Diets present 'highest say-do gap'

There exists a huge gap between public's intention and actions when it comes to health and wellness with cost being a major deciding factor, shows a recent report, also highlighting a shift in how people structure their meals and attitudes towards global mental and physical health.

Kantar's Who Cares Who Does: Decoding Wellness further adds thatwhile 62 per cent see processed food as harmful, only 37 per cent actively avoid it. It’s a similar pattern for sugary drinks: 73 per cent see them as harmful, but fewer than half (48 per cent) are cutting back on products high in sugar.

Savoury snacks and carbonated soft drinks have the highest product penetration of the FMCG product categories at 90 per cent and 77 per cent respectively.

Cost holds a strong influence over people’s ability to choose healthy products. More than half of people (52 per cent) cite the high cost of healthier options as the main barrier to buying them. Meanwhile, a lack of trust and confusion about what constitutes truly healthy packaged foods also prevents consumers from being able to make healthy choices.

It was seen earlier in Kantar Worldpanel’s Demand Moments that howsnacking has become a full-blown behaviour in the UK, Germany and other markets. In the UK, snacks now make up 28 per cent of eating occasions, surpassing breakfast at 27 per cent, showing a shift in how people structure their meals.

Natalie Babbage, Global Solutions Director, at Kantar Worldpanel at Kantar, said, “People want to do better but are caught in cycles of stress, unhealthy eating habits, and barriers to effective weight management, which are often exacerbated by high costs.

"Brands have a critical opportunity to make a difference. By tackling affordability, convenience, transparency, and emotional needs, they can bridge the gap between how people want to live and their reality, helping improve health outcomes for people around the world.”

The report also shows that while78 per cent of people believe they are responsible for their health, less than half proactively engage with their physical health, and even fewer invest effort into their mental wellbeing.