>>waitrose sees low gi as a more sustainable and credible approach...tesco to put gi ratings on 1,000 products by christmas...
Waitrose buyer for health and wellbeing
A range of between 20 and 30 products are available from the health section in 20 Waitrose stores. These include products such as bars, cereals, bread and cake mixes. They sit alongside other diet products such as Slim-Fast. A number of bars were in 70 branches but overall sales did not justify the space and they have been removed. I will be reviewing the overall offer in the coming weeks, most likely reducing the number of lines, especially given the demise of the Atkins brand.
Low carb has, not surprisingly, developed into a bit of a fad, but it has helped the low-GI category to evolve, which will be a more sustainable and increasingly credible approach for consumers.
head of health and diet, Tesco
Tesco’s low-carb range consists of 170 products, making it the largest low-carb range of the retailers. We also have the largest GI range. The low-carb school of thought focuses on the quantity of carbs while GI focuses on the quality of carbs. From that essential distinction, we have developed two distinct customer offerings.
There will be a dedicated niche market on an ongoing basis for low carb. There were dedicated low-carb dieters before Atkins, and post-Atkins the diet will continue. However, there is more clamour about GI than low carb at the moment. So far we have tested 270 products for GI ratings and aim to put low and medium ratings on 1,000 products by Christmas.
Nigel Sharp
Hamish Renton
Waitrose buyer for health and wellbeing
A range of between 20 and 30 products are available from the health section in 20 Waitrose stores. These include products such as bars, cereals, bread and cake mixes. They sit alongside other diet products such as Slim-Fast. A number of bars were in 70 branches but overall sales did not justify the space and they have been removed. I will be reviewing the overall offer in the coming weeks, most likely reducing the number of lines, especially given the demise of the Atkins brand.
Low carb has, not surprisingly, developed into a bit of a fad, but it has helped the low-GI category to evolve, which will be a more sustainable and increasingly credible approach for consumers.
head of health and diet, Tesco
Tesco’s low-carb range consists of 170 products, making it the largest low-carb range of the retailers. We also have the largest GI range. The low-carb school of thought focuses on the quantity of carbs while GI focuses on the quality of carbs. From that essential distinction, we have developed two distinct customer offerings.
There will be a dedicated niche market on an ongoing basis for low carb. There were dedicated low-carb dieters before Atkins, and post-Atkins the diet will continue. However, there is more clamour about GI than low carb at the moment. So far we have tested 270 products for GI ratings and aim to put low and medium ratings on 1,000 products by Christmas.
Nigel Sharp
Hamish Renton
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