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organic & food-allergy marketplaces are set to be fruitful.

According to new research, both the organic market and the food-allergy market  have only just begun to bear 'fruit' and enjoy success.

According to a report from Global Industry Analysts, Inc., thanks to an increase in food sensitivies and allergies, "the global market for food allergy/intolerance products will continue to explode, reaching a projected $26.5 billion-plus by 2017." This can't be shocking for most of you; if you poll a group of 10-20 people, I can almost guarantee someone will have some sort of allergy, senstivity, intolerence, etc. In fact, in the past decade alone, food allergy incidences have risen ~10.5%. That's crazy!

This is great news for those who suffer from these allergies and issues, as it means they'll have more and more options to choose from. Suffering from ANYTHING is hard enough; having increased options to enjoy and make everyday life feel more 'normal' is a great thing.

I'm not sure if this has a halo effect on organic foods, or if organic foods is enjoying it's boom due to an increased focus on health & wellness in the U.S., but, according to the Organic Trade Association, "sales of organic products rose 9.5% in 2011 to $31.5 billion, crossing the $30 billion mark for the first time." While price is still an issue (many consumers dismiss organic foods because they consider them to be too expensive compared to generic products), as the recession's effect subside, consumers are increasingly open to investing in organics for themselves and their families.

So how does this growth break out?

- Organic food sales grew by 9.4%

- Fruit and vegetables accounting for 41% of all purchases

- Dairy products came in second with 14.6%,

- Packaged and prepared foods followed with 13.6%

-Meat, fish and poultry is the fastest-growing of the eight food categories, up 13% from 2010 (it should be noted that it still remains the smallest, accounting for just 1.8% of all organic food sales)

Of course organic (just like healthier foods) faces issues due to consumer confusion (people don't understand the difference between terms like 'organic', 'natural', 'local', etc.), but this is a great opportunity for brands to help consumer gain shopping confidence by helping them better understand the many terms they see in the grocery store, and recognize how to shop smarter and better (no matter how they define 'better').

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/173164/organic-heats-up-breaks-30-billion-mark.html?edition=46089#ixzz1t4B45M5g

gluten free is quickly becoming the way to be (or at least way more accessible).

According to Technomic, "menu items billed as gluten-free increased by 61% between 2010 and 2011, reflecting greater demand both by consumers with gluten allergies or intolerance and those who just consider gluten-free foods to be healthier." 

That's quite an impressive change for restaurants and food culture. However, that's not all, as restaurant operaters are learning to better provide information and options for those with increasing allergies and food needs...

Because "73% of consumers want restaurants to provide clear information about their food’s fat, sodium and sugar content, and potential food allergens," restaurants are working harder than ever to not only provide increased offerings, but to call them out, and really show consumers what variety is available so no consumer feels left out.

Pretty impressive.

do you really read nutrition labels?

Lots of people may make a fuss about the calories or fat on a food label, but just how carefully do they read them?

University of Minnesota researchers used eye-tracking devices to determine this. Their results?

"Key finding #1: People don’t check the specific components in the NF label as often as they think they do.

The good news was that while only 26% of participants self-reported that they “almost always” look at NF labels, 37% of them actually viewed at least one nutrition component on the label for nearly all food items presented. (The researchers said that this likely reflects NF labels’ positioning on the sides/backs of real packages, whereas the labels were more visible on the test screens – see #2 below.)

Key finding #2: The label’s positioning affected viewing patterns.

Participants read 61% of the label when it was in center screen, versus reading 37% and 34% of the labels when they were on the left-hand and right-hand sides of the screen, respectively. Further, they looked at center-positioned labels 30% longer than labels positioned to the right or left on the screen.

Key finding #3: Most participants viewed components at the top of the label more than those at the bottom, with the focus usually on the top five lines.

The implications? The researchers concluded that 'because knowing the amounts of key nutrients that foods contain can influence consumers to make healthier purchases, prominently positioning key nutrients, and labels themselves, could substantially impact public health.'"

who's fault is it that we're so fat?

Holy heifer!

"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of us -- 33.8% -- are obese, as are 17% of our children."

Yowza.

Who's fault, though, is it really? Our families? Stress? Big business?

According to Deborah Cohen, senior natural scientist at research firm Rand Corp. and co-author of "Prescription for a Healthy Nation," it's food brands' fault.

She "believes that the Krafts and McDonald's of this world must shoulder a lot of the blame. She said that in some ways consumers can't resist unhealthful food all the time because humans are hard-wired to want sugary and fatty food. Combine that with what some consider constant marketing messaging, and it's difficult to resist the temptation."

Check out her argument here.

What do you think?

do calorie postings impact your choices?

Just got back from making a Starbucks run. It's always amazing to see how the bagels are more calories than the donughts. My dad and I have this arguement all the time: Do these postings impact what people ultimately buy? We both argue, but now we have some insight to shed on the arguement...

