New research from market data specialists Mintel suggests that the market for slimming foods in the UK is contracting.
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According to Mintel’s research, published in its recent report Slimming Foods, sales of slimming foods have shrunk by as much as 27% in the last five years to just over GBP81m (US$157m).
Within the category, it is meal replacements, such as milkshakes and cereal bars, which have been hardest hit, according to Mintel, with sales in that category falling by 64% in the last five years to GBP32m. Mintel forecasts a further 46% sales decline in this sub-sector over the next five years.
According to Mintel, the slimming foods market has been hit by a number of lifestyle changes in recent years. The profile of slimming foods tends not to fit with the increasing popularity of natural food and ingredients. By the same token, people are increasingly looking to lose weight by changing to a healthy, well-balanced diet, incorporating more natural and whole foods, or exercising more regularly, the report suggests.
The market was also negatively affected by the removal of many low-carb meal complements as the popularity of the Atkins Diet faded.
“At a time when obesity is at an all-time high and the majority of the British nation are now either overweight or obese, it is surprising to find such a decline in the slimming foods market,” said Mintel market analyst Katy Child. “But the market has suffered negative press with many health professionals seeing them only as a quick fix, that will not help people maintain a healthy weight in the long term. What is more, slimming aids have suffered at the hands of the mega-trend move away from artificial ingredients in food and drink products.”
Child continued: “It would seem that the market needs to highlight the benefits of using slimming foods to kick-start weight loss in a move towards a healthier lifestyle and focus on the products’ natural credentials in order to stem the decline in future sales.”
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