Inside the Mind of the Healthy Shopper

The Retail Dietitian’s Healthy Shopper Summit in Chicago offered a lot of great insight into the mind of the healthy shopper and how retailers and manufacturers should be considering these growing factors when it comes to product innovation.

Here are some of the biggest insights:

• 63% of US consumers are trying to eat healthier
• Peoples’ food choices are based around aging, ailment, nutrition, sustainability
• 46% of Americans said that claims on food products influenced their purchase
  • 18% of people never believe claims
  • 67% of people sometimes believe claims
  • 15% of people always believe claims
• 21% of Americans use signage at retail to make healthier product decisions.
• 37% of consumers are following a specific diet in 2018, up from 35% last year and 29% in 2016
  • Top 5 Diets: Low Carb, Low Sugar, Low Sodium, Low Calorie, High Protein
• 1 in 5 American households have a diabetic member
• Low sugar diets such as paleo, keto, or whole 30 are on the rise
• 57% of American households said that low sugar is an important factor in deciding what to buy
• 7% of American households follow a high protein diet
• Traditional plant-based options like tofu are declining and innovative plant-based options like plant based cream, meat and cheese are on the rise
• Private label store brands are innovating and growing with wellness products
• People are relying on their diets more heavily because they don’t exercise as often as they should
• 52% of people are actively eliminating unhealthy fats, 48% fried foods, 47% high fructose corn syrup, 44% sugar, 44% sodium
• People are not confident in reading nutrition labels. While most people are familiar with the terms on labels, they can’t actually define them. The biggest gaps are terms like: organic, vegetarian/vegan, high fructose corn syrup, pesticide free, and zero trans fat