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Summary of our market study
French health food market valued at €2.8 billion
The global health and wellness food market is expected to grow from $733 billion in 2020 to $1,000 billion in 2026. This rise is due to increasing health problems, such as rising rates of obesity and diabetes,
Demand for gluten-free products is high, accounting for a third of sales in the dietary sector.
Major food groups and companies specializing in diet products are the main market players.
The prices of diet products are significantly higher than those of their standard equivalents.
Growing health awareness boosts demand for diet foods
Diet foods compete with natural, homemade and organic foods.
In recent years, demand for diet foods in France has grown by around 25%.
Diabetes care has progressed, and the number of people treated for the condition has risen from 3 to 4 million in the space of just three years, the majority of them suffering from type 2 diabetes.
people over 55 have higher rates of overweight and obesity.
The gluten-free market sector accounts for a substantial share of health food sales. They attract both people with celiac disease and a growing number of "gluten-sensitive" consumers.
Popular diets such as flexitarianism are gaining ground with a minority of the population, and "free" diets (gluten-free, lactose-free) are making headway.
Sports nutrition is also a booming segment, contributing to the growth of sports-related diet products.
Diet food market players
- Specialized nutrition experts
- ABCD Nutrition, Naten brand and Nutrisens focus on the development of diet foods.
- Herbalife and Pro Dietic - Meeting the needs of specialized diets
- Global food conglomerates
- Nestlé, Danone, Unilever and Ebro Foods are active in the health food market.
- Danone has acquired WhiteWave and Earth Island.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Market definition and scope
Dietetic foods are considered one of the segments of the global nutrition-health market. They can be defined as "foodstuffs intended for particular dietary uses which, by virtue of their particular composition or the special processes involved in their manufacture, are clearly distinguishable from foodstuffs for everyday consumption , which are suitable for the stated nutritional purpose and which are marketed in such a way as to indicate that they meet that purpose". which are suitable for the stated nutritional purpose and which are marketed in such a way as to indicate that they meet that purpose ".
In France, this segment of the market has seen significant growth and sustained development since the 1990s.
These can be divided into several categories. These include :
- Food supplements (vitamins, minerals, omega-3s, probiotics, etc.) consumed by nearly 60% of French people [Synadiet]
- Meal replacements (shakes, protein bars, diet soups)
- Allergen-free products (gluten-free, lactose-free): it is estimated, for example, that 1% of the European population suffers from celiac disease.
- Organic and natural products (certain organic foods, superfoods, vegan products), with the organic market set to reach nearly 13 billion euros by 2022, thanks to growing demand for responsible, sourced products.
- Slimming products (appetite suppressants, fat burners, detox teas)
The market for diet foods has been growing for some thirty years, driven in particular by public awareness of the correlation between healthy eating and good health. This awareness has accelerated with the diagnosis of certain diet-related diseases such as celiac disease and diabetes, the increase in the number of overweight people, and the desire to consume in a more environmentally-friendly way(veganism, flexitarianism, etc.).
In this growing market, new entrants are emerging (notably the major food groups, but also mass retailers with the development of their own diet brands). At the same time, concentration is intensifying, with many food industry giants such as Herta and Danone embarking on external growth strategies to strengthen their position. Faced with this situation, specialist players such as ABCD Nutrition are conquering new niches with the launch of new products or new brands, such as Naten, aninnovative cookie brand.
1.2 Strong growth in the global health and wellness food market
The global health and wellness food market is in continuous expansion. It is valued at nearly $***.** billion in **** and is expected to reach a value of $*,***.** billion by ****, with a CAGR of *.**% during the forecast period from **** to ****, according to the Data bridge report
This market encompasses all products that contribute ...
1.3 Recent growth in diet foods in France
Insee provides the size of the market in ****, as well as theannual sales index for the "fabrication of homogenized and dietetic foods" (***).
Category **.**Z (***) includes : the manufacture of foodstuffs for special dietary uses: homogenized preparations for children low-energy or reduced-energy foods for weight control purposes dietetic foods for special medical purposes low-sodium ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Demand demographics: food-related health problems on the rise
Obesity and overweight
Obesity and overweight are a global public health problem whose incidence continues to rise. Since ****, the WHO states that the number of obese people in the world has tripled.
