Macronutrient ratios: These products widely promote high protein and low sugar content, with varying strategies for fiber/starch carbs and fats. The share of weight loss product launches with a “less sugar” positioning jumped from 19% in 2017 to 30% in 2019. Products marketed as keto diet friendly were particularly hot in 2019 and this trend appears to be continuing into 2020.
Clean eating: This trend encourages consumption of whole foods in place of highly processed foods. The share of weight loss product launches with a “clean label” positioning rose from 38% in 2017 to 52% in 2019; this includes products labeled GMO free, natural, organic and/or no artificial additives/preservatives.
Diet friendly snacks: The most common obstacle for dieters is feeling hungry, and many diets now encourage more frequent small meals rather than the traditional three meals per day.
Macronutrient ratios
Dieters looking for quick, convenient meal options often turn to ready meals, but most packages do not make it easy for consumers to figure out whether the meal fits their macronutrient ratio goals. The Gym Kitchen is a new brand of refrigerated ready meals in the UK which is promoted as being macro friendly. The piri piri chicken variety contains 35g protein, 33g carbs (of which 15g is fiber) and 4.4g fat per 400g serving. The ingredients list looks clean, featuring rice, chicken, and a variety of vegetables and spices.
Nestlé US has also recently announced a new brand, Life Cuisine, which will offer meals formulated for four distinct lifestyles: high protein, low carb, plant based and gluten free.
Clean eating
Vegan options are often perceived as cleaner and healthier than others. One of the latest entries from Nestlé’s Lean Cuisine brand is a “plant powered” Korean style rice and vegetables bowl with 12g protein and 1 cup of vegetables. The ingredient list reads very clean with simple ingredients like rice, edamame, mushrooms and a variety of vegetables and seasonings.
Keto diet snacks
As the keto diet has climbed in popularity, new product launches labeled “keto friendly” have risen. Diet brand Slimfast launched its original keto line in October 2018 and expanded the line in Jan 2020 with new products including three new flavors of Fat Bomb snacks, three new meal replacement bars and three flavors of ready-to-drink meal replacement shakes. The Fat Bomb snacks are free from gluten, added sugars and artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners.
The South Beach Diet launched a keto diet program in December 2019 and also joined in on the keto innovations with their Peanut Butter Cookie Bites. With only two grams of carbs per serving, these cookies follow keto perfectly.
**“Diet & Weight Loss Trends – Global” is a Consumer Insider report from Innova Market Insights, which presents a review of the full range of diet strategies from apps to meal delivery services, global consumer insights on dieting and the latest innovations in packaged foods positioned for weight management. **