According to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, "posting of calories on menus in New York City fast-food restaurants has caused one in six customers to buy foods with at least somewhat fewer calories."

Based on their NYC-based research, "on average, customers bought foods with 44 fewer calories at McDonald's, 80 fewer at Au Bon Pain and 59 fewer at KFC.  However, the other leading chains' customers showed little change in their behavior."

Do calorie postings impact what you buy and eat?

would you pay more for a healthier menu?

If you're a Baby Boomer, chances are, you wouldn't.

According to The NPD Group, "consumers over 50 typically express more interest in healthful foods than younger groups, but 70% of them also say they expect to pay no more for healthier offerings than for other menu items in restaurants." To break it down, "one-quarter of boomers age 50 and older say they would expect to pay 'somewhat' more, but just 5% say they would pay 'a lot' more for the healthier options."

So, what does this mean?

"One critical takeaway from the study is that restaurants should strive to achieve consistent pricing of their healthy and less healthy options."

gluten free goes big(ger).

"Sales of gluten-free foods and beverages, once considered specialty items, had a compound annual growth rate of 30% in the U.S. between 2006 and 2010, according to the latest report on this category from research publisher Packaged Facts.

Packaged Facts, which previously projected that sales of gluten-free foods and beverages would reach $2.3 billion by 2011, has revised those estimates, putting the market at $2.64 billion in 2010.

Moreover, despite factors such as expected falling product prices due to a greater presence of these items in mass outlets and more private-label choices, the researcher expects gluten-free products to show average annual compound growth of 14% between 2011 and 2015, to reach sales of to $5.6 billion by 2015."

simplicity winning over consumers.

In these complex times, sometimes it's just better to keep it simple.

"According to a new survey by branding consultant Siegel + Gale, U.S. consumers are willing to pay a 4-6% premium for brands they believe offer a greater degree of simplicity (defined as ease of understanding, transparency, caring, innovation and usefulness of communications, as well as interactions in relation to industry peers) over their competitors. Extrapolated out across all industries and sectors, that could translate into $27 billion more, says Siegel + Gale co-president and CEO David Srere.

According to the survey, health insurance brands could gain the most -- an estimated $6 billion -- by offering greater transparency and simplicity in their products, says Brian Rafferty, global director of consumer insights for Siegel + Gale.

'People were willing to pay significantly more to get simpler communications' from health insurance companies, Rafferty tellsMarketing Daily. 'It really is about peace of mind. You hear a lot of complaints about health insurance premiums. But what they're really complaining about is paying for things that they're not clear about.'"

personal renewal assisting economic renewal.

You may not always be able to control your surroundings - your job, your family, the economy - but, as many women are discovering, you can control who you are and you can always work towards overall improvement.

This mindset of  "pronounced personal renewal or 'me-covery' post-recessionary trend among American women, according to a new national survey conducted by specialist marketing firm Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness and Time Inc.'s Healthbrand.

The new emphasis on taking control and responsibility for personal well-being and happiness and reevaluating old choices represents a major shift in women's attitudinal and behavioral patterns within a markedly short time frame.

In 2009, a similar national survey of adult (18+) American women by Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness focusing on the economy's influence on wellness issues found that their primary wellness goals were 'holding it together' and 'surviving the day.'

The attitude/behavior shifts have important implications for numerous product/service categories and brands, including food and beverages, restaurants and personal care and beauty, according to the research sponsors.

For one: Women are 're-investing in their health and wellness,' points out Health publisher Dave Watt.

While 92% of the 800 women surveyed (representative of U.S. adult females as a whole) still feel negatively affected by the economy and 10% feel more affected than in 2009, 64% say that they are committed to making a positive change and taking better care of themselves by eating right, staying physically fit, 'looking good to feel good' and having fun."

consumers not as hot as you think on healthy eating.

We all know we should probably eat a bit healthier, but why isn't the healthy eating trend catching on across America like you'd think it would?

"A new report by Catalina Marketing identifies factors that draw grocery shoppers to healthy foods -- and factors that deter many from buying more of those goods.

It's not as though consumers can't find health-friendly goods when they go to the supermarket. In a survey conducted for the report (with support from the Food Marketing Institute), 72 percent of respondents agreed that the store they go to 'stocks a wide variety of healthful foods and beverages.' They're less impressed, though, with the store's utility as a source of information and guidance on healthy eating -- particularly among shoppers who have kids in the household. While 50 percent of all respondents said their supermarket 'helps me make healthy food choices,' just 35 percent of parents said the store 'helps me make healthy food choices for children.'

Among all respondents, well under half (38 percent) said their store 'provides information on foods and beverages that help manage specific health concerns.' And that tendency isn't confined to consumers who may not be disposed to notice such information even if it's there. Even among those who claim to eat healthy meals 'most days,' just 44 percent said their supermarket provides information of that sort."

Check out the article to see how marketers can help consumers help themselves. And, do me a favor, eat your veggies today. :)