Posted on

The Migration of Nutrition Facts in Healthy Food Marketing

With the current healthy-eating mindsets that more and more consumers have adopted the nutrition facts will become more important in marketing products. While brand loyalty, intriguing designs, and famous names may still dictate the power-players in the food industry, nutrition is becoming more prevalent in a consumers’ purchase decision. If a product doesn’t fulfill the healthy expectations of today’s consumers, that brand risks rejection in favor of smaller, clearly healthier brands.  Health food marketing is changing.

How did we get here?

The year is 1990 and The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act is put into effect, giving the FDA the power to have companies spell-out nutrition information. Designed by Burkey Belser, the infamous, black-and-white design was then featured on almost every food package in the country. Consumers would see exactly what they were consuming so many were swayed away from unhealthy products. Usually hidden on the back, the label was almost an after-thought. It was something that the companies had to incorporate but did not really want to people to see.

The year is 2011 and the FDA began an initiative, dubbed Facts Up Front. It migrated the important nutrient information from the dreary, hidden shadows of the back of packaging to the front. According to the official website, it highlights key features of the labels but companies are also encouraged to highlight other nutrients that they feel represent their product well.

General Mills is one of the more notable brands to embrace the initiative and also one of the first (though over 50 companies have also displayed Facts Up Front). Proudly displaying all the wholesome ingredients in their products and boasting about their whole grains has undoubtedly placed them ahead of competitors who do not choose to share.  Others in health food marketing need to act accordingly.

The momentum is starting to shift. Some companies are even starting to showcase their beneficial and healthy stats via front label. What was once considered a marketing and design nightmare by many is now being used as an opportunity to positively sell a product. Thanks to Facts Up Front, along with the healthy-eating craze, companies that once served unhealthy foods are being forced to look at their ingredients- a bonus for health-minded consumers.

So what does the future have in store for health food marketing? We will very likely see the nutrition information become even more dominant. Maybe it will be highlighted in bright color, bold in strong fonts, and prominently placed in prime retail package space- no matter how it gets displayed, the nutrition facts’ day to shine has finally arrived and the consumer is sure to follow.

Posted on

Healthy Food Marketing: Soda Brands Struggling

Americans are paying closer attention to what they put into their bodies and increasingly opting for healthier options, much to the dismay of soda marketers. According to a Beverage Digest report, U.S. soda sales have been continuously dropping since 2004. Given this change in appetite for sugar, if soda brands want to survive, they will have to find a way to resonate with consumers and show them how soda can fit into their healthy lifestyles.  Something healthy food marketing has already been doing.

Backlash against soda marketing has added fuel to the anti-soda fire. Campaigns like CSPI’s spoof of Coca Cola’s famous “Hilltop” ad have gone viral, warning of the negative health effects of soda—diabetes and obesity to name a couple—casting soda companies as the villains.

With consumers steering clear of both diet and regular soda and on such high alert for unhealthy ingredients, there may be a slight product issue. Without changing the product itself, how can soda brands successfully market a product that is so overwhelmingly, and perhaps irreversibly, perceived as unhealthy?

Decisions like that of McDonald’s to remove sodas from the Happy Meal section of their menu make matters worse for the industry. As a result, fewer people are picking soda for Happy Meals, according to a report by the McDonald’s Corp. and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The report said 48% of Happy Meal orders included soda, which is down from 56% (a victory in our healthy food marketing book).

As Americans grow more conscious of the ingredients in their foods and beverages, many have chosen to avoid artificial zero-calorie sweeteners, like aspartame, ruling out diet soda as an alternative to regular soda. Beverage Marketing predicts the amount of bottled water consumed could soon surpass soda, America’s long-time favorite.

