Healthy foods a fast-growing market segment: Study

Healthy foods a fast-growing market segment: Study

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After getting advice from several nutritionists, as well as doing
some research on his own, Bambang Sugiharto Fajar, 40, came up
with a diet that helps him stay healthy.

The restaurant owner starts each day with a breakfast of
oatmeal, non-fat milk, and non-fat and sugar-free yogurt.

Indira Bratanata, 34, has come up with her own healthy diet.
"I eat fiber for good digestion," said the owner of the Zen
Living reflexology center in Jakarta.

As more people look for easy-to-prepare, healthy foods, more
companies are introducing foods and beverages that fit into
healthy, on-the-go lifestyles. And a market study indicates these
products are growing very fast globally.

"As health and convenience continue to be the key themes for
consumers the world over, food and beverage products that support
healthy diets, weight loss and on-the-go lifestyles are among the
world's fastest growing," said the managing director of ACNielsen
for South East Asia, Farquhar Stirling, on Tuesday.

According to ACNielsen's latest executive news report, What's
Hot Around the Globe -- Insights on Growth in Food and Beverages
2004, from seven food and beverage categories that experienced
double-digit revenue growth last year, five offered perceived
health or weight-loss benefits. These were soy-based drinks,
drinkable yogurt, eggs, cereal/fruit bars and sports/energy
drinks.

Revenue from sales of soy-based drinks in 19 of 20 surveyed
markets increased by 31 percent to 244 million euro (US$317.2
million) last year. While sales of drinkable yogurts in 37 of 40
surveyed markets rose 19 percent to 655 million euro.

In the Asia-Pacific region, revenue from sales of soy-based
drinks grew 44 percent in the majority of the markets tracked by
ACNielsen, Stirling said.

Revenue from sales of eggs in 13 global markets surveyed
increased by 16 percent to 802 million euro; cereal/fruit bars in
26 of the 30 surveyed markets rose 14 percent to 314 million
euro; sports/energy drinks in 45 of 48 surveyed markets went up
10 percent to 438 million euro. Revenue from sales of sugar
substitutes in 21 of 28 surveyed markets increased by 10 percent
to 77 million euro, and refrigerated complete meals in 15
surveyed markets rose 10 percent to 487 million euro.

Stirling said these figures indicated that consumers were
becoming more concerned about their diets and health,
particularly with the media focus on obesity and diabetes.

"Food and beverage companies that develop healthy products to
meet consumers' demand for good taste and convenience will find a
receptive market for those products," he said.

He said a closer examination of the fastest-growing food and
beverage categories showed that consumer interest in high-
protein/low-carbohydrate diets -- particularly in more developed
markets -- was a major factor in related category growth.

The popularity of these diet plans, and resulting food and
beverage purchases, was identified in numerous regions as a key
growth driver for certain categories, while negatively impacting
others.

Stirling said product innovation could drive excitement in
categories, but only those enhancements that met more sustainable
consumer needs, particularly health and convenience, would enjoy
long-term success.

Product categories that are apparently meeting those needs
include drinkable yogurts, fresh ready-to-eat salads and bottled
water, all of which were hot growth categories in ACNielsen's
2002 and 2004 studies. (004)