are a priority for consumers in Europe

Proactive living: Addressing dietary habits and mental wellbeing are a priority for consumers in Europe

Across Europe, almost one in four consumers describe their eating and drinking habits as unhealthy. Over the last decade, poor dietary plans have been fuelled by issues such as less structured meal-time habits, out-of-home consumption, snacking occasions have become more common, and less attention is being paid to nutritional intake for a variety of reasons. At the same time, the prevalence of lifestyle-related health problems such as obesity have risen. The fact that problems such as obesity and poor eating and drinking habits become more common at a time when people say that they are committed to eating and drinking more healthily, shows that consumers can often demonstrate attitude/behavioural gaps towards dietary practices.

The reality is that many can struggle to stick to better-for-you dietary plans in the long-term because they are associate with compromise and sacrifice. This misaligns with consumers turning to food and drink products to deal with the escapism of everyday life. However, consumers recognise that poor dietary habits are something that increase the risk of health problems in the immediate and long-term. The immediate risks surrounding obesity have been highlighted by much media attention being given to overweight consumers being more vulnerable to complications arising from COVID-19.

Over the last twelve months, consumers have re-evaluated their eating and drinking habits as they look to maximise their wellbeing and reduce vulnerability to illness. In addition, consumers have also had more spare time in the last year to be spent in the kitchen cooking food from scratch, allowing them to try and reduce their dependency on convenience solutions when preparing food. Consumers will continue to look to improve their eating and drinking habits over the next twelve months, which means there will be an increased focus on looking to eliminate dietary evils from dietary plans, whilst also maximising their intake of ingredients that offer a convenient health boost. In addition, consumers will also adopt a back-to-basic approach to nutrition, looking to everyday food and drink that they know and trust and deem affordable in order to boost their diet.

Brands need to help facilitate healthy eating plans by ensuring that products are seen to offer taste and nutrition simultaneously, that products are affordable, and can easily be incorporated into daily diets.

19% Proportion of consumers who describe their diets as unhealthy (2020)

27% 27%

22%

16% 33%

France Germany Italy Poland Spain

Source: Immunity survey 2020 (6,000 respondents)

UK

Proportion of consumers who say that they plan to eat and drink more healthily as a result of COVID-19 (2021)

61% 76% 74% 74%

60% 79%

68%

Denmark France Germany Italy Poland Spain

Source: COVID-19 survey 2021 (7,000 respondents)

UK

As well as looking to improve their dietary plans, consumers in Europe will also place greater emphasis on addressing their mental wellbeing over the next twelve months. Not least because more and more people are suffering from such problems at a time when society recognises the link between good mental wellbeing and good overall health.

Over the last five years, mental health has deteriorated in Europe and sleep health has worsened. This is something that can be attributed to several factors. For instance, consumers are leading increasingly busy lives as they look to cram as many personal and professional activities into the day as possible, whilst also having several concerns about issues relating to health and finance that can keep them awake at night. These concerns are something that have been intensified as a result of COVID-19 and will continue to do so, especially as many are worried about a third wave of the virus and believe it will continue to impact day-to-day lives for several years to come.

The primary concerns of consumers in 2021 tend to be about the health and wellness of loved ones and the state of the economy. This is resulting in consumers feeling stressed and anxious and unable to relax or sleep properly. This, in turn, can result in consumers being tired and fatigued and in need of energy to get through the day, a vicious circle that consumers can struggle to exit from. At the same time, consumers recognise that feeling tired and run down is something that doesn’t just impact on mood and energy levels, but also on immune health. Indeed, people deemed to be worn out are also seen to be at greater risk of vulnerability to disease and illness.

As such, consumers are demonstrating a greater level of interest in products that help aid relaxation, alleviate stress, and improve sleeping patterns. When seeking out these products, consumers want reassurance over natural formulation. This is because they want to avoid ingredients that help them relax in the short-term but contribute to health problems in the long-term. As a result, the demand for botanicals that are deemed natural and are associated with improving mental wellbeing and sleep health is on the rise in Europe.

Proportion of consumers who say their sleep health has worsened in the last two years

47%

30% 32% 36% 47% 49% 47%

32% 53% 54% 2019

36% 36% 2020

France Germany Italy Poland Spain

Source: Stress and Sleep Management survey 2019 (6,000 respondents) Stress and Sleep Management survey 2020 (6,000 respondents)

UK

Proportion of consumers who say that they have become more conscious about their mental wellbeing as a result of COVID-19 (February 2021)

49%

38% 50% 56%

48% 51% 63%

Denmark France Germany Italy Poland Spain

Source: COVID-19 survey 2021 (7,000 respondents)

UK