health products to deal with specific health needs

Menu for me: European consumers are interested in customised health products to deal with specific health needs

A common theme throughout the report is that consumers are more concerned about their health and wellness than ever before. This will continue to intensify in Europe as society ages and analyses its vulnerability to disease and illness and is driving demand for products that offer maximum efficacy when dealing with health solutions. However, at the same time, many consumers can often feel that health and wellness products available on the market are too generic and not suitable for their specific needs. As such, they want new innovations within the market that offer bespoke and real-time information on how to maximise their health and wellbeing.

Proportion of consumers who say that they are interested in food and drink products that are customized to meet their

48% 55%

50% 65%

45%

Denmark France Germany Italy Netherlands

Across Europe, over half of all Europeans say that they are interested in food and drink products that are customised to meet their nutritional needs. Such attitudes create the opportunity for innovations like nutrition genetic testing. This is a process where consumers provide DNA and genes to a third party in exchange for a health assessment and personalised products designed to boost their health. Consumers deem such innovations appealing because they recognise that genes and DNA are something that have a direct link on overall health, and increased awareness of this issue can help facilitate healthy ageing. Consumers admit that they are willing to pay a premium for such a service and say that they would require face-to-face information from an expert. This highlights the opportunity that exists around personalisation when targeting health-conscious consumers in a post-pandemic environment.

However, when launching such innovations, the ethics of the industry need to be considered. For instance, consumers would want maximum reassurance that personal and sensitive information is being handled in the right way by a third party. Consumers also need to be educated about what the benefits and limitations of such innovations are, and how products are not a magic bullet health solution. Finally, brands also need to consider the issue of concern over receiving information about health problems that will be experienced later in life which cannot be addressed, due to the immediate impact it will have on mental wellbeing.

Nevertheless, as consumers continue to seek out products that offer maximum efficacy, personalisation and customisation will be important areas to explore in the health and wellness industry.

d and drink products that are customized to meet their individual nutritional needs (2020)

35% 60% 56% 55% 77%

45%

Poland Serbia Slovenia Spain Turkey UK

Source: Personalized Nutrition survey 2020 (11,000 respondents)