The will is there, if not always the willpower
Whilst it is common knowledge that to be healthy people need to exercise and have a balanced diet, more often than not they find it difficult to put this knowledge into action. Some of the main reasons for this include a lack of willpower, regimes which are too complex or impractical for people’s lifestyles, and the belief that healthy foods will be bland and not fulfil hunger needs.
Despite these barriers the health mega-trend has been and continues to be one of the most influential drivers of consumer behaviour. Greater awareness of the global obesity problem and its associated health risks, increased longevity and a growing fascination with health and health scares driven by a vast amount of information in the mass media all serve to keep the health agenda at the top of people’s minds.
Taking responsibility
Due to this growing interest in and awareness of health issues, people are developing a greater understanding about how the human body works, enabling them to make informed choices on how to be healthy. This has led to people being more self-responsible and wanting to take a simpler holistic approach to health. One of the ways they are improving physical and mental well-being is through eating natural ingredients and sensible portion sizes. Information provided on food labels therefore now plays an increasingly important role in purchasing decisions.
With the growing demand for convenience products it is not surprising that people are actively looking for foods that are not only convenient but healthy too – in fact, they now expect it. The fresh prepared foods sector has been one of the most successful food categories in delivering tasty, naturally healthy convenient meal solutions clearly labelled with the product’s nutritional content.