If soda brands want to avoid this fate, they will need to think carefully about their messaging. Here are a couple of tips:

  1. Make it a treat. Focus messaging on enjoying soda in moderation by emphasizing responsible servings and not over-consuming. Point out that a smaller serving of soda can be a great way to treat yourself.
  2. Don’t ignore the reality. There is no denying that drinking too much soda contributes to serious health problems—diabetes and obesity are real. Soda brands must openly acknowledge that consumers’ concerns are valid. Any brand position that aims to weave around this truth is not viable, and consumers won’t buy it. The old “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” will not work here.

So are these the last of soda’s days? Not likely. Soda is still by far the largest non-alcoholic beverage category, in terms of dollars. The sky is not falling yet.

Clearly, there is still a huge market for soda and diet soda. However, if consumers see your brand as irresponsibly selling soda as a healthy option that actually harms their health for monetary gain, expect to be called out and expect it to be ugly.

Soda brands must be authentic and realistic in their messaging so consumers can feel comfortable and safe choosing soda as an occasional indulgence.  Welcome to healthy food marketing.

Posted on

Frozen Foods Buck Sales Slumps with Healthy Food Marketing

Frozen Foods Buck Sales Slumps with Healthy Food Marketing

health food marketing - frozen

In contrast to the declines of years past, frozen food producers in the US are beginning to recoup sales losses after decades of TV dinner perceptions. Once relying on the benefit of convenience only, frozen food brands may have fallen behind the eight ball when it came to providing consumers with healthy and fresh options (think chicken-fried steak with gravy) but the dinner tables are turning and so is health food marketing.

While we all know that just building it, doesn’t necessarily mean they will come, brands have begun to tap into more recent consumer usage and needs when it comes to frozen, and to their benefit. In a New York Times article by Annie Gasparro, ConAgra’s president of consumer frozen-food division was quoted saying,

“Within this foodie culture the last few years, I think there has been a change in how some people define healthy foods…There is definitely a push toward products that are more real, higher quality, more homemade and closer to the source.”

Recognizing the unfortunate perceptions consumers had of the category as unhealthy and over-processed, especially among younger consumers, ConAgra discontinued some of their Healthy Choice SKUs and made a shift to simplifying their ingredient list, opting for real garlic, rather than garlic paste and shifting their strategic target toward older consumers by featuring functional claims of heart-healthy. More recently, ConAgra acquired Blake’s All Natural brand, which offers the traditional comfort meals of frozen-foods past, but with an all-natural and/or organic twist.

For years, consumers have equated frozen foods as convenience and value-oriented options, but rarely as fresh. However, this is another opportunity-area for the frozen category. Just ask Dole – one brand who is meeting demand for frozen fruits, especially antioxidant-rich berries and exotic fruits. A win for health food marketing.

In Elaine Watson’s article for FoodNavigator-USA.com, Senior Director of Marketing for Frozen at Dole Packaged Food noted,

“We’re also seeing younger consumers come into the category. But the main thing that’s changed is the mentality. Usage has completely changed into everyday healthier products like smoothies, toppings for oatmeal, salads, yogurt, and snacking instead of for desserts and baking – something that you’d buy once or twice a year in a holiday recipe”.

According to the same article, this increase in volume and penetration has made frozen fruit the #1 fastest growing category within frozen.

Beyond comfort foods and fruits and veggies, there are some newer entrants to the category who are combining value, convenience and freshness with hip, millennial-friendly options, like Luvo. With the help of a few MVPs like Derek Jeter and Russell Wilson, Luvo is bringing simple, wholesome entrees, breakfasts, flatbreads and burritos to the health-minded consumer at a great value. Something we can totally get behind.

Frozen foods have always gotten a bad rap. I’m excited to see frozen get the “close to fresh” credit it deserves.  Who knows what will happen next in health food marketing!

Posted on

How The Government Is Marketing Healthy Food

How The Government Is Marketing Healthy Food

If you’re looking to the government for healthy eating recommendations, I suggest you take it with a grain of salt. Their recommendations have changed numerous times over the years. What is considered healthy today may be taboo tomorrow. Forward-thinking food marketers may be better off going with their gut, rather than following the government’s guidance.  Marketing healthy food has become intuition and not government enforced.

