Retailers are Making the Investment in Health & Wellness

Consumers care about health and wellness, but do retailers? Actually, they do. According to this SmartBrief article, a recent FMI report found that food retailers are investing in health and wellness more than ever before. 

In-store dietitians, product sampling, healthy recipes, and good-for-you products are just a few of the steps food retailers are taking to further their investment in health and wellness. So why are they doing it? Where food retailers’ health and wellness efforts used to be merely transactionally-focused, they’re now more strategic. According to the report, 72% of retailers are investing in health and wellness to grow their own store brand and 61% are doing it to help them keep up with the health and wellness efforts of their competition. Other retailers indicated doing so in hopes of increasing their customer loyalty. 

“Eighty-one percent of the food retailers in this survey (up from 70% in 2014) currently view supermarket health and wellness programs as a significant business growth opportunity for the entire industry in the years ahead.”

— FMI 2017 Report on Retailer Contributions to Health & Wellness 

If food retailers are taking a more strategic view of health and wellness, it’s imperative that food brands think about it strategically as well. After all, brands are the real marketing experts. 

How can brands do it? We’ll touch on that soon. 

Are Health Professionals Recommending Frozen Food as a Healthy Option?

The answer is yes. Frozen food brands are being recommended by health professionals every single week. To find out if your brand is among them and how frequently it's being recommended, keep reading.

For more than 18 years, Pulse Health & Wellness has been placing healthy food brands at the center of face-to-face interactions between trusted health professionals and the consumers they counsel. PulseConnect, our dynamic network of health and wellness professionals, is the mechanism that drives these interactions—and fuels research.

This summer, we reached out to nearly 200 network members to see if they were recommending frozen foods and to learn more about the conversations happening around this food category. This is one of our findings.

Frozen meat alternatives recommended weekly for a heart-healthy diet

Health professionals are talking about frozen foods. In fact, nearly 50% of health professionals surveyed indicated that they are recommending frozen meat alternatives on a weekly basis. 

Among those recommending frozen meat alternatives, almost 1 in 3 are doing so to encourage eating a heart-healthy diet. With less saturated fat and less cholesterol than meat-containing products, meat alternatives' heart benefits are an easily understood benefit. 

Health professionals' favored frozen meat alternative brands

Health professionals are recommending the frozen meat alternatives of primarily two brands: MorningStar Farms and Boca. While these brands have the highest awareness and most recommendations, their perceived healthfulness is being challenged by smaller, newer brands. 

Gardein, Lightlife, and Beyond Meat are perceived as being just as healthy, but they lack the awareness needed to garner the coveted health professional recommendations.

How we can help your brand stand out in this category

So how do the well-known brands do it? That’s where we can help. Based on our findings, we created a ranking system that takes into account brand awareness, recommendations, and perceived healthfulness.

Because at the end of the day, if health professionals aren’t recommending your brand, who's brand are they recommending?

If you’d like to learn more about our ranking system and how we can help you become a part of the conversation, contact Kevin McDonnell at kevinm@pulsehw.com. 

The Gluten-Free Trend is Right on Trend (and on Its Way Out)

Has another food trend come and gone? It seems that way. According to registered dietitians in a recent U.S. News article, the gluten-free trend is on its way out.

As with other food trends, many consumers made the jump to gluten-free eating prior to having all the information. Though it was initially thought to reduce the risk of heart disease and help with digestive issues, registered dietitians say that if it is not medically necessary, eliminating gluten may be doing consumers more harm than good. After all, grains are an important source of nutrients and it is recommended that consumers eat around 6 ounces every day as part of a healthy diet.

“As with all fad diets, we’re starting to see this one wane.”

— Kelly Toups, RD

The declining gluten-free trend is right on trend. Many other past food trends, such as Paleo, low-fat, and low-carb diets have followed the same path, they simply don’t last. The trends begin as immensely popular but quickly fade away, only to be forgotten by consumers.  So why aren’t these food trends lasting? Probably because consumers don’t want to make the drastic changes required to follow these specific diets. In fact, the 2017 IFIC Food and & Health Survey found that only 14% of consumers followed a specific eating pattern or diet in the past year. Sure, consumers want to eat healthy, but completely changing the way they eat is simply not sustainable in the long run. 

