With levels of obesity on the rise and concern about diet and weight loss growing, there have been many new product introductions recently in the weight control sector. Amanda Lintott looks at some of the new products available on the market.
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Mintel’s GNPD (global new products database) has found that much of the weight control market continues to be driven by medical and pharmaceutical breakthroughs, and by growing levels of obesity around the world.
Several forces are likely to converge to create slower growth in the diet pills sector over the next few years. One is the industry’s marketing shift towards emphasising healthy eating and exercising rather than just popping pills to achieve desired results. Also, in the US, the FDA will be watching ingredients more closely as the health risks are being evaluated, such as those associated with ephedra and its alleged link to heart attacks and strokes. Currently, the FDA is moving toward requiring a label “flash” noting that a product contains ephedra.
In terms of the number of new product introductions, although weight control is a relatively small category, it is nevertheless experiencing marked growth, with introductions nearly tripling globally between 1999 and 2002. Most of the products introduced in recent years have been new products rather than just line extensions. The types of line extensions introduced are usually made up of new flavours to existing drink mix lines, or higher or lower strengths of weight-loss pills.
Mintel defines weight control as all weight – control oriented products, such asslimming aids and body building aids, in tablet, food or drink form.
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By GlobalDataThe largest portion of the weight control category is that of meal replacement products such as bars and drinks.
Meal replacement products
Certainly the biggest brand in meal replacements is Slim-Fast from Unilever, which has been the main driving force in this sector. While other brands have come and gone, Slim-Fast continues to achieve strong sales growth, boosted no doubt by the consistently high level of advertising support given to the brand. The brand has experienced a number of new product introductions over the past three years, some of which are described below.
In the Netherlands, where the brand is called Slim-Fit, latest products in the range include Toffee Delight snack bars (enriched with 23 vitamins and minerals), with two bars replacing one meal. Also under the same brand is the Peach Passion ready-to-drink meal. Again the product contains 23 vitamins and minerals. The drink is available in vanilla, chocolate royal, strawberry supreme and banana deluxe flavours.
In the US, where most of the Slim-Fast activity is seen, the company has moved into soy-based shakes, thus giving them a stronger positioning with women. The ready-to-drink products come in flavours such as Apple Cranberry Raspberry and Orange Pineapple.
Also in the US, Unilever has introduced Slim-Fast in a powdered form (in a multi-serving canister), designed to be used as a base for customised smoothies.
Meal replacement bars appear in just about every country. Kraft Foods sells bars under the Jenny Craig label (Jenny Craig Weight Loss Centers offer consumers a complete programme of foods, exercise, and support), while EAS sells its Myoplex bars in several countries, including the UK, Canada, and South Africa.
Weight loss soups, biscuits and jelly
Meal replacements come in a number of other forms besides drinks and bars. Especially true outside the US, other forms include soups, biscuits, yoghurt, muesli, and even confectionery. Danone, for example, offers Gayelord Hauser diet soup mixes in Belgium. The soup is high in protein, vitamins and minerals and low in calories and fat. As well as consuming the soup, it is recommended that eight to ten glasses of water are drunk and that physical exercise is taken to encourage weight loss. It should also be accompanied by a balanced diet and not consumed as a unique food substance.
Hero in Spain offers its Yo Quiero line of products, which includes both soup and pudding mixes.
Some other interesting introductions seen in 2002 include:
Café Minceur Slimming Arabica Coffee is two parts coffee and one part slimming aid, available in France. Three cups per day are recommended for the best results.
Slim Mints, available in the UK and US, are weight loss mints said to help you lose weight and freshen breath at the same time by suppressing appetite and speeding metabolic rates.
Fuze Slenderize beverage in a tropical punch variety in the US from Fuze Beverage contains Citrimax and chromium to inhibit cellular fat production and is sold along with regular juice beverages in convenience stores.
Bikini Beans in the US are appetite-suppressing gourmet jelly beans. Weight Loss Jelly Drink from Orihiro in Japan comes in an apple flavour and contains dextrin and vitamins.
Non-food weight control products
Weight control products outside of the food arena can come in several formats. Pills are popular, especially in Europe, and the market includes fat absorbers, which usually contain chitosan, fat burners and pills that suppress appetite. In the Netherlands, for example, Body Vitaal offers Fat Blocker tablets. In Italy, Docteur Natural sells Nocalory capsules, designed to burn fat and calories and “flatten the stomach.” The US market does see chitosan products, sold almost exclusively in natural food stores. Only Natural offers its Chitosan Fat Blocker tablets to natural foods consumers.
Fat burners are usually made with chromium, chromium picolinate or hydroxycitric acid, which often goes under the brand name Citrimax. Companies claim that these ingredients help reduce sugar cravings.
Not just for women
While the main consumer demographic for weight control products are women, the market is beginning to show more specialisation for two other groups: men and children. Men’s products focus on one of two things – either bulking up or shedding pounds. Nearly all the products targeting men are found in the US. Notable 2002 introductions include Metabolife For Men, which advertises itself with the tagline “women aren’t the only ones who want to lose weight.” It also features added lycopene to promote prostate health. Gut Cutter and Ripping Gel, both from Urban Biologics, promote the “ripped” look. Ripping Gel, applied to the abdomen, promises a six-pack appearance.
More alarmingly, however, are the products being launched that are targeted towards children, and the expectations for these sort of introductions is only expected to rise because of growing obesity in children. Two launches in the US have drawn attention. PediaLean is an all-natural diet pill that comes with a diet and exercise programme and online support community. It is designed for overweight children aged 6-16. A second product, Skinny Pill for Kids, is designed by a well-regarded nutritionist who claims that simply eating right (and taking dietary supplements) will help users lose weight without needing to exercise.
Amanda Lintott works for Mintel. To view Mintel research reports, click here.
To find out more about Mintel’s Global New Product Database, click here.
