beckett, senior food analyst at Mintel, said: “Our research suggests that consumers are going on diets despite being uncertain about what they should eat. It also implies that advice surrounding calorie consumption is failing to register among a sizeable chunk of the population – especially men. This presents manufacturers with an opportunity to take the lead and help consumers understand the importance of calories via educational marketing activity. Consumers’ uncertainty about calories and what foods to avoid to lose weight stems from a wider lack of clarity about what is and isn’t healthy. To excite sales growth, diet food manufacturers must tackle this consumer confusion in a way that all people will relate to.”??
Overall, the diet and weight control foods market is currently valued £1.6 million – by 2016, Mintel forecasts the market to grow 7 per cent to £1.7m.