The definition of healthy eating is anything but black and white. The USDA has changed its definition of a well-balanced diet, and it’s marketing strategy several times over the last 70 years.

In 1943 the USDA introduced a nutrition guide promoting the “Basic 7” food groups to help maintain nutritional standards under wartime food rationing. The Basic 7 food groups were:

  • Green and yellow vegetables
  • Oranges, tomatoes, grapefruit
  • Potatoes and other vegetables and fruits
  • Milk and milk products
  • Meat, poultry, fish, or eggs
  • Bread, flour, and cereals
  • Butter and fortified margarine (Butter was a food group?!)

In the years that followed, many other guides were issued with contradictory advice. Because of the confusion the USDA released an updated guide in 1956 with added serving size suggestions and four revised food groups: Vegetables and Fruits, Milk, Meat, Cereals and breads.

That brings us to 1992—the year the USDA launched the popular Food Pyramid graphic in schools. A generation of children grew up with adjusted serving size suggestions and five new food groups: Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy, and Protein.

According to an article in The Huffington Post, the food pyramid was surrounded with controversy from day 1. Nutritional experts did not believe the latest research on dietetics. They argued that serving sizes allowed under the pyramid were linked to heart disease, and that it encouraged people to eat too many grains.

Nevertheless, the pyramid stayed standing, and in 2005 is got a long-awaited renovation. MyPyramid was meant to address the serving size issues, and make it easier to teach to consumers.

However, its days were also numbered. In 2011, the food pyramid was torn down and replaced with MyPlate, and a national “choose my plate” advertising campaign.  Something that those marketing healthy food have to be weary of.

Dr. Margo Wootan of the Center for Science In The Public says that, “the new food plate image reflects the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which promote measures like switching to fat-free or low-fat milk and opting for water over sugary drinks. The guidelines also recommend making sure that half your plate is filled with fruits and veggies — one of the major points highlighted by the new graphic.”

I personally like the MyPlate design. It’s a clean, simple image that’s easy to understand, especially for schoolchildren. But as we’ve seen far too often with the USDA, the table is set for more changes. With all of the information that’s out there, I wouldn’t be surprised if consumers don’t take the recommendations seriously, and as a food marketer, neither should you.  Marketing healthy food should be clean and simple.

Posted on

Marketing Healthy Fast Food

The McDonald’s Happy Meal doesn’t exactly come to mind when one thinks of healthy food options for children. And that’s something they’re aiming to change. Happy Meals now include smaller portions and healthier options, because McDonalds knows if they are going to survive, they need to provide healthier options to their Millennial customers. And you know what, they’re right.  They have to shape up when marketing healthy food.

Millennial parents may have grown up eating McDonald’s burgers and fries, but they certainly aren’t “lovin’ it” anymore. Parents are more likely to bring their kids to fast-casual restaurant with more perceived health benefits, like Chipotle or Panera Bread. A study by a restaurant consultancy found that fast-casual restaurant sales are up 5.2 among 22- to 37-year-olds, while McDonald’s sales fell flat for the same group.

So it’s no surprise to hear that McDonalds’ overall sales have been taking a hit for nearly a decade. In fact, sales have been slumping for so long, they decided to stop reporting monthly sales figures.

Now, McDonalds is betting on health. And Happy Meals.

When it comes to marketing food to children, no one has done it better than McDonalds. Little ones have always been an important demographic for the fast food chain. They know if they can reach kids at a young age, they’re more likely to crave their food as they enter adulthood.

Perhaps McDonalds’ most impressive marketing effort is the Happy Meal. Introduced in June 1979, the traditional Happy Meal contained a main item (burger or McNuggets), fries, a soft drink and a toy (often a tie-in to an existing TV show, movie or toy line).  Something that those marketing healthy food would never touch.