In France, the proportion of the population affected by obesity or overweight rose by *% between **** and ****(***), from **.*% to **.*%. In ...
2.2 Focus on demand for gluten-free products
Worldwide, the size of the gluten-free food market has been estimated at nearly $**.* billion in ****, and is expected to grow by **.*% between **** and **** , according to Global Market Insights.
In France, according to the Ministry of the Economy, it is estimated that around **% of "conventional" food products contain gluten.
Given this figure, ...
2.3 French people's keen interest in health, diet and nutrition
According to the survey below,the French are particularly concerned (***) about the effects of food on their health. about the effects of food on their health, which could be behind their desire to consume diet products.
Concerns about the effects of food on health France, ****, in Source: ****
To maintain or improve ...
2.4 Consumers suspicious and demanding about product quality and origin
Where the product comes from is the first piece of information most consumers notice when buying their products (***). This is followed by information such as "no additives", "***% natural origin", brand name and nutri-score. This shows that consumers are particularly interested in quality information , i.e. product composition and origin.
Most important ...
2.5 Major trends in food market demand
According to a study carried out byAgence Bio in ****, over the past * years, the French have made significant changes to their purchasing habits and eating habits. On average, **% have made changes. The following chart shows the main changes:
Changes in purchasing habits and eating habits France, ****, in Source: ****
In addition, several ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Strong indirect competition
The French population is increasingly aware of the need to eat better, and while some people are turning to diet foods to control their diet, they are not the only alternative for eating better. Numerous alternative products to diet foods exist, indirectly competing with diet foods.
In fact, according to the ...
3.2 Two categories of players structure the market
The health food market is largely concentrated around two types of player.
The first is made up of the traditional players in the health food sector, who are positioned exclusively or almost exclusively on health foods, and the start-ups who propose the development of innovative products. The second is made up ...
3.3 Production that expands with consumer trends
The production of dieteticfoods can be classified under NAF code **.**Z. Category **.**Z (***) includes :
the manufacture of foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses: homogenized preparations for children low-energy or reduced-energy foods for weight control purposes dietetic foods for special medical purposes low-sodium foods, including low-sodium and sodium-free dietary salts gluten-free foods foods ...
3.4 Distribution channels for diet products
There are four main sales channels for diet products:
Supermarkets: Système U, Carrefour, Auchan, Leclerc, Intermarché... Thespecialty storessuch as Naturalia or Biocenter Pharmacies and parapharmacies [***] Online stores, such as bienmanger.com, webecologie tout-sans-gluten.com or noglutenshop.com. Some brands also have their own online stores, such as Eurodiet or ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Significant price increases for diet foods
The three main dimensions of the Dietetic Sector are slimming, gluten-free and sports products.We propose here a price comparison of a basic basket between dietetic products and their "classic" equivalents. We can see from the following table thatthe prices of diet products, whatever the category, are generally much higher than ...
4.2 Supply trends: foodservice enters the segment
The foodservice sector has particularly invested in the health food segment.
The healthy offer
Firstly, the range of "healthy" restaurants is growing rapidly in France. This trend concerns all types of restaurants, even gourmet ones, with nearly **% of them offering a vegetarian menu. [***]
Secondly, many brands offer home delivery of diet ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Diet food regulations
European Directive **/***/EEC defines dietetic foods as "foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses which, by virtue of their particular composition or particular manufacturing processes, are clearly distinguishable from foodstuffs for normal consumption, which are suitable for the stated nutritional purpose and which are marketed in such a way as to indicate ...
