Health is one of the most important drivers of consumer behaviour in the 21st century, says Matthew Cullum, senior brand manager at WeightWatchers for Heinz. "Up to 15% of the population is trying to lose weight at any one time and 75% of consumers are attempting to eat healthier alternatives'," he says.
This trend has been directly reflected in chilled ready meals, where healthy eating is the fastest growing category.
Kathryn Mee, category development manager at Kerry Foods, says the healthy eating sector of chilled ready meals has increased 39% over the past 12 months. She points to ACNielsen Homescan data indicating the healthy sector is worth £150m with growth predicted at 58% to reach £235m in 2006.
The supermarkets have all had their own healthy eating ranges of ready meals for a while  and the c-stores are catching up fast. But, as packaging technology advances and consumers' tastes change, retailers need to innovate to stay ahead of the game.
Asda is introducing 10 new lines to its Good For You range in January, including Chinese ready meals to introduce a low fat version of the traditional takeaway.
In the branded sector, WeightWatchers from Heinz has the leading range of frozen ready meals, selling at a rate of almost a million meals a week. But innovation is crucial here too  the company says new recipes and packaging has grown the brand by 21%.
Matthew Cullum, senior brand manager, WWfH, reckons healthy meals are also driving growth in the frozen ready meals sector. "Over the past year, 1.8 million new households have bought into frozen ready meals through the healthy sector, and almost 50% of the total healthy buyers are buying in to WWfH."
Meanwhile, the Findus Feeling Great range, which was launched 15 months ago has sold more than 6 million packs  the equivalent of more than £10m of sales. Findus says the brand "personifies the current trend in the frozen category towards quality foods with added health benefits," and says it accounts for more than 15% of the healthy frozen ready meals market [ACNielsen MAT March 23 02].
Birds Eye earlier this year revamped its healthy meals packaging  renaming the range 3% Fat (from 97% Fat Free), flagging up each dish's calorie count and opting for more exotic recipes. BEW trading director Neil Jones says: "Our strategy is to innovate with healthy ethnic recipes that bring excitement and difference to the sector without compromising on taste."
The tendency for exotic healthy dishes has also been picked up by S&A Foods which has been developing healthier lines within the Chinese and Indian ranges. As a result, it says it has seen sales rise steeply in the past year.
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This trend has been directly reflected in chilled ready meals, where healthy eating is the fastest growing category.
Kathryn Mee, category development manager at Kerry Foods, says the healthy eating sector of chilled ready meals has increased 39% over the past 12 months. She points to ACNielsen Homescan data indicating the healthy sector is worth £150m with growth predicted at 58% to reach £235m in 2006.
The supermarkets have all had their own healthy eating ranges of ready meals for a while  and the c-stores are catching up fast. But, as packaging technology advances and consumers' tastes change, retailers need to innovate to stay ahead of the game.
Asda is introducing 10 new lines to its Good For You range in January, including Chinese ready meals to introduce a low fat version of the traditional takeaway.
In the branded sector, WeightWatchers from Heinz has the leading range of frozen ready meals, selling at a rate of almost a million meals a week. But innovation is crucial here too  the company says new recipes and packaging has grown the brand by 21%.
Matthew Cullum, senior brand manager, WWfH, reckons healthy meals are also driving growth in the frozen ready meals sector. "Over the past year, 1.8 million new households have bought into frozen ready meals through the healthy sector, and almost 50% of the total healthy buyers are buying in to WWfH."
Meanwhile, the Findus Feeling Great range, which was launched 15 months ago has sold more than 6 million packs  the equivalent of more than £10m of sales. Findus says the brand "personifies the current trend in the frozen category towards quality foods with added health benefits," and says it accounts for more than 15% of the healthy frozen ready meals market [ACNielsen MAT March 23 02].
Birds Eye earlier this year revamped its healthy meals packaging  renaming the range 3% Fat (from 97% Fat Free), flagging up each dish's calorie count and opting for more exotic recipes. BEW trading director Neil Jones says: "Our strategy is to innovate with healthy ethnic recipes that bring excitement and difference to the sector without compromising on taste."
The tendency for exotic healthy dishes has also been picked up by S&A Foods which has been developing healthier lines within the Chinese and Indian ranges. As a result, it says it has seen sales rise steeply in the past year.
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