While consumers’ bandwidth and resources may fluctuate, brands can guide them to find their own balance by understanding their own definitions of “better for you” and “healthy eating”, and thus position themselves favourably long-term.
US Better-For-You Eating Trends – Current Landscape
The future is made by decisions today. Quality years, with regard to health, are invaluable, and the appeal of avoiding an increasingly strained healthcare system and related costs may grow, too. Incremental habit improvements are therefore most sustainable. Nudging consumers toward healthier habits can help everyone feel their best.
US Better-For-You Eating Trends Report – What’s Inside?
- A push toward cost-efficacy in better-for-you eating trends
40% say that the cost of living has made healthy behaviors more difficult, creating opportunities for private label to compete with bigger brand names, as they are perceived to be just as healthy as branded products by the majority of US buyers. - Higher demand for regulation in food production
Almost 40% wish the US had stricter regulations when it comes to food production and think the government should do more to promote health in communities. Brands can
communicate ingredient safety that is validated by research, and align with wider public health goals, focusing on preventative care. - Better-for-you eating trends: Functionality
Functional add-ons especially resonate with younger consumers and parents, but are largely seen as extra rather than a necessity – 52% see products with trendy functional ingredients as a luxury.
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
Our research of better-for-you eating trends in the US shows that a holistic understanding of health requires brands to consider how products and recommendations align with mental health and the wider perception of public health.
Adriana Chychula
Food Analyst – Drink & Nutrition
Collapse All
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- What consumers want & why
- Opportunities
- Focus on inherent “subtractions” too
- The value of prevention
- Increasing value of private label
- Support consumer wellness through positive routines
- Graph 1: attitudes toward food and drink, 2024
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market context
- Market drivers
- Evolving public health landscape will elevate nutrition fundamentals, safety
- Cost of living contributing to wellness burnout
- The psychological angle of wellness
- BFY consumers by the numbers
- High priority on nutrition information
- Graph 2: nutrition facts/ingredients list importance, 2024
- Graph 3: claim importance, 2024
- High aspirations paint large consumer target
- Graph 4: changes in effort toward diet, 2024
- BFY foods are part of the equation
-
CONSUMER INSIGHTS
- Consumer fast facts
- Changes in diet
- Health is on consumers’ minds
- Graph 5: changes in effort toward diet, 2024
- Who is putting more effort in?
- Moderation and well-rounded, homemade meals lead strategies
- Graph 6: changes in diet, 2024
- Cross-generational meal building: start with a protein base
- Graph 7: changes in diet, by generation, 2024
- Parental pressures, gendered differences in diet strategies emerge
- Graph 8: changes in diet, by parental status and gender, 2024
- Many consumers are just comfortable
- Graph 9: reasons for not increasing effort toward diet, 2024
- Help younger consumers balance indulgence
- Graph 10: reasons for not increasing effort toward diet, by generation, 2024
- No surprise: parents’ juggling is a barrier
- Graph 11: reasons for not increasing effort toward diet, by parental status and gender, 2024
- “Healthy eating” definitions
- Mostly fresh, not too restrictive
- Graph 12: “healthy eating” definitions, 2024
- Generations unified by desire for balance
- Graph 13: “healthy eating” definition, by generation, 2024
- Parents want quality assurance
- Graph 14: “healthy eating” definition, by gender and parental status, 2024
- “Better for you” definitions
- A naturally-low health halo
- Graph 15: “better for you” definitions, 2024
- Unify generations with balance between additions and subtractions
- Graph 16: “better for you” definitions, by generation, 2024
- Parents value backstories, impact
- Graph 17: “better for you” definitions, by parental status and gender, 2024
- Interest in brand initiatives
- Whole-food-led nutrition
- Graph 18: interest in BFY brand initiatives, 2024
- Older consumers demonstrate food-forward preferences
- Graph 19: interest in brand initiatives, by generation, 2024
- Parents want it all
- Graph 20: interest in brand initiatives, by parental status and gender, 2024
- Opinions toward food and drink
- Strained and wary
- Graph 21: opinions toward food and drink, 2024
- Younger consumers most overwhelmed by trends
- Graph 22: opinions toward food and drink, by generation, 2024
- Capture parents’ whim purchase
- Graph 23: opinions toward food and drink, by parental status and gender, 2024
- Attitudes toward BFY eating trends
- Brands and healthfulness not necessarily related
- Graph 24: attitudes toward food and drink, 2025
- Younger consumers have a complicated relationship with wellness
- Graph 25: attitudes toward food and drink, by generation, 2024
- Desire for simplicity underpins parents’ attitudes
- Graph 26: attitudes toward food and drink, by parental status and gender, 2024
-
INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
- Launch activity and innovation
- Hain Celestial innovates in BFY space
- Walmart launches bettergoods
- Cottage cheese’s moment
- Convenient veggies
-
APPENDIX
- Market definition
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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