5.2 Focus on "gluten-free" regulations
Certain foods considered dietary may be subject to additional regulations. This is the case, for example, for gluten-free products, which are regulated as follows:
Among the existing regulations, we can cite European Commission Implementing Regulation (***) no. ***/**** of July **, **** on requirements for the provision of information to consumers on the absence or ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- +Simple.fr
- Danone Groupe
- Fleury Michon
- Ekibio (Groupe Lea Biodiversité)
- ABCD Nutrition
- Biscuits Bouvard Groupe
- Bjorg (Ecotone)
- Lactalis Groupe
- Nutrition & Santé Groupe
- PiLeJe
- Nestlé Groupe
- Unilever Groupe
- Ebro Foods Group
- Famille Mary (Léa Nature Groupe)
- Lea Nature Groupe
- Olga Groupe (Triballat Noyal)
List of charts presented in this market study
- Size of the global health and wellness food market
- Size of the diet food market in France
- Breakdown of supermarket sales by category (market share by volume)
- Trends in obesity and overweight in the French population
- Trends in obesity in the population by gender
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Latest news
Lactalis and Sodiaal buy the yoghurt activities of American General Mills - 13/09/2024
- General Mills, known for brands such as Häagen-Dazs and Old El Paso, is streamlining its operations to focus on its most profitable brands.
- General Mills' U.S. yogurt business, including the Yoplait brand, generated approximately $1.5 billion in net sales in fiscal 2024.
- Yoplait, founded in 1965 and associated with General Mills since 1977, saw the latter acquire a 51% stake in 2011.
- In 2021, Sodiaal acquired Yoplait's European activities from General Mills, aiming to expand its global presence.
- Lactalis operates 11 manufacturing sites in the United States, marketing cheeses and yogurts under various brand names.
Lactalis acquires General Mills' yogurt business in the United States - 13/09/2024
- - General Mills Inc. yogurt business in the United States: US$1.2 billion.
- - Production sites concerned by the acquisition: Murfreesboro (Tennessee), Reed City (Michigan), and headquarters in Minneapolis (Minnesota).
- - Lactalis USA presence: 11 manufacturing sites and over 4,000 employees.
- - Yogurt brands concerned by the acquisition: Mountain High, as well as licensed brands Yoplait, Go-Gurt, Oui, etc.
- - Cheese brands marketed by Lactalis USA: Galbani, Président, Kraft (natural and shredded cheeses), Breakstones, Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond.
- - Lactalis U.S. Yogurt products: Stonyfield Organic, siggi's, Brown Cow, Green Mountain Creamery.
Unilever in talks with funds to sell Ben & Jerry's and Magnum for 18 billion euros - 22/07/2024
- overall, ice cream will account for just 13% of sales in 2023 (59.6 billion euros)
Unilever to cut 3,200 jobs by the end of 2025 - 16/07/2024
- Total number of job cuts announced: 7,500 people
- - Number of job cuts in Europe: 3,200 people
- - Percentage of European employees affected: one-third
- - Main locations affected: London and Rotterdam
- - Disposal of ice cream division planned by end 2025: current value around 8 billion euros
- - Offer received for Knorr-branded liquid soups business in France: from the Sill Entreprises group
- - Announced sale of Elida Beauty subsidiary: completion scheduled for 2024
- - Sale of Dollar Shave Club brand: to Nexus Capital Management
At the bedside of the sick, Danone invests in protein drinks at Steenvoorde - 22/05/2024
- The adult medical nutrition market is estimated at several billion euros worldwide.
- - Danone is number one in Europe and number two worldwide in the medical nutrition sector.
- - Blédina's Steenvoorde plant will manufacture protein-enriched drinks under the Fortimel brand
- - The total investment for this project is 70 million euros
- - Danone currently operates seven plants worldwide in the medical nutrition sector, including five in Europe.
- - Sales of Danone's specialized nutrition division are expected to reach 8.5 billion in 2023
- - Danone has invested in Turkey and Poland to increase its production capacity in medical nutrition, and has acquired Functional Formularies in the United States.
Compagnie Léa Nature acquires ABCD Nutrition's bulk business - 22/05/2024
- - Compagnie Léa Nature acquires ABCD Nutrition's bulk business to strengthen its consumer bulk business
- - Bulk market: 850 million euros
- - 2 million regular buyers of bulk products in France Bulk business growing since early 2023
- - Compagnie Léa Nature: 75 products under the Jardin Bio brand
- - ABCD Nutrition refocuses on gluten-free products and fresh bakery products
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