Low carb is dead. Long live satiety! That is the message coming out loud and clear from recent research into what consumers want from new product development (NPD) targeted at the healthy living sections of our supermarket shelves.
In a survey across the UK, USA and Brazil released in June, ingredients manufacturer DSM found products that claimed to reduce appetite were the winners.
Explaining the results, David Jobse, product manager for DSM's Fabuless weight management ingredient, says: "The survey was undertaken to test claims that consumers today are fed up with crash diets - you lose weight, then as soon as you stop you put it on again."
Appetite for satiety
The internet-based survey involved 750 women aged between 18 and 65, all regular consumers of dairy products and with a high interest in weight management. They were asked to rate 10 health claims based on their appeal, relevance, credibility, innovation and attractiveness of wording. The claim 'Reduces your appetite' scored highly and was voted overall favourite, says DSM.
"We are delighted with the outcome. Appetite reduction, resulting in reduced calorie intake is a proven benefit of Fabuless. This research now demonstrates its popularity among consumers and clearly strengthens our offer to manufacturers."
Fabuless is an emulsion of water and palm oil coated with oat oil that is said to prevent the digestion of the palm oil droplets until relatively deep in the small intestine, so triggering an 'appetite satisfied' signal to the brain. It is now being used as an ingredient in Europe, mainly in Campina Optimel Control yoghurt, and also for meal replacement shakes.
Every food manufacturer now has low or lite products, says Jobse. "We've been there. Today, consumers are looking for more functionality, something that offers more than just low this or low that. We believe satiety is the way forward."
His views tie in with those of London brand agency Dragon Brands which recently surveyed mothers over the age of 40, many of whom had tried a variety of diets. The results, says Dragon, suggest that the ideal weight management product - the so-called "happy offer" - should be scientifically and clinically proven to suppress hunger and make you feel full.
Presenting its findings at a meeting of the Food & Drink Innovation Network (FDIN) in Daventry in June, Dragon Brands advised food companies: "Make it natural; don't blind with science; make it easy to adopt; and talk satiety, not appetite suppression."
Low carb is essentially dead and buried in the UK and Europe in terms of NPD, says Carla Ogeia, consultant at market researcher Mintel. Consumers are getting much more food aware and they know a lot more about nutrition and what's good for them.
"So we are seeing a trend towards 'natural balance' - naturally balanced nutrition rather than gimmicky or faddy low carb diets."
Low fat and low sugar are still important to weight conscious consumers, says Ogeia, but the market for low fat and low sugar products is not growing as strongly as before. Between 2004 and 2006, low fat products accounted for around 8% of total food and drink product launches in Europe; low sugar accounted for 5% and low calorie about 3%. "Low carb is too small to show up," she added.
Now, she says, Europe is seeing a growing number of weight management product launches, particularly those with ingredients claiming to induce satiety. Mostly, they are being offered in the form of small dairy drinks, says Ogeia. "It's a format we first saw with probiotics. The format makes it easy for consumers to take as a snack before a meal or perhaps even as a yoghurt after a meal. They will keep you full for longer and you don't have to snack on crisps, or worse products."
Last year Danone launched its Shape Lasting Satisfaction yoghurt into the UK. Containing a combination of natural fibre and protein, it claims to keep consumers satisfied for longer. Since its launch, it has sold around 19M packs, according to market researcher Nielsen.
However, Ogeia warns that active weight management products are very new on the market and how long they last will all depend on manufacturers getting the correct taste, texture and mouthfeel. In her view, what is more certain to last are products that offer a natural balance, things that are 'naturally rich in', rather than just enriched.
And Mintel Global New Product Database (GNPD) custom solutions director David Jago, also suggests that for weight management products to succeed they will need to differentiate themselves from supplements and 'quick fix' products, which are mainly for fast weight loss. They need to focus on satiation and hunger management and become part of 'everyday solutions' that contribute to long-term weight management, he says.
Dr Carrie Ruxton, nutritionist and head of Nutrition Communications is more cautious about the likely impact of the wave building up for weight management NPD. Yes, there is a market for weight management products, she says, but it isn't quite now.
"A lot of people are overweight - about 60% of adults - but I think they are in denial a bit. They are wedded to the foods that they enjoy, which are the ones high in fat, high in sugar - the energy dense foods. However, they are beginning to think: 'Hang on, maybe I should be eating healthily. But I don't want to sacrifice taste.'
Slimming market thins out
"And we know from consumer studies that as soon as you label something as healthy eating or reduced fat or reduced sugar, then people immediately think it is going to taste awful. It seems to turn off the UK consumer."
They may buy the healthy option, she suggests, but it will be more because they feel they ought to, rather than because they want to. "So the market needs to get to the stage where it is offering consumers weight management products that are of similar taste and quality to what they want to eat. And we are not quite at that stage yet. But manufacturers are definitely working on it and there are a few notable products out there."
Weight management products such as low fat, low sugar, low carb offerings are still minority products, she says. "What is needed is mainstream products - foods people ought to be buying all the time."
And they should be aimed at all the family, says Ruxton. "They shouldn't just be for mums who are overweight. There should be breads, pizzas, pastas and so on that all the family can eat and know that they are doing them some good and not delivering excess calories."
Ruxton chaired the recent FDIN meeting in Daventry and says conference attendees felt that the whole weight management market was a very exciting one and that the big manufacturers were thinking about it and keeping an eye on it. "But we felt it wasn't quite there at the moment. However, what was clear was that a number of manufacturers were planning significant investments."
Also, she says, manufacturers' marketing language seems to be moving away from 'slimming' to 'weight management'.
"If you are a bloke, you don't have to have 30-inch waist to be healthy. You can be a bit overweight, but if you are managing your weight , that's good - that's positive. We don't all have the ideal weight for our height."
And it's good news for manufacturers, too, says Ruxton. "They don't have to make a slimming claim anymore: 'Eat this and you will lose 2lbs in a week'," she says.
"Men, for example, wouldn't be interested in buying a slimming shake - it's a bit girlie. But if you offer a product that helps weight management and heath and can be eaten by all the family, then that's moving more into the mainstream." Which presumably, men will buy, she suggests.
"In future I'd almost like not to know that I am buying a weight management product. Instead, I would like to have a mainstream product which is healthier and better for me and my family." FM