This pioneering report discusses the obsession with dieting and the recent fads that have swept the world, encouraging immense weight loss and changing our lives forever. Although these diets often come and go, one in particular seems to be favoured by consumers- the low carb diet, the latest of which being the Glycemic Index (GI) diet. Offering a more healthy, natural and balanced approach to eating than its predecessor, the Atkins diet, it is being embraced in the UK and looks to appeal to Europeans, who opt for a more 'lifestyle' approach to losing weight, along with Americans and Australians, who loved the rapid results of 'low carb'.

GI diet books are being sold in Tesco (UK), which is currently re-labelling many of its products to show the glycemic index. With sales of Rick Gallop's GI Diet book, at over 600,000 copies and being translated into 12 different languages, now is the time for the food industry to note the public's response to this diet.

This report outlines the origins of the GI diet, regional markets and trends, and key players in the 'low carb' diet industry. It also discusses activities of retailers in the UK, and forecasts future trends and effects of the diet on the food industry to 2010.

Executive summary

Introduction

The origins of the glycemic index
The founding father of GI: Dr. David Jenkins
Creator of the GI brand: Professor Jennie Brand-Miller
Dr. Walter Willett’s Glycemic Load
What you can eat on a low GI diet

Fighting against syndrome X, obesity and diabetes
Approval from non-academics
The health perspective

Regional markets and trends
GI in Australia
GI in New Zealand
GI in America
GI in Canada
GI in the UK

Huge choice of GI-style diets available
The GI Points Plan
The South Beach Diet
Atkins in 2005 and beyond

Focus on the key players
Carbolite: the second biggest low carb brand in the UK and US
Background
Getting used to the UK way
The potential of GI to keep up market momentum
Carbophobia: online sales grow as retailers are still slow to react
Carblife: one of the first low carb retailers now set to take on GI
Go Lower: a natural low carb choice
The GoodCarb Company: touting the benefits of GL over GI

Barriers to low carb growth
Complexity
Responding to the complexity criticism
Price premiums
A question of additives
Product confusion
Opponents of low carb/low GI diets
Jenny Craig: the anti-low-carb diet
The American Grain Foods Foundation
The British Flour Advisory Board

Retailer activity (UK)
Tesco leads the GI revolution
Marks & Spencer adopts GI labels on healthy eating range
Waitrose

The global market for low carb and low GI to 2010
Sizing up the low carb market
GI awareness to take over carb consciousness
How many people are following a strict low carb diet?
Low carb market value, 2004 to 2010
The UK in 2005
The US in 2005
The UK in 2010
The US in 2010
The rise in sweeteners is a key indicator of low carb success

Conclusions and future forecasts
Category opportunities following a troubled 2004
Bakery
Pasta
Back to basics
Low carb dieters offered more choice than ever before
Low carb in a different guise

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List of tables
Table 1: Differences between, and significance of, the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load
Table 2: GI ratings of certain foods
Table 3: Number of GI-related books in the Amazon Top 100 (UK)
Table 4: US and UK consumers’ carb consciousness (% of population) 2004 to 2010
Table 5: US and UK consumers’ carb awareness (% of population) 2004 to 2010
Table 6: US and UK strict low carb dieters (% of population) 2004 to 2010
Table 7: US market value of low carb products, 2004 to 2010, US$m.
Table 8: UK market value of low carb products, 2004 to 2010, £m.
Table 9: US low carb market overview: number of strict low carb dieters, weekly spend and overall market value, 2004 to 2010
Table 10: UK low carb market overview: number of strict low carb dieters, weekly spend and overall market value, 2004 to 2010
Table 11: US market value of sugar and sweeteners 2002 to 2010 (US$m)
Table 12: Major countries' market values of bakery and cereals products 2002 to 2010 (US$m)
Table 13: Major countries' market values of pasta products 2002 to 2010 (US$m)