Earlier this week, senior officials from food giants Kraft, Nestle, General Mills and Campbell Soup spoke at the IFT Expo in Chicago. They discussed their experience in formulating and marketing healthier products.
One message rang clear: consumers want to have their cake and eat it too. Or rather, they want to be healthy and enjoy the experience as well.
"Wellness is no longer about reducing risk factors but about bringing about a better quality of life," said Chor-San Khoo, head of global nutrition at Campbell Soup. "We are staying older longer and consumers want to function better."
Major factors driving the wellness foods market, according to Khoo, are an aging population, the growth of obesity worldwide, and the increase in working women in the job market.
Maintaining popular tastes in healthy food is still a hurdle the companies have to get over.
"We still don't know a lot about taste," said Khoo.
Getting the message across to consumers presents an obstacle to manufacturers. Firstly, there is the need to respect the regulatory environments that differ from country to country. Secondly, companies need to find innovative ways to convey their image in order to stand out from the competition or make sure they are understood.
Nestle sponsors an online forum connecting consumers to physicians and an online store, so that diabetics can avoid revealing their health status while at a store.
Reaching children directly through marketing is key to promoting healthy behavior, according to the speakers. However, even with more nutritious products, General Mills company officials said they face a regulatory climate against marketing to kids.
Kraft said it is working with Nickelodeon cable television on making kid-friendly ads.
