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Industry statistics and consumer trends

Food and drink manufacturers know that the key to success is to make and supply products that the public wants. And because consumers' needs are changing all the time, it is important companies are prepared to respond to new trends.

How industry responds to changing consumer trends

One of the most important developments in recent years is that our lives have become busier than ever, leaving us less time to cook meals from scratch. For example, it's estimated six out of ten mothers of children aged five or under now have part time or full time jobs.

The food industry has responded to this by producing new, convenient products that offer great taste and nutritional balance. These include chilled prepared meals, washed and cut vegetables and fruit, and 'on-the-go' products.

Guideline Daily Amounts

The industry has also responded to rising concerns about how many of us are overweight. It is estimated that in Britain nearly a quarter of adults and nearly a fifth of children are obese after increases in the last decade. This is not just because of what we eat. It's also because we exercise much less – partly, again, because we have busier lives. But, even though exercise is a vital aspect of any plan to make the nation healthier, the food industry knows it has a big role to play too, and it has responded in a number of ways.

First, many food and drink manufacturers have now started putting clear, easy-to-understand front-of-pack nutrition labelling on their products in the form of Guideline Daily Amounts. These tell shoppers, at a glance, how much fat, saturated fat, sugar, salt and calories are in a portion of a product, and what percentage these levels represent of someone's recommended daily intake of each of these nutrients.

Product Reformulation

The industry has also worked hard reduce the amount of fat, sugar and salt in the products we eat to ensure they are healthier but still taste great.

Research by independent consultancy Mintel revealed that over 700 product lines have been launched with new recipes since January 2007.

Mintel's research also shows that the total sales of healthier eating options in some key food and drink categories are now worth £8bn - and in some areas are growing at twice the rate of the market as a whole, suggesting that consumers are welcoming industry's provision of healthy eating options.

FDF five-fold environmental ambition

Consumers are also becoming more concerned about the environment we live in, and how our behaviour affects it. Because of this, many food and drink companies are developing plans to enable them to conduct their business in a more environmentally friendly way.

FDF has helped them by developing a five-fold Environmental Ambition under which companies pledge to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, send less waste to landfill sites; use less packaging; cut water use; and be more efficient in ways of transporting food around the country.