What will the next food trend be? Who knows. What we do know is that rather than large changes, consumers want products that fit easily into their lives and, at the same time, are good for them and have proven health benefits.

PulseConnect Member Interview: Cheryl Cohen

The face-to-face conversation that health professionals have with their clients is the single most important marketing opportunity for a healthy brand to be a part of. The implicit trust of the client-consumer for the professional-influencer is unmatched, as is the influencer's genuine desire to help the consumer. We spoke with an influencer and PulseConnect member Cheryl Cohen about her work and the types of conversations she has with her patients.

Tell us a little bit about what you do and the types of people you work with.

I’m a nurse practitioner with a background in food and nutrition. For the last five years, I’ve helped adults in New York City hospitals with diabetes or cardiac conditions transition back to the home. After seeing them in the clinic or hospital, I follow up with phone calls and sometimes visit them in their homes. If necessary, I also help them navigate the super markets. It’s so exciting, after they’ve expressed such frustration, to hear about their accomplishments and see them sustain their joy.

Do you think your clients are more vulnerable with you about their diet/exercise struggles than even their best friends or spouses? 

Each patient is different. It depends on how much education I give them before they go into the home. If the family members are part of the learning experience and can assist the patient with their diet, shopping, etc., then patients learn a lot more.

Do they come to you confused by conflicting news coverage about nutrition and exercise? 

They come with questions. I encourage them to write down their questions, including the sources of their information, and to keep evidence-based journals. I like to believe that if you educate the patient, he is more informed. He’ll ask better questions. No question is too small or too silly because it's something we can explore together.

I also give them a handout when we first meet, which we go through together — me with the patient or me with the patient and his family. After he understands it, we go over the questions from everyone, and then he signs the handout. I get a cop, and he gets a copy. That way I can reference it when he has questions later to remind him that he already knows the information. Patient education is so important — even navigating the Internet. So, for example, we Google “gluten” and see what comes up, we talk through the results and where they’re coming from.

How do you earn the trust of your clients as a health professional? Do they take the advice you give at face value, or do they question you and your methods?

Each patient is different, and I have to earn their trust by speaking to their level of understanding. I always like them to repeat what I tell them, so I know they understand. Anxiety is such a big aspect of their learning. It takes one or two visits to earn their trust. Once we get past the anxiety, they're more accepting of the information I give them.

At Pulse, we value the face-to-face, one-on-one conversations you’re able to have with your clients and our brands’ potential consumers. How often do you get to have those high-value interactions with your clients?

Very often. When we meet in the office, they tend to bring the questions they wrote down. Then they read them to me in a hurry because they know there’s a time restraint, so they rush. That’s why it’s so important to reach them on the phone afterward to follow up…and maybe even go to their home. So, the bulk of my work is one-on-one.

What tests must a product pass before you feel confident in recommending it to your clients?

Mostly, I look at the ingredients and taste the product. Some of the products I get samples of, or I speak with colleagues who have tasted the products.

Consumers Build Healthy Habits, not Trendy Habits

The internet has given consumers unprecedented access to free information about nutrition, food, how it’s made, and the companies making it. As a result, consumers have become more aware—and wary—of what they’re eating. 

With this new-found knowledge, consumers are demanding that the products they buy live up to ever-changing standards of high quality. Much of this can be attributed to perception, something the organic market, for example, has benefited from for years. Thanks to consumers’ perceptions that organic foods are healthier than non-organic, the organic market is experiencing huge growth from the meat and dairy cases to the produce section. Similarly, consumers are less inclined to purchase food that has been genetically modified, convinced this makes food less healthy.  Marketing history is filled with even more examples of trend-driven foods—think fat-free and low-carb.

Trends and perceptions come and go, but when all is said and done there are three things consumers want: 

1. A product that’s good for them
2. Proof of its health benefits
3. The ability to easily fit it into their lives 

A healthier or better-for-you product

Consumers have enough distractions as it is with all the noise on the internet and in magazines surrounding what’s healthy and what’s not. So, when it comes to what a product has to offer, why make it complicated? Our advice? Keep it simple. Focus on the important things, like how it can help your consumer can reach their health and wellness goals. It doesn’t have to be flashy but it does need to be easy to understand and actionable.

