What Does “Healthy” Really Mean?
“Healthy.” The term is applied liberally throughout the food industry. In fact, it’s tossed about so casually that it has become stale, overused, and meaningless — without any real standards to measure against. The same can be said for another term we often see, “natural.” These thinly-veiled marketing efforts attempt to connect with the consumer’s subconscious as they seek better-for-you options to feed themselves and their families. And while the FDA is currently working to define healthy, “natural” remains nebulous. But, we have a chance to do something different. To talk about ingredients and products in a fresh, new, and transparent way.
As marketers, it’s important for us to incorporate the right terminology when we’re highlighting new products – with words and concepts that actually stand for something real and reflect the substantial efforts that food formulators must employ to get products to market in the first place. Whether it’s an ingredient or a finished product, we must tell a story that connects with the end-user to drive not only initial purchase, but also repurchase behavior. Above all else, these stories need to resonate with today’s modern culture. So what’s connecting with consumers now?
Functional Impact on Health
“Food as Medicine” has quickly become a buzzword and trend, although the concept has existed for centuries. Did you know that approximately 80% of consumers have changed the foods they eat to focus on those thought to have health benefits? Rather than taking a medication, they would rather eat and drink foods to manage and prevent illness.
Additionally, they want the foods they consume to do more. Perhaps it’s a beverage that hydrates, but also contains specific elements demonstrated to improve cognitive function. A 2020 study on the future of food technology confirmed that at least 64% of consumers actively seek out food and drink options with added vitamins and minerals. The numbers continue to climb.
Put simply, consumers want to add to their wellbeing, and they’re looking at food as a logical way to accomplish that goal. Therefore, it’s become increasingly important for formulators to not only demonstrate the science behind their offering, but to also highlight an ingredient or product’s functional benefits and potential impact on health.
Reduced Sugar, Sodium and Fat
Together with the Food as Medicine movement comes a renewed emphasis on healthy reduction. For years, consumers have demanded what they perceive as better versions of the products that they know and love. Nothing has changed and, in fact, the call for these types of products has continued to grow.
And in a world where the instances of type 2 diabetes, heart attacks and high cholesterol are consistently climbing, decreasing the amount of sugar, salt and fat is now more important than ever. Sodium reduction alone has become such an important topic that the FDA is calling for manufacturers to lower the sodium content in foods. So, food formulators and product developers will undoubtedly attract consumer attention if they can demonstrate that they’ve achieved this goal, while maintaining the mouthfeel, taste and satisfaction of the familiar foods that they have celebrated and enjoyed as part of their lifestyle.
Directly From Nature
Consumer packaged goods featuring a plant-based claim grew by close to 700% between 2015 and 2021 according to a study from Mintel. And with a value assessed at $2.9B in 2020, the plant-based food ingredients market is projected to hit $12.3B by 2030.
While wildly popular, these flavors, vegetable bases, and plant-based ingredients often pose new challenges for formulators over their chemical counterparts. As a result, more development is often required to ensure they achieve the same stability, mouthfeel, texture, and solubility properties.
Once these issues are overcome, emphasizing the close relationship between a product and its source in marketing language is critical to success. These messages make a product more likely to be purchased by a consumer or incorporated into additional formulations because they tap directly into a perceived health halo and an individual’s desire to take care of themselves and their families.
The Sustainability Story
It’s not enough to list the performance benefits of your ingredient or product, or to simply add the word “sustainable” to your marketing language. To truly connect with the consumer, you need to showcase how an offering makes our world a better place. Whether this involves harvesting ingredients in a way that benefits a community, safeguarding our food system, or reducing reliance on water consumption, consumers intrinsically want to protect our planet for future generations.
By far, the most effective way to share this message and create a connection is through storytelling – giving the end user a ‘peek behind the curtain,’ into the journey of how the ingredient made it from the field to their table. Or, how its adoption and use is improving the lives of others. The resulting emotional connection between consumer and brand increases the likelihood of loyalty and repeat purchases.