The new and improved Happy Meal hit stores in 2011. The newly re-imagined meals still come with staples like hamburger, cheeseburgers and Chicken McNuggets, but now they’ve lowered the sodium and calories by decreasing the size of their fries from 2.4 to 1.1 ounces, and adding healthy sides like apple slices and yogurt. Sugary sodas are also no longer an option. Kids now have a choice of milk (1% white or chocolate) or apple juice.

McDonalds is banking on appealing to an all-new healthier generation of kids. This is an important lesson. If food brands (even ones perceived as being unhealthy) are going to survive, they need to reinvent themselves for Millennial needs. You need to offer new healthier food options, adjust the recipe of current products, and market yourself differently to Millennial parents.

Some trends pass us by. But healthy eating is here to stay. And if a fast food giant like McDonalds knows it, we should all probably take notice.  Marketing healthy food just got a bit faster.

 

Posted on

Marketing Health Food Companies Who Have Been Bought Out

Consumers of health food shuddered in September when Annie’s Homegrown sold to General Mills, joining the ranks of other health brands who have been bought out by larger corporations.  Those marketing health food may ask why.

When trusted health brands are acquired by larger distrusted corporations, consumers struggle to believe that the integrity of the product they love will remain. So how can both the corporation and the health food company maintain the trust of their loyal consumer?

1. Address the concerns of the consumer head on

Ignoring the problem won’t make the consumer forget. The consumer may feel betrayed by their healthy food brand. Their concerns need to be addressed immediately and consistently. When Clorox bought out Burt’s Bees for $193 million in 2007, the chief executive of Burt’s Bees personally called consumers who had contacted them with concerns.

Both the corporation and the health food company should make PR efforts to communicate honestly with the consumer. Many brands have utilized social media to create a conversation with the consumer that makes them feel heard. And that goes a long way.

2. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it

One of the greatest concerns that consumers have is that the product they love will change. This concern isn’t without reason. General Mills also purchased Cascadian Farms back in 1999, when Cascadian Farms cereals was famous for having “no added sugar.”

In 2009, a consumer noticed that one of their cereals had tripled its sugar. Complaints arose from consumers eventually forcing the company to stop adding sugar, returning the product to its original state. However, this created a huge rift in the trust between the consumer and General Mills.

Obviously, if Annie’s is worth purchasing, they must be doing something right. Corporations should tread carefully when considering making changes to a beloved product or risk facing backlash from their consumers.  If not, marketing health food will be a nightmare.

General Mills made a statement after acquiring Annie’s Homegrown that they intend to allow them to have relative autonomy. General Mills CEO stated, “We’ve learned a tremendous amount from these various natural and organic companies we have acquired and we have been very good about leaving them alone, letting them do their thing.”

3. Keep it transparent

Consumers fear corporations will make “subtle ingredient changes that would slowly de-healthify its natural and organic brands to save money.” Very often, these companies don’t address these changes or are even able to hide them behind the loose standards of food labeling, particularly when using word like “Natural”, which has no exact definition developed by the FDA.

Brands would be wise to keep it real. The more open and honest a brand is with their consumer, the more loyalty they can expect in return.

So to the corporations who are wise enough to recognize the power of smaller healthy food, be wise enough to take the proper steps to nourish the trust of the loyal consumers who will sustain you and help you grow.  Marketing health food doesn’t have to be a corporate takeover.

Posted on

Healthy Food Marketing and the Future of the Clean Label

Healthy Food Marketing and the Future of the Clean Label

Consumer perception of “Natural” labeling on packaged and processed foods range from ‘no artificial materials during processing’ to no ‘artificial ingredients’, to ‘no pesticides’ and ‘no GMOs’. Knowing that there is less regulation around “Natural” than say, “Organic”, brands have been known to resort to ‘natural washing’ to find their place in the healthy consumers’ consideration set. However, today’s consumers expect more from food brands and their labeling practices when it comes to feeding themselves and their families.