By providing easy-to-digest, fact-based information, brands can show consumers that they are focused on providing them with a healthier alternative. Though trends and consumer perceptions may change, consumers will always want the facts.

A recommendation from someone they trust  

Though consumers get their information from a variety of sources, health professionals remain the consumer’s most trusted source nutrition information. According to the 2017 IFIC study, two-thirds of consumers have high trust in their conversation with a health professional as opposed to the approximately only one-quarter who have high trust in a health, food, or nutrition bloggers. Reaching consumers through health professionals is effective because it’s someone the consumer already trusts and has a relationship with. 

Health professionals don’t fall prey to trends. We recently conducted a survey of health professionals who ranked “natural,” “certified organic,” and “non-GMO” as the least important of 27 attributes. Among those ranked as most important by the professionals, were health benefits like protein, calcium, and fiber content. Clearly, health professionals base their recommendations on facts, not trends. 

A product that easily fits into their life

The 2017 IFIC Study also touches on the steps consumers take to be healthier. Nearly 80% of consumers indicated they have made small changes to achieve an overall healthier diet. However, a mere 14% of consumers indicated they followed a specific eating pattern or diet in the past year. Why is this? Consumers want to be healthier, but when it comes to change they like to take small, simple steps toward better health. 

Consumers want to build healthy habits, but don’t want to have to completely change their routine, their shopping habits, or the things they cook to do so. Therefore, brands should show consumers their product is a stepping stone toward better health, and how they can incorporate a new product into their lives without disruption. Consumers are much more likely to take action if they don’t have to invest in wholesale changes.

Will consumer perceptions of health and nutrition change in the coming months and years? Probably. Since some change is inevitable, it is in a brand’s best interest to focus on the things that don’t change. Give the consumers a healthy product, a valued recommendation, and a product that easily fits into their life. 

Why Aren’t You Listening to Your Mother?

According to a recent study conducted by the National Osteoporosis Foundation, American adults and children are drinking less milk than ever before. Growing up, our moms always taught us to drink our milk—it helps build strong bones and promotes growth.  So why have we stopped?

The influx of plant-based alternatives has led many consumers to turn away from cows’ milk completely. This is because many people believe that plant-based milk is better for them. That’s not necessarily true. Plant-based milk doesn't deliver the same nutrients as cows’ milk, especially when it comes to calcium, vitamin D, and protein. 

“As a mom and a pediatrician, I’m incredibly concerned about the influx of dairy-free diets. Dairy alternatives don’t have the same nutrients as dairy milk, and kids are not eating enough kale, spinach, or sardines to replace the calcium in milk. Missing out on nutrients like calcium and vitamin D during the critical bone-building years has very serious public health implications.”

— Dr. Tanya Altmann

Though some consumers make the switch to plant-based milk due to allergies many consumers do so based on the perceived (and often exaggerated) negative health impacts of dairy products. Cows’ milk provides nutritional benefits that plant-based milks cannot. When people turn away from dairy altogether, they’re missing out on key nutrients. Before making this switch, consumers should understand the pros and cons. That’s where education comes in. As consumers gain more knowledge about their health & wellness, the better decisions they will make for their own well-being. It is up to brands and health professionals alike to educate consumers and help them on their health journey.

Is the Future of Personalized Nutrition Already Here?

Eating a low-carb or low-fat diet helps you lose weight, right? According to a new study conducted by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, weight loss results are determined by more than just what you eat. 

The study, discussed in this Food Navigator article, found that no single diet has the same effect on all consumers. The findings indicated that the main factors in determining weight loss or gain are fasting plasma glucose and fasting insulin levels, which are correlated based on different diets. This means that the key to truly personalized nutrition could be found in a simple blood glucose test. 

“This is something we can start using today, and there are no adverse effects because it is not a medication. What we are doing is actually removing from your diet what would be harmful to you.”

— Arne Astrup, University of Copenhagen professor and head of the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports 

When it comes to personalized nutrition, patient education is key. Consumers know they want to lose weight, but often have a hard time knowing what will work best for them. While much of the attention about personalized nutrition has been focused on high-profile, VC-funded startups and the potential for what personalized nutrition might become, this article shows that we may already have the answer to personalized nutrition. 

Consumers are Changing the Way They Grocery Shop

Do you knock out all of your weekly grocery shopping in one place? Probably not. According to a recent USA Today article, grocery shopping is changing, and it has been for a while.

