Learn how food manufacturers can meet the demands of today’s wellness consumers by balancing taste with nutrition.
Key takeaways:
- 70% of consumers want to be healthier overall and have made eating healthy a top priority.
- Wellness consumers are focused on healthier habits from exercising to improving their diets.
- Food manufacturers should take care to include high-quality ingredients in snack foods since consumers are paying more attention to what they’re eating.
- Making the benefits of a healthier snack clear on the packaging can attract wellness consumers.
Today’s consumers have shifted their focus to wellness, and that includes eating a healthier diet. They’re looking for ways to enjoy their favorite snacks without all the extra salt, sugar, and fat. One Mckinsey survey found that 70% of consumers want to be healthier, and about half say that eating healthy is a top priority.
These shifting preferences and priorities mean that food manufacturers need to keep up. It’s more important than ever to get creative. Here’s a look at how you can create snacks that cater to these latest food trends.
Understanding the wellness consumer
So, what exactly is a wellness consumer? They’re people who are focusing their lifestyles and daily habits on being healthier. This includes taking steps like:
- Exercising regularly
- Managing stress and mental health
- Eating healthier foods
- Investing in sustainable products
- Being proactive about their personal health
- Taking steps to ensure they get a good night’s sleep
In other words, wellness consumers are focused on an overall healthy lifestyle.
Further McKinsey research found that the wellness market is valued at an estimated $1.5 trillion, with annual growth between 5% to 10%. This presents a significant opportunity for forward-thinking snack food manufacturers, opening up opportunities to create healthier products that appeal to the modern consumer.
And on top of the growing consumer market for healthier foods, the FDA has also recently taken steps to encourage food manufacturers to lower sodium amounts. Taken altogether, it’s clear that the current climate favors a move toward healthier snacking. And manufacturers who can’t change with the times are apt to get left behind.
Identifying the needs of wellness consumers
Even the most wellness-conscious consumers still like snacking. One survey found that 73% of consumers say they snack at least once a day. However, they want to do it more mindfully. Today’s consumers are more aware of the ingredients that go into their food – especially ingredients to avoid.
One study found that 63% of adults say that the ingredients in foods and drinks influence what they end up buying. This means they pay attention to details like calories per serving, saturated fat content, sodium content, and sugar content. Ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup and excess salt are big red flags to wellness consumers.
Instead, they want foods that use only a few ingredients that they actually recognize. In addition, many Americans are moving toward plant-based products in an attempt to eat healthier.
Food manufacturers can stay competitive by recognizing these trends and changing both what they include in their snack products and how they market them to consumers. This will help them stay competitive and keep a strong customer base in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
Key strategies for attracting wellness consumers
Understanding wellness trends and shifting consumer priorities is the first step. But how can producers implement new practices to meet these changing demands? Here are a few ideas:
1. Use high-quality ingredients
Consumers are paying close attention to what’s in their food, especially when they’re looking for new, healthier snack foods. Focus on incorporating only natural, high-quality ingredients – and the fewer, the better.
2. Incorporate nutrient-dense ingredients into snack foods
Manufacturers should also prioritize using ingredients that provide actual nutritional value. Wellness consumers want to know that their snack foods aren’t just full of empty calories. They see snacking as part of their overall plan to eat healthier, so their snack food choices need to help them meet their health goals.
3. Carefully balance taste and nutrition
Some companies try to go too far in the healthy direction and forget about how important taste is to consumers, even those focused primarily on health. They want nutritional snack foods, but they still want them to be flavorful and satisfying. The good news for manufacturers is that by getting creative, you don’t have to sacrifice a great flavor just to make something healthier.
4. Make the benefits clear on the packaging
A great way to attract wellness consumers to your products is to put the benefits clearly on the packaging. For example, if your food product has lower sodium levels than competitors, state that on the front of the box or package. Make it easy for consumers to understand the benefits of your product and what makes it different than the others on the shelf.
Get creative with healthier snack food ingredients
As more and more people are making their health a priority, they’re becoming laser-focused on the ingredients in their foods – and especially in their snacks. They want something that’s satisfying and tasty while also offering nutritional value, not junk food full of empty calories and unhealthful ingredients. This means that food manufacturers need to focus more on using the right ingredients in their snack products.
One great way to create a healthier snack is to embrace new technology like MicroSalt®. Our microparticle salt crystals provide all the flavor of regular salt with only half the sodium. And because it’s real salt, you can substitute MicroSalt® into your existing recipes without significant changes to your manufacturing process, making it a win-win for healthier snack production.
Contact MicroSalt® to learn more about our breakthrough technology and our products like delicious SaltMe®! chips.