In fact, 66% of consumers believe that natural means no artificial ingredients, while 86% feel that natural should mean no artificial ingredients. According to a Consumer Reports survey of 1,000 consumers, similar gaps exist across the other perceived meanings of “natural” when it comes to food labeling signifying the opportunity for smart brands to fill these gaps between perceived meaning and wanted meaning when using claims on packaging.

graph

This perception/ expectation gap should come as no surprise to marketers as the family food-shopper is more knowledgeable and savvy than ever, looking beyond the front label for information. Today’s food-shopper has a world of information at their fingertips. If there’s something they can’t pronounce on a label, chances are they’ll be searching it on their smartphone before the product earns a place in their cart. With all this knowledge, the average consumers find themselves seeking the cleanest labels, and often wanting more from their brands.

So what does this mean to food brands looking to claim their place in the healthy family lifestyle? Rather than ubiquitous labeling of natural, building trust may require labels that answer more questions than they raise. Kraft has taken this seriously with the removal of artificial colors and preservatives in their blue-box Macaroni & Cheese, instead using natural coloring agents such as paprika, annatto and turmeric. While there may be some blowback from those who hold this mac and cheese nostalgia near and dear, we believe the brand will only benefit from such shifts towards more natural, less processed ingredients. Sure, this may come at a price premium but with the proliferation of organic options spawning from specialty markets and now reaching the masses via supermarkets and even Walmart, we all know consumers are willing to pay more for quality that they can trust.

Posted on

A New Frontier – Healthy Food Marketing for Vending Machines

It’s a familiar scene. Late for her next meeting after skipping lunch, a working mom finds herself staring at the vending machine. Candy, chips and trail mixes with enough sugar to put her into a coma. Are these really the best choices?

The answer is often yes, but it doesn’t have to be.

According to a survey on snacking by the consumer-centric research experts at the Hartman Group, more than half of respondents stated healthy snack food and beverage options are important to them. And now, there are some new trends and players in the vending machine market who seem to get it. HUMAN Healthy Vending is one such player who is trying to provide the Whole Foods experience to the on-the-go eater. In their machines, you’ll likely find a SoyJoy bar rather than the traditional bag of chips.

But your brand doesn’t have to be confined to the health-specific vending machine to reach the healthy snacker. Here are a few trends that can help your brand stand out in the everyday vending machine:

  1. Mini-Meals – While some snackers may be looking to satisfy a craving or a sweet tooth, many are looking for what Hartman calls mini-meals. Still calling it a snack, consumers are actually eating multiple mini-meals throughout the day while on the go vs. sitting down to a full meal.

Smart brands have tuned into this behavior and have created mac and cheese vending cups and mini lasagna portions to go. The one thing they are missing- HEALTH! That’s why we love Farmer’s Fridge and their line of jarred salads and snacks.

  1. Sustained Energy – Most vending machines are lacking sources of balanced foods. Rather than the calorie-portioned serving of carbs that are sometimes positioned as the healthier option, brands could think outside the carb box for more energy sustaining options. When it comes to energy, consumers typically look to a mix of carbs, protein and healthy fats.

Epic bars are a great example of a brand who is doing this well, balancing the three benefits of protein, gluten-free and natural while providing an energy-sustaining snack.

  1. Diverse Beverages – From caffeine fixes to antioxidant boosts, the health minded consumer is looking for many of the same beverages as the average consumer, but with a twist. Instead of coffee – it’s now fair-trade certified coffee. Instead of tea, it’s matcha. Instead of spring water, Alkaline water or coconut water are growing in popularity. Functional beverages are alive and well and what the actively healthy consumer is looking for (and willing to pay for).

Bottom line, if vending machines in Singapore can serve live crabs, I think we can find a way to go beyond a bag of chips.