You can now order your groceries online and have them delivered to your house through services like AmazonFresh, have them brought to your car in the store parking lot, or go the traditional route of walking through the store. Even “traditional” grocery shopping is changing, though. According to the article, half of all Americans span their grocery shopping across three or more stores. 

“If you look at a traditional 40,000–50,000 square-foot supermarket, it’s a dinosaur. It’s extinct. People don’t want to go to one store and walk up and down the aisles and look at 50,000 products. It’s just not a great experience.”

— Phil Lempert, supermarketguru.com

With the retail landscape evolving, and consumers demonstrating that they are willing—if not eager—to get their groceries from a variety of sources, making sure that you are getting on the shopping list is more important than ever. Driving consumer choice prior to the shopping trip is critical—especially for healthy brands that need to educate and inform. 

As consumers change the way they grocery shop, healthy brands may have to rethink the way they reach them. 

When Marketing Through Health Professionals, the Conversation is the Target

When defining a target market and developing a consumer profile, brand marketers usually begin with geography, demographics (like age, gender, and income), or relevant behaviors (like recent purchases). But if you are marketing a healthy brand and want to tap into the influence of health professionals, your targeting begins—and ends—with the conversation.

What conversation are we talking about? The face-to-face conversation between a trusted health professional and a consumer that your brand can be placed at the center of, leading to a brand recommendation.

Identifying “the conversation” requires more from marketers than simple geography, demography, and behavioristics, but the rewards are that much greater. This is how you find the right conversation for your brand.

Determine the "who"

When we start working with new clients, many assume that this is the easiest question to answer. If they have a kids’ product, they want to reach pediatricians. A weight loss product, then dietitians. Often, however, the “who” isn’t as obvious as it might seem.

The conversation your brand should be at the center of may not be happening with the health professionals you’d expect—or more typically, it’s happening with them and other professionals as well.

Identify the "what" and the "when" 

It’s unlikely that the conversation most relevant to your brand is about, well, your brand. More likely, the conversation is one connected to a broader need state or life event.

For example, a health professional who regularly counsels people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes finds that those conversations invariably lead to a discussion of brands like yours and the features and benefits they offer. Or maybe you're most relevant not just in any conversation that a pediatrician might have with a mom of a baby, but specifically in a discussion during a six-month well visit and all the topics and concerns raised during them.

Finding the right conversation means going beneath the surface of these ongoing, regular, and predictable interactions between health professionals and the consumers they counsel to understand where and when your brand is most relevant—and how you can add value to that conversation.

Benefit from the "why"

By adding value to those conversations, through education and resources highly relevant to the conversation (and some brand promotion, as well) you can earn a recommendation from that trusted health professional that drives purchase at the shelf.

And because you are relying on a trained and experienced health professional to identify which consumers to share your brand with, you are benefiting from targeting more laser-focused than anything geography, demographics, or behavioristics can deliver.

When it Comes to Eating Healthy, Consumers Need More Education

A plant-based diet is heart healthy, right? Not according to a recent study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health.

People who ate a healthy plant-based diet saw the expected benefits, e.g., a decrease in the risk of heart disease. On the other hand, those who interpreted a plant-based diet to mean eating less healthy versions of plant-based foods—including potatoes, refined grains, and sugary fruit drinks, saw opposite results. Not all plant-based foods are created equal, but given the lack of specific educational information surrounding plant-based diets, it’s easy for consumers to make the assumption that they are. Many of the differences lie in the ingredients and preparation methods used, both of which play a large role in determining the actual health benefits of plant-based foods. 

“Plant-based nutrition is superior when it comes to most diseases, but what people don’t always understand is that there are healthy ways to do it, and not-so-healthy ways. You can do it wrong. ”

— Kim Williams, Chief of Cardiology Rush University Medical Center

While this may be surprising to some, it’s not surprising to us. Consumers are trying to eat healthier foods, but if left to their own devices, they may actually be doing more harm than good. In our experience, the key to preventing these mistakes and misconceptions is consumer education. No one knows more about eating a healthy diet than health professionals, and we know for a fact that consumers trust these health professionals more than anyone else. 

Consumers are clearly trying to alter their eating habits for the better, but their success all comes down to proper education from the right sources.