Healthy eating has become mainstream

L.E.K. Consulting report came to three main conclusions

The survey asked about attitudes and preferences toward healthy, sustainable foods and beverages.

Consumers look for nuanced claims that communicate specific attributes related to health and wellness, ethics, and the environment.

Consumers want their food to have an increasingly wide range of benefits.

Consumers will pay more for food that delivers the benefits it claims.

The survey found almost 75% of consumers committed to one or more attribute when choosing foods. This commitment shows up in all age groups, although Millennials lead the way.

The bottom line is that consumers increasingly pay attention to these newer claims, with declining interest in the older claims. This shift is reflected in the 2018 survey finding that 60% to 70% of consumers, up 10 percentage points from 2016, will pay premium prices for natural foods.

Healthy eating has become mainstream, with most consumers expecting foods and beverages that meet increasingly nuanced attributes of health and wellness, ethics, and sustainability.