The Flexitarian factor in UK food & drink habits in 2018
Flexitarianism, clean eating and a growing health-consciousness are shaping the nation’s food and drink buying habits.
Dairy-free was one of the biggest areas to benefit from the change in shopper behaviour. Following this year’s publicity around veganism, leading dairy-free brand Alpro gained £23.2m to reach total sales of over £200m [Nielsen, 52 w/e 8 September 2018]. The top 10 dairy-free brands in the data – including Alpro, Oatly and Koko – amassed value growth of over 20%.
This appetite for healthy products saw categories such as fruit, free-from and sports nutrition perform well this year. Free-from was the fourth fastest-growing category by absolute value (up £200.3m), while fruit was seventh with gains of over £140m. Sports nutrition was the fastest-growing category by percentage, up 20.8% to nearly £120m.
Nielsen’s UK head of retailer and business insight Mike Watkins said millennials were creating new markets in food and drink. “Shoppers are increasingly seeking out more flexible meal choices and driving demand for healthier food as well as meat- and dairy-free options,” he said. “Retailers need to sit up and take note – the landscape of the sector has changed immeasurably.”
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