A growing consumer demand for accessible information and user-friendly tools to aid in their dietary decisions has been driving trend in the healthy eating industry. This report explores the significance of prioritizing food-based nutrition, and the crucial role of brands in offering transparent educational resources to enhance consumers’ health journeys.
US Consumer Healthy Eating Trends
“Unprecedented” has lost meaning, and consumers may be turning to dietary choices for a sense of control. As the globe braces against various tensions, manages climate events and then-some, consumers still need to take care of themselves and their families, with food and drink choices a major component.
Many are making more homemade meals over the last year, and while this and whole foods are in many ways gold-standard, consumers are working with limited resources – time, energy and money – and need support. Wherever consumers are at in their journeys, and whatever their current means, they largely want more information to make informed decisions on their terms.
This report looks at the following areas:
- External factors impacting the wellness landscape and consumer habits
- Effort toward diet, changes and motivations
- Food and drink purchase considerations
- Consumer “healthy” definition
- Interest in brand initiatives
- Attitudes toward health in food and drink
- Company and brand activity
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Adriana Chychula. Adriana is a Registered Dietitian with a Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics from Benedictine University. She blends her interests in nutrition and consumer behavior to analyze topics within the food, drink & nutrition landscape through a research-informed lens.
While public health tools and challenges evolve, consumers will continue to need quality nutrition and effective education to meet them on their own terms.
Adriana Chychula
Analyst – Food, Drink & Nutrition
Collapse All
-
Executive Summary
- What you need to know
- What consumers want and why
- Opportunities
- Food first
- Connect the wellness dots
- The value of prevention
-
Market Dynamics
- Market context
- The US expanded by 3% in Q2 2024
- Graph 1: quarterly real GDP growth, 2020-24
- Approach to eating by the numbers
- Consumer self-perception leans toward “healthy” eating habits
- The search for equilibrium
- Graph 2: effort toward diet, by effort toward healthy eating, 2024
- Significant attention toward labels
- Graph 3: nutrition label reading frequency, 2024
- Market drivers
- Public health: new challenges, new tools
- A glance at current events
- Rise in home cooking
- Pricing pressures
- A climate commodity catastrophe
-
Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Effort toward diet
- Most are at least maintaining their diet efforts
- Graph 4: effort toward diet, 2024
- A look at who is increasing effort
- Feel good today, and better tomorrow
- Graph 5: reasons for increasing diet effort, 2024
- The power of social circles
- Graph 6: reasons for increasing diet effort, by generation, 2024
- Comfort is hard to beat
- Graph 7: reasons for not increasing effort, 2024
- Those putting less effort in reveal their burnout
- Graph 8: reasons for not increasing effort toward diet, by changes in effort toward diet, 2024
- General diet changes
- Consumers taking matters into own hands
- Graph 9: general diet changes, 2024
- Offer tiers of support
- Graph 10: general diet changes, by changes in effort toward eating, 2024
- Embracing complex nutrition concepts can be simple
- Graph 11: general diet changes, by generation, 2024
- Food and drink purchase considerations
- All eyes on known nutritional offenders
- Graph 12: food and drink purchase considerations, 2024
- Consumers maintaining dieting efforts reinforce importance of limits
- Graph 13: food and drink purchase considerations, by changes in diet effort, 2024
- Frame health around the positives for younger consumers
- Graph 14: food and drink purchase considerations, by generation, 2024
- Consumer “healthy” definition
- A “healthy” foundation starts with providing nutrients
- Graph 15: consumer “healthy” definition, ranked, 2024
- Generational differences between “what” versus “how”
- Graph 16: consumer “healthy” definition, by generation, 2024
- Interest in brand initiatives
- Be specific
- Graph 17: interest in brand initiatives, 2024
- Education can encourage those not currently making changes
- Graph 18: interest in brand initiatives, by changes in effort toward diet, 2024
- Simplicity unifies generations
- Graph 19: interest in brand initiatives, by generation, 2024
- Attitudes toward health in food and drink
- The balance between expectations and reality
- Graph 20: attitudes toward health in food and drink, 2024
- The psychological toll of managing dietary choices…
- Graph 21: attitudes toward health in food and drink, by generation, 2024
- …and need for clear, reputable guidance
- Graph 22: attitudes toward health in food and drink, by generation, 2024
-
Innovation and Marketing strategies
- Launch activity and innovation
- Leave nothing on the table
- “Homemade” convenience
- Brands leaning into Ozempic era
-
Appendix
- Market definition
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
Market Intelligence Made Easier With Mintel
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
- Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
- Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
- Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
- Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
- Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
- Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
- Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
For a closer look at a Mintel Market Intelligence Report, take a look at the sample PDF report below:
Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
£ 3,695 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or invoice (net 30 payment terms)
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.
We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.
We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.
Jeff White, Business Development Director, Deutsch
We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.
As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.
We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.
Andrew Neeson, Market Intelligence Manager, VocaLink
We have such a great working relationship with Mintel on lots of different levels. As an insight partner, they have helped us to develop our business planning in specific categories as well as supporting our creative process but they’ve also been super helpful with facilitating our events in their inspirational offices near St Paul’s.
They’re an innovative company, with a client-focused team that always delivers.
Abby Carvosso, Group Managing Director, Bauer Media Group
Working in a customer-obsessed organization means that data and insights have to be at our fingertips. Mintel’s reports help us support anecdotes with real quantifiable insights. The summary sections (which I really like) helps save time by giving a birds eye view of the content before spending time combing through the pages.
Our business review discussions are strengthened by the relevancy of the reports to help us better understand our customers. In addition, the customer service received from the team (especially in crunch periods) makes the process of understanding customer behavior even better.
Ngozi Ngonadi-Nkwoji, Senior Marketing Manager, Amazon
Mintel is really good for getting a handle on a particular category quickly. If we are working on a new business pitch in an area we don’t have much experience in, it’s a brilliant way to get up to speed with what’s going on, what’s changing and what the key trends are in any category.
It’s very rare now that anyone will plough through a 200-page report – that’s why the summaries are really useful. We know they are backed up by a lot of detail, so if you need to go into something in more depth you know the information will be all there for you.
Pauline Robson, Managing Partner, Mediacom
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
